Ironman GNCC
The Coastal Racing/Answer/Maxxis/Waynesburg Yamaha ATV and UTV Team wrapped up the 2017 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series over the weekend with the iconic Ironman GNCC finale in Crawfordsville, Indiana. It was a positive ending to a successful season as the team captured a total of three top-five finishes in four classes - highlighted by a College A (16-21) National Championship from Drew Landers and a National No. 2 plate for XC1 Pro ATV rider Brycen Neal.
XC1 Pro ATV
Neal got off to a rough start as he broke his steering stabilizer arm on the opening lap, causing him to begin the race in the 7th place position. Despite the issue, Neal was able to calculate his moves and climb into a top five position by lap three. From there, Neal held strong to finish 5th overall for the day - giving him a solid 2nd place position in the Overall National Championship standings.
"We wrapped up the final round this past weekend with a 5th place finish," Neal said. "I broke my steering stabilizer arm on the first lap and that's super sketchy to race with but we were able to bring home the number 2 plate for the year and couldn't be happier with some of the bumps in the road we've faced this year."
College A (16-21)
Landers came into the final round with a championship title on his mind, knowing exactly what he needed to do in order to achieve his goal. Off the start, Landers jumped into the middle of the pack as he patiently made his way into 3rd by the end of lap one. Landers soon moved into the 2nd place position and from there he rode a steady pace behind the leader to ultimately finish 2nd for the day but 1st for the season with the College A (16-21) National Championship.
"This was a race I definitely won't forget!" Landers said. "I knew what I had to do before the start of the race and I did just that! I just focused on riding a steady pace and not making any mistakes and my Coastal Racing Yamaha was flawless all day long. I'm so happy to come away with the College A Championship and Overall Top Amateur for the year! I can't thank my Coastal Racing team enough for all they have done to help me make it happen, couldn't have done it without them!"
Team rider Eli Kiger got off to a top five start in the College A (16-21) class where he quickly pushed his way into the 2nd place position just before the motocross track. Kiger kept the momentum rolling as he made the pass for the lead and maintained the top spot for the first half of the opening lap. Unfortunately Kiger got tangled with another rider on the hill climb and lost substantial time. Despite a hard charge to reclaim his lost positions, Kiger was only able to make it up to 15th place.
"I had a really good start, I went into the woods 5th and was able to lead for half of the first lap until I got tangled up on a hill climb with a slower rider a fell way back," Kiger said. "I rode hard for a few laps until I started cramping up and from there I just tried to get through it to the finish."
XC1 Pro UTV
Team driver Sean Bogdan and his co-pilot Jade Kiger got off to a slow start in the UTV race as they were unable to fire their machine up off the line. Bogdan eventually got it going and the duo made their way to the first turn in the dead last position. From there, Bogdan pushed his way into the 3rd place spot and began a race-long battle with the front runners of the class. In the end, Bogdan and Kiger were able to finish 4th overall for the day, missing the podium by less than one second on the adjusted time clock.
"I stayed consistent throughout the race and my car finally stayed together, which was a big relief after the troubles we've been having all season long," Bogdan said. "There were a lot of lappers in the way that slowed me down in the woods and killed my time but I was able to get around them in the field sections. Coming into the race all I wanted to do was to finish and I ended up just missing the podium by a fraction of a second for the 3rd place spot. Overall I'm happy with how the race went and I'm taking 6th overall in the championship points for the second year in a row so I know I can run with the top five guys and I know what I need to do to get ready for the 2018 season."
Results from the Ironman GNCC - Saturday, October 28, 2017
XC1 Pro ATV Results
1. Walker Fowler
2. Jarrod McClure
3. Adam McGill
4. Chris Borich
5. Brycen Neal (YAM)
College A (16-21) ATV Results
1. John Glauda Jr
2. Drew Landers (YAM)
3. Tanner Walker
16. Eli Kiger (YAM)
XC1 Pro UTV Results
1. Cody Miller
2. Kyle Chaney
3. Jamie McCoy
4. Sean Bogdan (POL)
Overall ATV Championship Standings
1. Walker Fowler (385)
2. Brycen Neal (231)
3. Jarrod McClure (226)
College A (16-21) ATV Championship Standings
1. Drew Landers (176)
2. John Glauda Jr. (176)
3. Boedy Lamoreaux (157)
7. Eli Kiger (129)
Overall UTV Championship Standings
1. Cody Miller (141)
2. Hunter Miller (108)
3. Kyle Chaney (106)
4. Kevin Trantham (81)
5. William Yokley (74)
6. Sean Bogdan (64)
