Anaheim, Calif. – After 8 long months and 12 rounds of competing against the top ATV racers in the country, the team of GBC racers pulled into Crawfordsville, IN for the final round of the 2013 season: the Ironman GNCC. Despite unseasonably cold temperatures the racetrack shaped up perfectly and the heated battles that ensued were enough to warm up anyone in attendance.
Bryan Buckhannon started things off in the AM race with his 13th consecutive win of the season in the 4×4 Open class. Bryan has set a new standard for domination over the past 6 seasons in the 44 divisions, and all of us here at GBC are proud to have had him represent our products. Bryan announced his retirement from full time ATV competition on the podium following his win and stated that he will be focusing his efforts on UTV racing in the future. We look forward to working with Bryan in his UTV career and thank him once again for his efforts over the past few seasons.
Joining Buckhannon in the winner’s circle was Forrest Whorton, who successfully defended his 4×4 Senior title with a solid 2nd place finish at the Ironman. With 8 class victories and 4 more podium finishes, Whorton proved that he can still compete at a top level.
When the afternoon Pro race got underway there was a large group of GBC racers doing battle near the front of the pack. Jeff Pickens nearly grabbed another holeshot on his XC-Racer equipped Yamaha and was followed closely by BNR’s Kevin Yoho and Jay Shadron, who was making his XC1 class debut.
Yoho would continue his charge toward the front all day long, engaging in a final lap battle for the 3rd place position. When the checkered flag flew Yoho finished in 4th place just seconds off the podium, which secured him a career best 5th place overall on the season. Shadron turned quite a few heads on his way to 5th place Overall and the young rider certainly proved he is one to keep an eye on in 2014 and beyond.
Jeff Pickens crossed the line in 8th place on the day and also took 8th overall for the season, a career high for him as well. Johnny Gallagher finished 9th, which was enough for him to score his highest season ending ranking in 15 years in the 7th place position.
Randy Hamilton earned his second XC2 podium of 2013 with a 3rd place finish, and Kenny Shick grabbed the win in the College B class ahead of fellow GBC rider Cameron Bruce, whose 2nd place finish earned him the 2013 GNCC College B class championship.
Other GBC top finishes at the Ironman included: Robert Smith 2nd (U2); Todd Moskala 2nd (Vet B); Scott Day 3rd (4×4 Lites); Leroy Shook 3rd (Senior A); Kara Merritt 4th (Womens); Nathan Hornacek 4th (Junior A); Walt Schumacher 4th (Junior B)
Top-5 Season Finishes for GBC Motorsports Riders
Name Class Finish
Kevin Yoho XC1 5th
Jay Shadron College A 3rd
Kevin McKeown College A 4th
Nathan Hornacek Junior A 5th
Cory Blinkiewicz Vet A 5th
Leroy Shook Senior A/B 3rd
Kenny Shick College B 2nd
Daryk Pitzer College B 4th
Walter Schumacher Junior B 3rd
Todd Moskala Vet B 3rd
Kara Merritt Women 2nd
Robert Smith U2 2nd
Bryan Buckhannon 4×4 Open 1st
Tanner Bowles 4×4 Open 3rd
Scott Day 4×4 Lites 3rd
Forrest Whorton 4×4 Senior 1st
Ryan Smith 4×4 Novice 1st
With the 2013 season completed the GNCC Series participants will congregate in Morgantown, WV at the Waterfront Hotel for the awards banquet November 22-23, and then will begin preparation for the 2014 season that will begin in early March in the sands of Florida. Be sure to check in on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more racing and product updates.