Ontario, Calif. - ITP ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers earned five class victories and a dozen podiums at the ITP Powerline Park Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series race in Ohio. Westley Wolfe and Angel Knox each secured their class championship at the penultimate round held at Powerline Park in St. Clairsville. Can-Am/JBRacing/GUNK/ITP driver Tim Farr also won the XC1 Pro SxS class.
"We had both Westley Wolfe and Angel Knox end up capturing their class championships with impressive wins at the ITP Powerline Park GNCC," said Pat McGuire, ITP Public Relations/Race Support. "We posted wins in the Youth division, both the morning and afternoon sessions, as well as the SxS competition with Tim Farr's XC1 Pro class overall, proving once again that ITP tires offer excellent performance and a versatile design no matter the vehicle you're racing or terrain."
Round 12 of the 13-round Amsoil GNCC series was held in Ohio. The ITP Powerline Park GNCC is known for mud holes and creek jumps, where mud fleas and spectators alike gather to watch America's fastest ATV and SxS woods racers do battle against each other and challenging terrain. It's also a round of importance because it was hosting round five of the GNCC SxS series and because some racers were gunning to wrap-up their class championship a round prior to the finale.
Westley Wolfe did just that, as he was the Top Amateur finisher and won the College A (16-21) class for the eighth time in 2015. The victory also secured the season championship for Wolfe, who also made ATV racing history in the process. According to GNCC, Wolfe became the first racer to win an ATV Motocross (ATVMX) championship and a GNCC championship in the same season. The Maryland rider won two class championships in the ATVMX series earlier this season. ITP racer Greg Covert took second to Wolfe at round 12.
WXC class competitor Angel Knox also captured her class title, notching her second straight win and eighth victory overall on the year. She led all but one lap and ended up winning by almost three minutes. The win also allowed her to repeat as the WXC champion and notch her third GNCC title since 2009. In her first race of the season ITP-backed Kelley Deloach finished second in the Women's Amateur (13+) class.
Longtime ITP-supported racer and veteran GNCC competitor Dave Simmons kept his shot at a perfect season alive with yet another win. This time at Powerline Park, he edged eight other racers in his class to record his 12th consecutive win on the season and 15th straight dating back to last year. The Ohio-based racer also finished 10th overall in the morning session for the 10th time in 2015.
Kenny Rich Sr. recorded his fourth Masters (50+) victory of the season and first in the last six rounds to take over as the class points leader. Rich used ITP Holeshot GNCC front and rear tires on his Suzuki. The 17-second victory over the runner-up gave Rich a 4-point lead heading into the series finale.
Since round six in New York, ITP racer Blake Meyer has been on a roll in the College B (16-21) ranks. The Indiana racer missed round one, finished 10th at round five and had just two podiums in the first five events, but since then Meyer has notched three wins - including the victory at Powerline Park. His seven straight podiums have given him a 13-point lead heading into the Ironman.
Jordan Digby earned the other ATV class victory, his seventh on the season, for the team in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Digby won by less than two seconds over the current class leader. Not counting throwaways, he trails the class leader by just three points heading into the final round of GNCC racing.
ITP ATV racers Tanner Talbott (Schoolboy Jr. 13-15, third), Parker Henderson (90 8-12, second) and Steven Covert (Junior A 22+, second) also earned podiums in Ohio. In fact, all three riders are currently second in their respective classes.
In side-by-side action, Tim Farr (Can-Am/JB Racing/GUNK) led the way for ITP, putting his Maverick shod with ITP TerraCross tires on top of the XC1 Pro and overall podium for the first time this year. Farr, who is currently fourth in the class, started the year slowly due to poor luck, but has since rebounded with three straight podiums. ITP drivers Larry Hendershot Jr., and Mouse Pratt are currently sitting in second and third, respectively, in the class points chase with one round to go.
The ITP GNCC racing team wraps up its season Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, at the famed Amsoil Ironman race in Crawfordsville, IN.
