Unadilla - Biggest GNCC Ever!

Unadilla Valley Sports Center waited nearly 40 years to hold an off-road race, and it was worth the wait for the 1700 racers who took to the course over an action-packed weekend. With two full motocross tracks and miles of New York woods, hills and mud thrown in the race, the Unadilla round of the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series was a true test for everyone.

The Unadilla GNCC offered all of the thrills of the legendary motocross track combined with rough and rugged GNCC terrain. Rain early in the morning turned a dusty track into a muddy one, but then it dried out to leave perfect traction. It led to great racing.

*KTM’s ten-time world enduro champion Juha Salminen said “It was rough, I liked the track, but it was very tough. There were so many riders out there."

*Two full-time pro motocrossers tried the event and did well, Ithaca, New York’s Paul Carpenter and Skaneateles, New York’s Bobby Kiniry. After bad starts, they both pulled through, with Carpenter in 14th overall and Kiniry in 17th.
“Man, that was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Carpenter. “I have tons of respect for these guys. There were so many ruts and roots, I couldn’t believe we had to ride a motorcycle over it, and especially not race over it! But I had fun. - GNCC News

My whole GNCC experience was one of the greatest weekends of my life! I want to thank my Dad and Jimmy B for renewing the memories from 20+ years ago.

We arrived Friday night and awoke Saturday to ideal racing conditions….blue skies temperatures in the 70’s and a loamy race track. We hiked the 10-mile loop that awaited 1700 racers for the historic weekend. Needless to say it was not a walk in the park, after all this is GNCC, the biggest and most prestigious off road racing series in the country. After making our way back to our campsite we watched more of the ATV’s and Juniors rip their way around the coarse. An exquisite pre-race day meal and it was off to a good nights sleep. When I awoke on race day/my birthday, I was bummed to see dark cloudy skies. On such a day I would let the situation get me down, but ohhhhh, this is not any ordinary day. I had another superb pre-race meal and it was time to get ready. Just when I was gearing up the skies opened up and it began to pour. There was no stopping the race so it was Jimmy B and his rain jacket to the rescue. After my Dad went to peruse the starting line he hurried back to tell me to finish getting ready because it was “packed.” I think packed was an understatement because there were 611 rides preparing to test the challenging Unadilla track – and no, the rain in no way helped. Just prior to the first line taking off the rain began to slow and then there was ten seconds till my line was off and running. 71 other riders were in my class and we all were focusing on the first turn. I got a good start probably in the top 15 and held that position heading into the woods. The woods section was so rough and like the pros said, there were too many people. Technical sections turned into bottlenecks, which prevented anyone from trying to set a pace for the 2-hour duration. Mud, rocks, roots, off cambers, up hills, down hills, and then you were released onto the famous Unadilla Motocross track. Unfortunately from all of the rain it made the racetrack very slick. I wasn’t able to charge the track like I had anticipated the night before. It surely was an honor to just be able to ride on the track and let me say that all of those pro guys make it look so easy. The track is beautiful and I hope there are better conditions next year, but then again it could have been a lot worse. I tried to set a good pace when I could and overall I was happy with my performance. I held onto 17th out of the 71 other racers on my line which gave me a 112th overall finish of the 611 racers that rode in the morning race.
Following the amateur race were the pros and they go for three hours instead of two. After rejuvenating myself and cleaning up the sloppy mud Jimmy B, my Dad, and I set out to watch some of the fastest riders in the country. There are simply amazing and it is even more amazing that they run that pace for three hours. I guess I’ll know what that feels like next year. Not surprisingly it was Juha Salminen who handled it best, turning Unadilla into Junadilla . The big race was over and our campsite was ready to be torn down. We headed back south to PA and ended up crashing at Biggs’s house to split up the long haul home. I had such an amazing time and I am glad that I have another weekend of memories to add to the Unadilla vault.Focus moves back to the PA State Harescramble Series this weekend with Hurricane Hills hosting Round #10.

History in the Making!

Suzuki GNCC Series Coming to Unadilla this Weekend
Famed motocross track set to host its first-ever off-road race.
- press release -

New Berlin, NY – After nearly 40 years of racing, the famed Unadilla Valley Sports Center is about to enter a new era, as the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series’ presents the first-ever Unadilla GNCC on September 24 and 25. This will mark the first off-road race of its kind ever held at the track, and the combination of two motocross tracks and New York’s toughest woods should make for an unforgettable weekend of action.

“We’re really excited about this. In fact, we can’t wait,” says Greg Robinson of Unadilla Valley Sports Center. “We’re going to use both motocross tracks, the original pro track and the U2 amateur track designed by Doug Henry, as well as all the hard woods, swamps and trails.”
Over 1500 riders are expected to take to the famous track over the weekend, including motorcycle, ATV and youth racers.

It will take a truly versatile rider to handle such a variety of terrain – fast, wide-open motocross tracks and tight, technical woods. Spectators and riders will get a first-hand look at all of it. Riders in all classes will get a shot at the track, and fans are free to explore the expansive facility all weekend long – including the numerous jumps, mud holes and hill climbs.

UNADILLA GNCC This Weekend!!!!!!

By Jason Weigandt
Unadilla Valley Sports Center may be the most storied motocross facility in America – if not the world. The Robinson family has been running races there since 1968, and they’ve all been big ones, like Trans-AMA events, the United States Grand Prix and the Motocross des Nations. And all of those events have made the track a legend. The big hills, black dirt, natural jumps like Gravity Cavity, the Skyshot and the Wall, it’s all a part of American motocross lore.But now Unadilla is about to be a part of more history. Next weekend, the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series marches into Unadilla Valley Sports Center. It’s the first off-road race of its kind at the ‘Dilla, and the course will pair the original Unadilla pro motocross track, as well as the U2 amateur course, with some hardcore woods trails.When it’s over next weekend, it may turn out to be the ultimate GNCC event. For more info, we turned to Greg Robinson, who runs the facility with the help of his family.

Greg, This is a real opportunity. People are going to get to ride on the real Unadilla pro track, as well as the amateur track.
Yes. Absolutely.

Wow! So what kind of terrain will the woods have? The motocross tracks are well-known, but what else is there?
There’s a lot of neat, open hard woods, and then it goes into some swamps and brush. There should be a rail road track section, too. Jeff Russell and I were talking about it. There’s an old railroad that hasn’t been used since the early 1900’s, so they’re well grown over. That should be neat. It goes right along the river that runs along our property. So, I expect some real tight woods racing. There’s a lot of woods. We’re looking at 6 – 8 miles of woods as well as our motocross track. We haven’t laid the track out yet, it just depends on what kind of mileage we can get. But the woods, they will be great, lots of tight trees and hills and swamps.

This sounds like fun, then. People in this area have been dying to race a GNCC, the GNCC regulars have been dying to get on that track, and then it sounds like the rest of the place, the woods and all, should be good.
This isn’t a motocross track where we threw in some woods. This is a woods race with the motocross tracks, but they’re big tracks. You know what the terrain is like on the motocross track, well, the woods should have some really tough terrain, like big hills and stuff like that. I think we’re going to do well. We have some big clubs here. The two local clubs here have well over 600 members, and they feel like they’re going to have a pretty big turnout, and if we have that with your regulars, well, we might have to hold a three-day event!

Rausch Creek Recap

It was another beautiful day for hare scramble racing in Pennsylvania. Round #9 of the PA State Harescramble Series was held in Tremont, Pa. Rausch Creek was highly anticipated by many of the riders and the coarse did not disappoint. The park officials used their rugged technical rocky woods section with their vertical down and up hills, along with the natural MX track, which twist and turns through a natural ravine.
Before the race even started I was in good spirits thanks to the jovial pit crew that came out to see some racing. It was nice seeing some familiar faces rooting me on from the trackside. Al, Scott, Lil’Scotty, Dave, Tina, and Cheri seemed to be all over the track pushing me to keep my pace.
The start was short but I managed to get into the first turn 4th and after a section of the natural track we headed into the woods and I squeezed into third. The coarse had some of the most technical sections that I have ever ridden in and some nice long fire roads where I was pushing the rpm’s in 5th gear. As the race went on the one-line sections got really chewed up exposing more boulders and random tree roots and branches. The overall coarse could have been a little bit longer with the amount of trails they had to work with. It seemed as if they put you in the woods and they one lined you to all of the technical sections on the mountain and then some fire road and then you were out again. There were some really steep up and down hills. The biggest up hill that was back there is what separated me from the 1 and 2 spot. On the first lap there was at least 5 or 6 guys, from the previous class, already stuck on the hill and 1 and 2 just snuck up the hill while I creeped my way to the top, barely making it. By the time I got to the top they were nowhere in site so I just stayed on my pace for the rest of the race. I didn’t see anyone in front of me and nobody passed me the whole race. I felt good; it was a fast track so I managed to fit in 8 laps in 2 hours and 4 minutes. Good enough for third place. I will take an other podium spot, and I will take any race where I walk away and I don’t have to shell out money for something damaged on my bike. It was a great race and I would just like to thank every one who came out to enjoy it with me.
This weekend is UNADILLA – GNCC!!!!!! More to follow….
P.S.- Video will be up sometime this week, my host site is temporarily down.

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Round #9 Information

What: Round #9 Rausch Creek Motorsports Park - Tremont, PA

When: This Sunday the 18th of September/ Race starts approx. at 11:00

Where: Directions: 309 North to I-78 West to Rt61 North to 183 West to 209 West to 901 N (Take 901 N through the town of Tremont and when you see I-81 about 200 yards in front of you the park is on your Right)

Pit Fee:? (Most likely $10)

Back Mountain (Round #8) Recap

What a remarkable day for racing! I cannot think of a better way to put it considering it was definitely better than I am about to describe it. Back Mountain hosted Round # 8 of the PA State Harescramble Series. The weather, the track, the results and the whole day in general was incredible. When Back Mountain hosted Round #6 back in June the weather was dry, hot (102degrees) and dust was a big factor. Being blessed with the weather we have been having both my Dad, who was back in racing action, and I knew that the dust was going to be a factor. When we arrived we had noticed that the coarse had been changed a great deal and the crew at Back Mountain was well aware that it was going to be dusty. With track changes, water trucks, and some good use of hay I would have to admit that they did all that they could and to say the least it was an awesome effort.
The track it’s self was awesome, the guys there definitely know how to lay out an impressive Harescramble track. The event is located right next to the river on a topsoil farm in Dallas, Pa. Compared to other tracks they have more of an availability of land so the coarse stretched to about 8 miles. Beautiful terrain that was rock and boulder free, just some high-speed field sections, sandy straight aways, and some tight technical wood sections. Dust was issue on some sections of the track but nothing compared to what it should and could have been.
Unlike my Dad I got a terrible start. They wrapped the start to the left right around all of the riders on the start and then dove into the woods. I guess seeing my dad go around me in the front of the pack got me all distracted. At Back Mountain they do an old fashioned start where you have to stand in front of the bike and then hurry around it, get on, start it, and then off you go. Well to make up for time you should have your kick-starter out so that way you just have to get on and kick, well – I forgot to pull mine out. I lost a lot of time and probably went into the woods well in the back of the pack. There were 37 riders in my class so you could say that I had my work cut out for me. I didn’t get to upset that I got a bad start, I just said, “okay, here we go,” and just started picking guys off. When I went through the scanner tent after the first lap I was surprised that I worked my way up to 6th. I kept at it and for the next two laps I held 5th until the second to last lap when I approached someone in my class. I was on his tail in a dusty section and instead of slowing down, because I couldn’t see where I was going, I followed him up a hill climb that had some super deep sand. He got squirrelly and stuck on the hill and since I couldn’t see where to go I went down but the bike kept running so I got back on an found my way up the rest of the hill. I was fired up and caught back up to him just before we went through the scanner tent for the last lap. While I waited a second for him to get scanned I saw on the computer that he was in 3rd, which meant I was in 4th. This was racing at it’s finest, gunning for that podium position with 8 miles in front of you to make the pass, try to pull away, and not make any mistakes. That’s just what I did….we battled for a good 4 miles side by side each one of us making moves to shut the other down. I made a good tight pass and made sure that I would stay in front of him. I finished the last half of the lap mistake free and held on for a 3rd place finish. I proceeded back to the pits after I went through the tent and my Dad was there talking with some riders. He was wondering where I was and why I didn’t pass him. I guess since he was riding his new KTM that he thought that he was on some rocket bike? I reminded him that passed him on the first lap while he was in a good battle himself. He finished 8th on the day, yes –again. That’s why he still maintains the nickname “crazy eights.”
I felt great the whole race and went as fast as I could for the whole two hours at a pace that I have not raced at before. My Dad felt good as well since his bike is now 47lbs lighter so congrats to him for making it the whole two hours. Hopefully we can keep this good momentum into next week for Round # 9 at Rausch Creek.
P.S.- Sorry that there is no video or pics, I gave the camera crew off for the day.

Round #8 Information

BACK MOUNTAIN

What: Round # 8 Back Mountain Enduro Riders Club - Dallas,PA

When: This Sunday September 11th/Race Starts at 11:00

Where: Directions - I-476 NORTH to BEAR CREEK/WILKES-BARRE, exit #105, take a left onto PA-115 North. At the bottom of the mountain take Exit 1 (Rt 315 & 315 bus). This ramp will end take a right follow the To 81 signs. At the light take a left and stay on the lane from the ramp. This will put you on Interstate 81 South. Interstate 81 to Exit 164 (Nanticoke, old exit 44) to Route 29 North five miles to Route 11 North. The track is about 200 yards on your right.

Pit Fee: $10

Foot of the Mountain Video/Recap

Click on the screen above. When the page loads click on This Media Files URL: Link under the black screen and the video will start to play.

Race Recap: Well Round # 6 of the PA State Harescramble Series turned out to be a good bad day. The good part of the bad day was that I made it to the checkered flag, walked away from the race and I don’t have to put any money into my bike. The bad part of the day is that I finished 6th. First of all I want to thank my “Dad” mechanic and Bromley’s for making sure that I got my bike back together in time by the race on Sunday. In less than one week I sent out my rear suspension to get it rebuilt and have new linkage bearings put in so that I could race my bike. If I wasn’t able to get my bike ready in time I would have had to race my dads DRZ400 and that baby would have been a tank out there. Luckily I have good people around me and their hard work was definitely appreciated.

I was super confident that I was going to put in a good two hours because I loved the track last time I raced there. Since the last race the track owners totally switch the whole track around, making it a track where only the tough will survive. Let me see there were rocks, rocks and more rocks. The track was super rough with tons of new trail and tight single track. About a quarter of the track is on a hilly farm field which makes for a nice break from the abusive trails in the woods but since the track was so dry the promoters shut down that section of the track due to dusting out the neighbors. That left the riders with a non-stop beat down up and down the mountain. I got an okay start, as you can see it was so dry that riders were fishtailing all over the place so it made it hard to get into that first turn and battle it out. I went into the woods 4th and on the first lap a got a little squirrelly on a rock uphill and stalled and two riders who were trailing me passed me. I tried to keep a good pace but parts of the track would easily take you out of your rhythm due to the technical rocky sections. I tried to flow like I did at the previous race but this track was much more unforgiving. Physically I felt good except for my blistered hands due to trying to hold on from the super bumpy terrain. My lower back took a few jolts from some of the boulders up in the trail. Other than that my spirits were low but let me remind you as I did myself, that there is 7 more weeks of racing and if anything I am more fired up to work harder and put in better laps to get more points. I still hold second overall and I intend too.

I will say that my buddy Kevin Schuler was parked next to me in the pits and he gave me some encouraging words. He is ranked 68th in the country, yeah so he is really good/fast. You can catch a glimpse of him in the video; I really wasn’t that close to him either, I just edited it like that. I look forward to hang’n out with him at the big GNCC race at Unadilla later in the month. Next Week: Back Mountain = back to podium!