Team ITP ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers earned
four class victories, the morning overall and a total of eight podiums at round
two of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series held March 16
at Aonia Pass in Washington, GA. Leading the way was defending Super
Senior (45+) class champion Dave Simmons, who won his class and also took his
second straight morning overall on ITP tires. Team ITP racers notched its three
other class victories in the afternoon session, taking the checkers in A 22+,
A/B 40+ and College B (16-21).
"Team ITP had another great GNCC weekend earning four class
victories," said Pat McGuire, public relations/race support for ITP Racing. "Of
course class wins are wonderful, but when we consistently see many of our team
riders earning podiums we're very pleased. Having our racers earn podiums in different
age groups, the 4x4 classes, on sport quads and in side-by-sides really shows
that ITP is dedicated to the racer and product development no mater the
vehicle."
Simmons, who has now won 23 consecutive races since 2011,
won the Super Senior (45+) class by more than 11 minutes. He also earned the
top spot on the morning overall podium, finishing more than a minute ahead of
the second-place finisher. The other four Team ITP racers to win their class were
William "Duck" Lloyd (A 22+), Brian Schmid (A/B 40+) and Justin Paul (College B
16-21). Lloyd, who also finished in the top 25 in the morning overall, is
2-for-2 in
2013 racing on ITP tires. Schmid notched his first win and climbed into the
class point's lead after Georgia.
Paul, of Hilltop Motorsports/ITP, is
three points in front of his teammate Brigham Patterson, who took fourth at Aonia Pass.
Samuel Williams sits third in points in the 4x4 Open class
after his second straight class podium finish (third place). Father and son
Kenny Rich and Kenny Rich Jr., second in 24+ C, also tallied class podiums in Georgia. In
fact, the elder Rich leads the Master 50+ class after his third-place finish at
round two.
In the XC1 Pro ranks, ITP's Adam McGill started out well. He
was in second place at the start of the race and at the end of the first lap.
However, McGill was slowed on the second lap after he inadvertently hit a tree.
The long delay hurt his chance to compete for a podium, but the Pro rider
soldiered on and picked up one more spot, earning 11th. He's currently third in
the XC1 Pro class point standings after two rounds.
XC2 Pro-Am class racers Chad Jones and Nathan Wallpe notched
top-five and top-ten finishes, respectively, with ITP tires. Jones climbed to
fourth in the class points standings after earning fourth and just missing the
podium at round two. Wallpe was ninth in the class at Georgia,
improving upon his 15th place ride at the opener.
Team ITP pilot Kyle Chaney earned a podium in the first SxS
race of the year, taking third overall in the XC1 Modified class. Chaney, who
started on row two, was in the top three after one lap. However, after falling
to sixth, Chaney charged to the front-based on adjusted time-at the end of lap
five. Unfortunately, another racer bumped him off the course the following lap
and he dropped three spots. Chaney recovered to grab the third-place position
just one lap later, but ran out of time to catch the leader, who finished less
than six seconds ahead of him.
Round three of the 13-round 2013 AMSOIL GNCC racing series
is April 6-7 at Steele Creek in Morganton,
NC.
