The General GNCC 2007

GNCC Win #1 !!!
After almost capturing the win at the Triton a week earlier, Scott finally pulled it off. He lined up on row 7 with 25 other riders and a field of 270 total. This time, he got a decent start. Everyone made it through the first three turns without incident. Going into the woods, Scott was in the top ten, at about eighth place. We were pitted somewhere after the 9 mile mark. When he came by our pits, he was in third place right behind the second place rider. On the second lap, Scott moved into the lead. This track was to his liking. He loves the tight woods, and it was showing. He was setting some great lap times. And although his final lap was a little slower, they were all very consistent, and he didn't make a mistake as far as we could tell.


I figured out why Scott didn't win in Florida, he waited until Georgia so Brenda and Cam could be there to celebrate! It was really good to have Brenda and Cam at the race. It was like it is supposed to be. We were back to our routine. We work so well together, I wouldn't change a thing. I could also tell the Brenda was back due to the amount of pictures I had to edit. We had a total of 510 pictures! Granted, Scott took a lot but wow. I narrowed it down to just under 300.

Scott pitted on the 3rd lap, and I have got to complement the pit crew. Scott, Swampy, Cam, Shannon and everyone involved got Scott in and out of the pits in record time. Thanks guys, you were great. Scott said he didn't have to do anything, it was all ready for him. We filled him up with fuel, changed his goggles, and gave him a cool drink just like the pro's! He never relinquished the lead. In fact at the end of the 5th lap there was almost 4 minutes between him and second place. Total time: 2 hours and 22 minutes. We were on cloud nine! He has been wanting this win for a long time, but it seemed that something always got in the way. Last year, the bike just wasn't ready for the GNCC events. The year before, his other bike was getting old and he was recovering from the flu. This year, it all came together. His overall score was about as exciting as his class win. He finished 13th out of 270! I knew Scott was ready for this race. I watched him all winter prepare for the GNCC events. He was very focused with his training and he went over every inch of his bike. With the newly reworked Derisi suspension and the time we spent going over every part of the bike, I knew this would be his time to grab a first place. Although I knew what he was going for, Scott was very relaxed. Scott was ready and there was no doubt about it. It was a great weekend, we are very proud of you.
Congratulations Scott!

In other racing news, a big thumbs up to our friend Julie Stokes. Julie competed in her first GNCC at the General. She didn't just finish the event, she trophied! Julie placed fifth in her class with a bent tie rod for the entire event. It seems that she had a little encounter with a tree and it resulted in a tie rod in the shape of a giant U. She was very excited. Wonder what she would have done with both front tires pointing in the same direction. Julie will be competing with us in the SORCS Series this year. Congratulations Julie.
Sean Callahan captured fifth place in his class also. We would like to thank Sean for his hospitality during the event. He got to the track first and setup camp. We had an excellent pit area! Congrats Sean.
Austin Allen show up for the event also. It was good to see Austin and hang out with his crew. Austin had a good race, finishing 11th. He said he was looking forward to the 2007 race season.
It was good to see our friend Ty Blair at the races competing again. Ty ran into a few problems. After getting stuck, he ran out of gas. Someone gassed him up and he was able to finish the race. I think he had some mechanical issues as well. Even though Ty didn't have great race, he was, as always, in good spirits and pulled out a respectable 16th place out of a class with 32 competitors.
Zach Lovell also competed in his first GNCC as well. Zach had a good day and finished sixth in his class. It was good to see Zach and his family. I think Zach really enjoyed the race.
A. J. Shook was there as well. He finished the day with a sixth in his class. Mark Coffey finished up in 10th place in the 4X4 Limited class competing with the legendary Mike Penland. Congratulations to the entire Blairsville gang. Good to see you all again!

In the pro class, it was a real battle! What ended up being a Ballance/Borich dogfight, also saw some of the other GNCC pro's have good finished. Bill Ballance took his second win in a row with Borich finishing 2nd. I haven't seen so much bumping since the last time I went to a dirt track car event. Borich was slamming Bill down the entire straight where our pitts were. Even going into the turn toward the final little woods section he was pounding the back of the Yamaha of Ballance. Some words were exchanged about the bumping and it got a little heated. What I can't understand is why all the contact? In the past, these two have had some great, exciting races. This was a very physical race with a lot of contact. Check out our picture gallery for the great pics that Scott took of the incident between Borich and Ballance.
Chris Bithell took 3rd place with Taylor Kiser 4th, Brandon Sommers 5th, B. J. Ballance 6th, Matt Smiley 7th, William Yokely 8th, Chris Jenks 9th, and Bryan Cook rounding out the top ten. Traci Cecco got her second win of the season in the AM race. She is on fire. What is even more exciting is the results of Jennifer Albright. Jennifer is second in the points after two strong showing so far. After finishing second in the Florida event, she captured a fourth in Georgia to place her four points behind Cecco. Jennifer is currently tied with Angel Atwell with 36 points and sitting in second place. Jennifer Fulkerson had an emergency pit stop in our pits for a loose swingarm axle. The bolt had fell off and the swingarm axle was sticking about 3 or 4 inches. We managed to get it back in and she took off. I guess she got it repaired since she finished in 7th place. The Ironman, Richie Brown, took 8th place in his class. Andy Lagzdins finished 12th at the General to place him in tenth overall. I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Andy and a friend the morning of the race. He is a really down-to-earth nice guy. He also showed up to talk to Scott on the start line and wish him good luck. Unfortunately, Santo had engine trouble that ended in a DNF. We really wish Santo the best and hope his season picks up soon. He is a really nice person and we appreciate the attention to our suspension needs. By the way, Santo will soon be a father. We talked to his wife before the start of the race, and she is due real soon. It's going to be a boy. Congrats to the Derisi Family!

In closing, we would like to say to our racing family, we had a great time and it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone and catching up on everything. You all are a great bunch. We really appreciate you all and consider you some of our best friends. Although Scott "Bossman" Insinna's bike wasn't ready, he was in the pits helping out and getting everyone psyched up. Shannon was at The General as well, and said he was ready for the SORCS Series too. Swampy was also encouraging everyone, but that's all we are going to say about that. (Swampy, the tape can be had, at a price, wink wink). Cam was really itching to race, just a few more weeks and he will be legal. We are really looking forward to the SORCS events. Not just the racing, but the friendship and fun. Until SORCS Round One, take care, and we'll see you soon!
Later.....

CSR Racing's 2007 Season Kickoff

The 2007 Triton GNCC

It's that time again, time to load up the bikes and go racing! It seems like yesterday that I entered the last post of 2006 and commenting on how short the season seemed. Well the time off was certainly short, and we are still getting ready for '07.

The Inaugural Triton GNCC in Vero Beach Florida is history and we made it through the weekend! For the first time since we started racing, Brenda and Cam weren't able to go to the race. Cam had a tennis tournament at Valdosta State the same weekend as the Triton, so Cam and Brenda went to VSU and me and Scott loaded up and headed down to South Florida. Let me tell you, I don't want to do that again. Scott and I handled everything and got through the weekend, but it is not something I would want to do every weekend. When you get a certain routine going and things work so good, it is hard to change the routine. We are a team, both on and off the track, and we need to keep it that way. There is a LOT of work to do at the race and everybody on the team knows what they need to do. When someone is missing, it is really hard to remember every little detail. Brenda handles all the logistics, pre-planning, reservations, photography and details, plus she keeps up with the scoring. She also keeps me calmed down. All I have to do is drive and work on the bikes. Do you think I missed her????????????????????

We had a good trip to the track, but it was a long ride. In Florida, you have miles and miles of nothing and it makes the trip seem longer than it really is. We got to the track at about 1:00 PM and started the process of signing up and getting through tech inspection. After all of the details were taken care of, we started checking out the track and scoping out a place to pit. With Brenda and Cam missing, we had to find a place close to scoring so I could kinda keep up with what place Scott was running in and be close in case he needed anything. Scott walked the track with Stephanie Parton and some other people while I was getting some pictures. I got to meet David Knight, the new KTM GNCC contender from England. He is taking Juha's place. We also talked with Santo, Chad Duvall, Richie Brown, Big John, Tracey,
and Jennifer & Phil Albright. In addition to being a great racer and all around nice person, Jennifer is a Journalist and Executive Staff member with
ATV Exposed Magazine. Check out ATV Exposed, great photos, articles and race coverage! Jennifer had a great race, she finished second in her class right behind Tracey Cecco! After an unexpected end to her 2006 season, Jennifer was due this 2nd place finish. Congrats Jennifer, you were really charging!

We found a good pit area next to the Kymco pits. After getting caught up with all the business and socializing, we checked into the hotel and found something to eat. After a good nights sleep, we headed out to the track early to get setup. We knew it would take longer with the missing crew members. Scott's row was row eight. The AM race had 234 participants. The track was typical Florida sand, plenty of whoops and Palmettos and roots. The track was super fast as well.
Scott got a terrible start, third from last! As they headed into the woods he had already started passing people. When he came out of the first woods section, he was already about mid pack. By the first lap, he was in the lead! Man, I was stoked. Before the race started, I called up Brenda and Cam and I left the phone on speaker so they could hear the race and I would keep them updated. Cam was also checking the race coverage on ATVRiders web site. We were really excited about Scott being in the lead. On the second lap, he stopped for fresh goggles and some water. By the second lap, the track was very whooped out and got worse every lap. When Scott came around for the second lap, he was still in the lead. He was looking good and setting a good pace. On the third lap, Scott was still in the lead. He stopped again for more water and I added a splash of gas just for insurance. He headed out for his final lap. Everything was looking good. At mile marker 7, with only four miles to go, it happened. Headed into a wet boggy section, that Scott described as "quicksand" the wet murky soil, sucked up his frontend. Scott went from wide open to zero in about half a second! Landing about 10 or 12 feet from the now vertical quad, Scott was a little dazed. Luckily for him, the quicksand cushioned his landing. He jumped up and, with the assistance of some nice spectators, got the bike going again. He was able to finish the race without incident, however, he would end up in forth place. Considering the fact that he didn't get hurt, forth seemed pretty good. Other than getting his bell rung a little and a tweaked up knee (Thank God for EVS Web Braces), Scott was in pretty good shape. Just the usual Florida blisters, arm pump and dehydration. Normal for the Florida GNCC. So, he finished forth in his class and 31st out of 234 participants. Not bad for the first race of the season.
I have the picture of the event posted on our web site. They aren't the quality or quantity that Brenda would have produced, but we gave it our best shot!

Overall, the trip was a success. Scott did a great job, was charging hard and was really working for a good overall finish. He almost had it, but you never look back on what could have been. He got a good finish, and came back home in good spirits and good health. We had a good time with all of our racing friends, and you really can't ask for more. Everything worked out well and we are really thankful for all the support and prayers. It was a busy weekend, and a lot of miles but it was certainly worth it.

Now all we gotta do is get ready for The General in only four days! No problem........

See you in Aonia!