Yamaha ATVs continued their winning ways in the eighth round of the 2009 Grand National Cross Country series in Millfield, OH on Saturday, June 6. Defending class champion Traci Cecco took her third win of the season in the morning Women’s race on her YFZ450R, while Brian Wolf claimed his fifth win of the year in the afternoon XC2 Pro Am race on his YFZ450. In the premier XC1 Pro class, Taylor Kiser just missed the overall win by less than three seconds, with perennial favorite Bill Balance finishing fifth on his own YFZ450R. Blue-and-white ATVs picked up 10 more victories in different classes over the weekend as well, bringing Yamaha’s win tally to an even dozen.
Womens'...
Cecco led all five laps of the morning Women’s race, opening up a bigger lead with every completed lap. On lap one she enjoyed an eight-second advantage over Yamaha-mounted Kristen Atwell before stretching the gap to 48 seconds over rival Angel Atwell on lap two. By lap three Traci was nearly three minutes ahead of Kristen Atwell again, a lead she stretched to nearly four minutes by lap four. When Kristen faltered on the last lap, Traci stretched out a nearly 5 ½ minute lead over runner-up Lexi Coulter by the flag. Fellow Yamaha rider Jennifer Albright followed up in third to give Yamaha a 1-3 command of the Women’s division. Cecco’s win jumps her into the points lead over Angel Atwell, who did not finish.
When the XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Am riders lined up for their afternoon combined race, they faced four laps of an even longer and more demanding off-road course. Starting up front in the XC1 Pro class, Taylor Kiser grabbed the holeshot and stayed within the lead pack for the entire race to attain his strong second-place finish. Following in the XC2 Pro Am wave, Wolf likewise took command early, battling for the lead over the first half of the event before breaking away from the pack to win by more than two minutes over Yamaha-mounted Kevin Yoho, making it 1-2 for Yamaha in their division. With five wins this season – more than any other XC2 Pro Am competitor – Wolf now enjoys an eight-point championship lead over Joshua Kirkland.
XC1 Pro Class |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
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| 2 |
Taylor Kiser - YAM |
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| 3 |
Chris Bithell |
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| 4 |
Bryan Cook |
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| 5 |
Bill Ballance - YAM |
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| 6 |
Jeffrey Pickens - YAM |
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| 7 |
Duane Johnson |
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| 8 |
Donald Ockerman - YAM |
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| 9 |
Jarrod McClure - YAM |
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| 10 |
Ryan Lane |
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XC1 Pro Class Standings - After Round 8 of 13 |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
192 |
| 2 |
Taylor Kiser - YAM |
169 |
| 3 |
Adam Mcgill |
158 |
| 4 |
Bryan Cook |
132 |
| 5 |
Bill Ballance - YAM |
129 |
| 6 |
Brandon Sommers - YAM |
126 |
| 7 |
Donald Ockerman - YAM |
104 |
| 8 |
Duane Johnson |
100 |
| 9 |
Jarrod McClure - YAM |
92 |
| 10 |
Johnny Gallagher - YAM |
77 |
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Womens' Class |
| 1 |
Traci Cecco - YAM |
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| 2 |
Lexie Coulter |
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| 3 |
Jennifer Albright - YAM |
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| 4 |
Shanna Bradshaw |
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| 5 |
Jesi Strachman - YAM |
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| 6 |
Jami Luburgh |
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| 7 |
Kara Merritt - YAM |
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| 8 |
Kristen Atwell - YAM |
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| 9 |
Angel Atwell |
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Womens' Class Standings - After Round 8 of 13 |
| 1 |
Traci Cecco - YAM |
147 |
| 2 |
Angel Atwell |
144 |
| 3 |
Jennifer Albright - YAM |
132 |
| 4 |
Kristen Atwell - YAM |
130 |
| 5 |
Lexie Coulter |
117 |
| 6 |
Shanna Bradshaw |
115 |
| 7 |
Jami Luburgh |
113 |
| 8 |
Jesi Strachman - YAM |
111 |
| 9 |
Kara Merritt - YAM |
79 |
| 10 |
Samantha Vanbuskirk |
72 |
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