Ontario, Calif. - Team ITP tallied six amateur class victories and 10 total podium finishes at the Parts Unlimited Unadilla Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series race in upstate New York. Westley Wolfe set the pace for the squad at round 10 of the Amsoil GNCC tour by winning his class and taking 11th overall in the afternoon using ITP Holeshot GNCC tires.
"It was a good way to start the second portion of the 2015 GNCC season," said Pat McGuire, ITP Public Relations/Race Support. "Westley Wolfe had an outstanding performance in the afternoon, almost cracking the top 10 final leaderboard. Veteran GNCC guys like Dave Simmons and Mark Batson also continue to impress for our ITP team. We also had three youth riders put together winning performances in New York."
After nearly three months off for its summer break, the GNCC series resumed with round 10 at the famous Unadilla Raceway in New Berlin, NY. Racers had much to prove, as some were continuing their championship run, while others were looking to refocus their efforts on finishing the final four rounds in strong fashion.
Wolfe extended his points lead after round 10, thanks to his sixth win in the last seven rounds in the College A (16-21) class competing on his ITP-outfitted Suzuki. Wolfe also finished a season-best 11th overall in the afternoon, beating several Pro and Pro-Am riders to the finish line. Yamaha pilot Greg Covert finished second behind Wolfe in the College A (16-21) results in New York, to climb in the class point standings. It was Covert's seventh podium finish of the season and pulled him to within two points of fellow ITP racer Kristian Meyer for third.
Mark Batson also continued his winning streak with a victory in the Senior A/B (38+) class in the afternoon at Unadilla. Batson, who started the season slow after missing round one and finished seventh at round two, has now won three straight events (six in all) to take the lead in his class by three points.
Blake Meyer ran ITP Holeshot GNCC front and Holeshot XCR rear tires on his Honda to take second in the College B (16-21) class in New York. He has one win and six second-place finishes on the season.
The 10 a.m. session also saw good success from ITP racers. Longtime ITP racer and GNCC veteran Dave Simmons was his dominating self in the Super Senior (45+) ranks, posting his 10th win in a row. Seeking a perfect season, Simmons, who has already secured the class title, took an impressive sixth place overall in the morning ranks.
Yamaha racers Tanner Talbott and Cameron Abee continue to fight it out for the title in the Schoolboy Jr. (13-15) class. Abee took third in New York, one spot ahead of Talbott. However, Talbott still leads Abee, who is third in the standings, by 18 points heading into the next round.
ITP youth session competitors won three classes and scored two other top-five finishes at round 10. Jordan Digby scored another huge class win in the 125 Sr. (12-15) class, winning by two seconds. With four consecutive wins—the most recent on a new ATV—and six total on the year, Digby has climbed to within three points of the class points lead (not including throw outs).
Damien Hawkins recorded his seventh victory of the year in the 90 Limited (8-12) class. His win at Unadilla extended his points lead to 14 points over second place. Marti Lantz also won at round 10 to expand her class lead to five. However, the victory was just the second on the year for Lantz to go along with seven top-five finishes. Parker Henderson, who competes on both youth quads and dirt bikes in the GNCC series, recorded a solid third-place podium finish on his Cobra with ITP tires. He's currently in second place, just two points out of the lead.
The ITP GNCC racing team will compete at round 11, the Car-Mate Mountain Ridge, on Oct. 3-4, at Mountain Ridge Trails Resort in Central City, PA.
