Down south on Saturday, Walker Fowler and Johnny Gallagher podiumed in the GNCC premier XC1 Pro ATV class in Washington, Ga., with Patrick McGuire and Kara Merritt adding two more podiums in their respective XC2 Pro Am and Women’s classes.
When the XC1 Pro and XC2 Pro Am classes lined up in the afternoon, the course was worked over from 20 morning classes having at it. As usual, XC1 Pro led the charge, with Chris Bithell taking the early lead before Yamaha’s Fowler advanced from his mid-pack start to take control on the third of five laps, helped in part by mechanical problems for some of his rivals. This set the stage for an exciting conclusion as Fowler and eventual winner Chris Borich locked horns in a battle for victory during the final hour of the race. Going into the last lap, Fowler held just a 2.2-second lead. And although the positions swapped by the flag, Fowler rode a fantastic race and was plenty happy with second. “It’s not easy to come from the back at the beginning of a race and I’m in the best shape of my life,” he said. “I’m definitely excited with second place – now I just need to start picking up some wins.” For his part, Gallagher scored his first podium in a decade. He added, “It’s been a long time and the faces have changed a little bit, but it still feels just as good!” Brian Wolf finished just off the podium in fourth on another YFZ, with Yamaha-mounted Kevin Yoho in fifth and Jeffrey Pickens in sixth.
| XC1 Pro Class |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
|
| 2 |
Walker Fowler - YAM |
|
| 3 |
Johnny Gallagher - YAM |
|
| 4 |
Brian Wolf |
|
| 5 |
Kevin Yoho - YAM |
|
| 6 |
Jeffrey Pickens - YAM |
|
| 7 |
Chris Bithell |
|
| 8 |
Eric Hoyland - YAM |
|
| 9 |
Braden Henthorn |
|
| 10 |
Craig Bowman |
|
|
 |
| Standings |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
60 |
| 2 |
Walker Fowler - YAM |
46 |
| 3 |
Adam Mcgill |
35 |
| 4 |
Johnny Gallagher - YAM |
32 |
| 5 |
Chris Bithell |
32 |
| 6 |
Jeffrey Pickens - YAM |
30 |
| 7 |
Kevin Yoho - YAM |
30 |
| 8 |
Brian Wolf |
26 |
| 9 |
Jarrod McClure |
25 |
| 10 |
Braden Henthorn |
25 |
|
On Saturday, the second round of the GNCC series in Georgia featured plenty of water, mud, rocks, roots, trees and dust – in other words, normal conditions for a great day of ATV racing! In the morning Women’s race, Merritt crossed the line only in mid-pack after the first of five long laps totaling nearly 2 ½ hours of racing. Consummate pro that she is, the YFZ450R rider worked her way up to third place by the second lap, and then into second by the halfway point. With over a minute lead by that time, eventual winner and rival Kylie Ahart was out of Merritt’s sight, so the Yamaha racer settled down and ran her own race through the woods. So tough was the course that only four women finished – Kara among them in a well-deserved second place.
| Womens' Class |
| 1 |
Kylie N. Ahart |
|
| 2 |
Kara Merritt - YAM |
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| 3 |
Quincy Cunningham |
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| 4 |
Ashley Barbee |
|
| 5 |
Shanna Bradshaw |
|
|
|
| Standings |
| 1 |
Kylie N. Ahart |
40 |
| 2 |
Kara Merritt - YAM |
38 |
| 3 |
Jessica Ammons |
32 |
| 4 |
Quincy Cunningham |
18 |
| 5 |
Ashley Barbee |
17 |
|
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