Ontario, Calif. - Team ITP racers earned 11 total Grand National Cross Country class championships at the conclusion of Round 13 held in Crawfordsville, IN. Following up its 17-podium performance at the previous round, the team earned eight class wins and 11 podiums at the Amsoil Ironman, the series finale.
"To come away with almost a dozen GNCC championships is a testament to the determination of our racers and the overall makeup of ITP tires," said Pat McGuire, Public Relations/Race Support. "It's one thing to be competitive, but it's another step when you're the victor. But winning a championship is so much more rewarding because it's the end game and what all racers hope to do. No matter the age group, gender, vehicle of choice (ATV/SxS, 2WD/4WD), our entire team of racers was extremely competitive and at least 11 of them accomplished their objective and ours."
The Ironman finale featured Round 13 of the GNCC ATV championship series as well as the sixth-and-final stop in the SxS championship series. Ironman, a fan-favorite, features many hills, creeks, mud, high-speed fields and even a motocross section. This year's course was highly appreciated by fans and racers alike. The fact that many championships were to be decided at Ironman might also have had a little to do with the spectator and racer turnout.
The side-by-side racing on Saturday was huge for Team ITP, as two supported racers secured championships with solid finishes and two others finished on both the overall SxS podium and XC1 Modified class box. Kyle Chaney (Chaney Racing/Can-Am/Turnkey UTV/ITP) carried a 28-point lead heading into Ironman and ended up winning the class title by 24 points. He took eighth in the class, overcoming a small mishap that took out his vehicle's sway bar in the first turn, to earn his first GNCC title.
In the same class, ITP support racers and JB Racing/Can-Am teammates Tim Farr and Larry Hendershot Jr., each made the XC1 Modified podium using Terracross R/T XD tires. Farr, who offered his co-pilot seat to Angel Knox, earned his first victory of the year to push him to third place in the final season standings. Hendershot finished third out of a field of almost 40 UTVs to secure sixth overall on the year.
In the XC2 Limited class, Jack's Excavating II/Can-Am Maverick racer Marcus Pratt came into the race owning the points lead and simply needed to score enough points to grab the title. And although the ITP driver ended up fifth out of 28 drivers, he scored enough points to remain out front and gain another SxS title for the team.
Although Angel Knox had already secured the WXC (premier) class championship after round 12, she still suited up (twice) in Indiana. Rather than cruise around the course, the Honda racer instead capped her title-winning season with her seventh victory of the year.
Mark Batson put an exclamation point on his 2014 season by winning the Vet B (30+) class for the sixth time. His older brother Dale, who had captured the 35+ C morning class title, also competed at Round 13 and also earned a victory. Multi-time GNCC champion Dave Simmons notched another win (his ninth of 2014) in the Super Senior (45+) division. Junior B (22+) champion Justin Paul tried his hand in the Junior A (22+) class and was sixth.
ITP team riders also scored a few more class wins at Ironman. Kevin Cunningham won the Sportsman A/B class on his ITP-clad Honda in Indiana. Jordan Digby won the 125 Sr. (12-15) to end up third in the class standings. Marti Lantz (Girls 8-15) posted her first win of the year. Honda racer Kevin Cunningham won the Sportsman A/B class on ITP tires. A few other racers were in the running for a class championship all season, but came up a bit short. Schoolboy A/B (12-15) racer Westley Wolfe ended up third overall and had four wins. Dylan Walraven (90 Open 12-15), Greg Covert (College A 16-21) and Brandon Icard (College B 16-21) all ended up third overall in their respective classes. Women's Amateur (13+) class racer Kelley Deloach had a nice weekend at Ironman, earning second overall and tying for the class points lead. However, the KTM/ITP racer had to settle for second overall due to losing the tie-breaker, having had three victories to the winner's four. Shawn Stuck (35+ C) and Rich Little II (4x4 C) each finished second in their class.
ITP CHAMPIONS
Kyle Chaney - XC1 Modified SxS
Marcus Pratt - XC2 Limited SxS
Angel Knox - WXC
Justin Paul - Junior B (22+)
Marc Batson - Vet B (30+)
Kenneth Rich Jr. - 30+ C
Dale Batson - 35+ C
Dave Simmons - Super Senior (45+)
Kenny Rich Sr. - Masters (50+)
Donnie Pruett - Silver Masters (55+)
Parker Henderson - 70 CVT (6-11)
