The 13-round 2008 GNCC ATV season started with a bang for defending champions Bill Ballance (XC1 Pro class) and Traci Cecco (Women’s class) – literally. Both recovered from crashes in their respective classes to achieve podium finishes at the series’ opening round in Melbourne, Fla. on Sunday, March 2. Ballance finished third and Cecco second, an outstanding result considering the circumstances. Meanwhile defending XC2 Pro Am champion Brandon Sommers finished sixth in his first race in the XC1 Pro class, while Donald Ockerman and David Crane conducted a 1-2 sweep of the XC2 Pro Am class. All rode Yamaha YFZ450s. Meanwhile the new Raptor 250 earned its first GNCC victory as 15-year-old Walker Fowler dominated the Schoolboy class.
Pro Class... Ballance grabbed the holeshot in the afternoon’s combined XC1/XC2 race around a longer course, finishing a blisteringly quick first lap in a virtual tie with Taylor Kiser. On lap two though, Ballance struck a palmetto tree at high speed, crashing hard and getting the wind knocked out of him. Ballance likewise restarted his YFZ450, re-entered the fray down in sixth place, and then charged back up to third to maintain his amazing string of podium finishes that includes every race last year. Raging behind Ballance was the XC2 Pro Am duel between of Ockerman and Crane. The pair battled intensely for most of the five-lap race, with Ockerman ultimately prevailing at the finish.
XC1 Pro Class - Round 1 |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
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| 2 |
Bryan Cook |
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| 3 |
Bill Ballance - YAM |
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| 4 |
Taylor Kiser |
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| 5 |
Adam Mcgill |
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| 6 |
Brandon Sommers - YAM |
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| 7 |
William Yokley |
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| 8 |
Matt Smiley |
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| 9 |
Jarrod McClure |
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| 10 |
Chris Bithell |
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XC1 Pro Class - Resluts |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
30 |
| 2 |
Bryan Cook |
25 |
| 3 |
Bill Ballance - YAM |
21 |
| 4 |
Taylor Kiser |
18 |
| 5 |
Adam Mcgill |
16 |
| 6 |
Brandon Sommers - YAM |
15 |
| 7 |
William Yokley |
14 |
| 8 |
Matt Smiley |
13 |
| 9 |
Jarrod McClure |
12 |
| 10 |
Chris Bithell |
11 |
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Women's Class...Sunny skies and cool temperatures made a great recipe for racing, and the course – nine miles of flat, fast Florida sand – threw in a few challenges in the form of dastardly saw palmetto roots. Cecco started strongly in the six-lap morning Women’s race, powering her YFZ450 ahead of the pack when early leader Lexie Coulter faltered. But she clipped a slower rider after three laps, flipping her bike and careening over the bars in the process. Cecco rejoined the race in second place behind Angel Atwell but could not close the gap in the remaining laps. Amazingly, despite her crash Cecco finished the two-hour long race less than 90 seconds behind Atwell. Yamaha-mounted Jennifer Albright and Stephanie Parton followed up in third and fourth.
Women's Class - Round 1 |
| 1 |
Angel Atwell |
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| 2 |
Traci Cecco - YAM |
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| 3 |
Jennifer Albright - YAM |
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| 4 |
Stephanie Parton - YAM |
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| 5 |
Stefanie Verkade |
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| 6 |
Jennifer Fulkerson - YAM |
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| 7 |
Shanna Bradshaw |
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| 8 |
Laura Strother |
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| 9 |
Arielle Raveling |
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| 10 |
Lexie Coulter |
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Women's Results |
| 1 |
Angel Atwell |
20 |
| 2 |
Traci Cecco - YAM |
19 |
| 3 |
Jennifer Albright - YAM |
18 |
| 4 |
Stephanie Parton - YAM |
17 |
| 5 |
Stefanie Verkade |
16 |
| 6 |
Jennifer Fulkerson - YAM |
15 |
| 7 |
Shanna Bradshaw |
14 |
| 8 |
Laura Strother |
13 |
| 9 |
Arielle Raveling |
12 |
| 10 |
Lexie Coulter |
11 |
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