2003 ATVA/AMA
Grand National Cross-Country Series

Lucky Ballance Wins His Seventh

Three-time GNCC Champ is smartest and fastest on the tour

 By Jason Weigandt

June 19, 2003 – Every round of the 2003 ATVA Grand National Cross Country tour features rugged terrain, so chances are high that even the best riders will have a bad race sometime during the series. But not three-time and defending champion Bill Ballance. The Kentucky rider is so much faster than his competition that he can afford to take his time getting through the bad spots. So while the competition is pulling their machines from the muck, Billy is pulling away.

Ballance nailed his seventh-straight GNCC ATV overall win at the eighth round of the series, the first-ever Patriot GNCC at Virginia Motorsports Park. The new race promised great conditions with its loamy, sandy soil and superb motocross track, but heavy rain earlier in the week created huge mudholes and deep ruts. The conditions were enough to swallow everyone except the champ.

"I was able to keep on motoring through," said the Klotz/LRD/Troy Racing/Maxxis rider. "I tried to be cautious if I got to a section where there was a bad line or some lappers. Even if it only took a second to look, I was able to get through. I only had to get off the bike one time today. I have to give credit to the Racer Productions crew who builds these courses. They were out there every lap, working their guts out trying to fix the course and get us through."

The rest of the pack put on a great battle behind Ballance, but the muddy course claimed them all. Nac's/IMS/Yoshimura/ITP-backed William Yokley rebounded from a string of bad races to collect second overall and first in the Pro Production class. He barely topped Team Safari/LRD/Maxxis rider Matt Smiley, who was third. Yokley had a great start on his Suzuki LT-Z 400 Quad Sport, but he had a few problems end his run for the win. "I had the lead early but I made a few stupid mistakes," the Suzuki Z-400 Quad Sport mounted Yokley. "I saw a line out there, and I didn't know if it was good or bad, so I just banzaiied it through there. It was a big ditch and I got stuck. Bill came around me and looked at me like I was stupid. It was stupid to be in there."

After losing touch with Ballance, Yokley was left to deal with Smiley. "Matt and I had a heck of a battle at the end," said Yokley. "I just jumped through a mud hole to get around him. I didn't know if I would be able to hang on. I'm whooped."

"I tried to ride smart here today and be there at the end," said Smiley. "On this track, I knew this would be one of those days where you could go from first to fifth with one mistake. Santo (DeRisi) and Greg (Trew) caught us at the end and passed us when I got stuck. Then they got hung up and I got around them. People were getting stuck everywhere."

DeRisi Racing/Duncan Racing/ITP/ atvscene.com-backed Santo DeRisi managed to get around Smiley momentarily on the final lap, but when he was routed into a new trail to avoid a big mud hole, he got hung up on a few tree branches. When he stopped, he collected Trew, the East Coast ATV Honda rider, with him. This gave Smiley the third- spot back, but he wasn't able to get Yokley at the finish.

DeRisi and Trew completed the top five overall. Sixth was Pro Production points leader Chad DuVall. The Four Stroke Tech Honda 400EX rider got stuck bad in a mud hole early, and found himself running nearly 30th by the time he got out. He spent the rest of the race climbing through the pack to salvage points, and his third in the class and sixth overall was impressive.

Ballance is way out in front in both overall and pro class points, while DuVall is second overall and the leader of the Pro Production class.

The 2003 GNCC Series continues in two weeks with the Wisp GNCC, June 28 and 29 at Wisp at Deep Creek Mountain Resort in McHenry, Maryland.

The AMA Grand National Cross Country series is America's premier off-road racing series. One of the most physically demanding sports in the world, the nearly three-hour long cross-country races lead as many as 1300 riders through tracks ranging from eight to twelve miles in length. With varied terrain including hills, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC races are tests of both survival and speed. GNCC featured sponsors include MSR, Yamaha, Dunlop, Wiseco, Maxxis, FMF, Klotz, and ITP, and riders compete for over $500,000 in series prizes and contingency money. The 13-round series will air on cable television each week this fall. Associate sponsors include Ohlins, Cometic, Scott, Sidi, Boyesen, Twin Air, Pro Armor, Outerwears, Laeger's, Silent Sport and Morgantown Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM.