Racing
2003 ATVA/AMA
Grand National Cross-Country Series
Ballance Rocks at Rausch Creek
Three-time champ battles rocks, flat tires and stiff competition to win fifth in a row
By Jason Weigandt
May
19, 2003 – Just when the competition seems to have a hook in Team Klotz's
Bill Ballance, the three-time ATVA Grand National Cross Country ATV Champion
finds an extra dose of speed in reserve and pulls away to another win. And then
the competition is left shaking their heads, wondering if they ever really had
a chance at beating him in the first place.
At the all-new Rausch Creek GNCC, the course was littered with sharp, tire-puncturing rocks, and Ballance rode smart to conserve his equipment. The rest of the contenders were close, but when the race wound down, it was Ballance out front, as usual, for the fifth time this season.
"You had to be careful, the course was rough and I didn't want to get a flat tire," said Ballance. "There was a lot of competition up there today, and that's what makes it fun. That's why we race."
The hardest racing came from Team Safari's Matt Smiley, who has had a lackluster 2003 season but always excels when the terrain gets rough. Smiley battled with Ballance through every inch of the Rausch Creek course, and he even held the lead on several occasions. But when it counted, Ballance got away from him.
"I didn't know if I should have taken the lead or follow him, but I did a little of both and felt comfortable," said Smiley. "As long as the lead was right there, I was fine. But on the last lap, I got stuck on an uphill and he got away."
Still, Smiley was pumped to be back amongst the GNCC elite with his second-place finish. Happier still was third-placing Santo DeRisi, the Duncan rider who finally scored a podium finish after years of trying.
"Oh man I'm happy, this is so great," said DeRisi. "We've been working a long time for this. It was a good battle, and I just tried not to get stuck."
Not getting stuck was the best strategy on the brutal Rausch Creek course, which offered a season's worth of rocks and roots all in one two-hour race. The tough track led to close racing, as the leaders rode conservatively to avoid blowing tires and breaking equipment.
A variety of riders had a shot at their first Rausch Creek win, most of them coming from the Pro Production class. Branden, Bill Ballance's brother, reeled in Bill nearing the final lap, but a flat dropped him back. Four-Stroke Tech's Chad DuVall, the Pro Production points leader, also looked strong early, but a flat and a miffed pit stop took him down. Greg Trew was fast on the East Coast ATV Honda, but he started having engine problems on the final lap, and HMF's Johnny Gallagher lost a battery cable on his Suzuki just a few minutes after he had passed Smiley for second.
Obviously, the rugged Rausch Creek track had taken a toll, and it opened the door for North Carolina's Thomas Barrett, who started in the second row of the GNCC starting grid, to take his first career win in the Pro Production class. Barrett also scored a career-high fourth overall. Tyson Thomas came in just a few seconds later for fifth overall and second in the Production class, while Branden Ballance was third.
William Yokley, the popular Kentucky rider on the Nac's/Yoshimura Suzuki, struggled to eighth overall and fourth in the production class on the rocky course. Yokley says he's still developing the suspension setups on his new Quad Sport, and on a rough track like this, if you miss the mark you're going to struggle. Brad Page got the worst of the race, when he snapped a spindle on his Duncan Kawasaki KXF400 and failed to finish.
In the morning race, Team Green Kawasaki's Adam Howell won the overall and the four-stroke stock class on his V-Force 700. Troy Racing's Stephanie Parton watched her two-race overall win streak snapped when she had engine problems early and dropped to mid pack. Traci Cecco took the Women's class lead and seemed ready to run away with it. Cecco, a former GNCC women's champ, rides at Rausch Creek all the time and seemed comfortable on the rocks. But she bent the axle of her Alba Suzuki, which eventually caused her to lose lug nuts from her rear wheel, causing her to drop off the pace while pitting.
Parton put on a strong charge to win the class, and take second overall in the morning race on her Suzuki.
The Rausch Creek GNCC took place at Rausch Creek Motorsports Park, which is a huge off-road vehicle park just east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. One end of the park contains a variety of motocross tracks as well as public trails for bikes, ATVs and trucks. The facility just cleared another 1,200 acres to develop into a road racing facility, but since pavement has yet to be laid down, it made a perfect pit area for the GNCC.