Yamaha ATV racers braved withering heat to score three podium finishes in the ninth round of the 2012 GNCC ATV series in Millfield, Ohio on Saturday, July 7.
In the premier XC1 Pro category, Walker Fowler and Taylor Kiser went 3-4 after a heated – no pun intended – 1 hr. 40 min. race that saw Kiser in the early overall lead. Kiser and Fowler now start the summer break second and third, respectively, in the points.
Temperatures climbed to over 100 degrees for the afternoon events, a level that not even the shady woods could ease. Not to be intimidated though, Yamaha-mounted McGuire led the XC2 Pro Am field on the first of four laps before settling in behind rival Braden Henthorn to eventually finish strongly in second. Most impressive was YFZ450R-mounted Gabe Phillips, who overcame a poor start and moved from 11th on the first lap all the way up to fourth at the checkers. In all, six YFZ450Rs filled the XC2 Pro Am top 10. Then in XC1 Pro, Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser likewise led the first lap, in hopes of grabbing his second win of the season. But a charging lead group including rivals Chris Borich and Adam McGill dropped him to third at the halfway point, and he eventually finished fourth
behind an inspired Fowler, who had throttled his YFZ up from fifth to the podium in the difficult conditions. Well earned, everyone!
| XC1 Pro Class |
| 1 |
Chris Borich |
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| 2 |
Adam Mcgill |
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| 3 |
Walker Fowler - YAM |
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| 4 |
Taylor Kiser - YAM |
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| 5 |
Chris Bithell |
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| 6 |
Jarrod McClure |
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| 7 |
Kevin Yoho - YAM |
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| 8 |
Johnny Gallagher - YAM |
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| 9 |
Craig Bowman |
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| 10 |
Mark Notman - YAM |
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Traci Cecco finished second in the morning Women’s race, her ninth consecutive podium of the year, while Kara Merritt added a solid fourth. Cecco’s strong performance helps her retain the points lead in the Women’s category as the series starts its annual summer break.
Saturday was just heating up as the first of two ATV races staged to run through the Ohio woods. With nearly 250 competitors in 22 classes on the course simultaneously, it was essential to get a good start and then click off fast and consistent laps. Cecco did just that in the Women’s class, battling with rivals Lexie Coulter and Angel Atwell during the early part of the race. So close were the three riders, that after the first of four laps – nearly a half hour of racing – they were separated by just 0.568 sec., with Cecco trailing both her rivals. But Traci used her multi-time championship experience to pass Atwell on the second lap. From there to the finish, the order was Coulter, Cecco and Atwell, with Yamaha-mounted Merritt sneaking from fifth into fourth during the second half of the race to make it two YFZ450Rs in the top four.
| Womens' Class |
| 1 |
Lexie Coulter |
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| 2 |
Traci Cecco - YAM |
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| 3 |
Angel Atwell |
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| 4 |
Kara Merritt - YAM |
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| 5 |
Kylie N. Ahart |
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