gettin' back
to gatorback
Finally Sunshine! No Rain, No Mud.

MAR 13, 2005
GNC National Round 3
Gainsville, FL

• Baker Wins Both Qualifiers but Crashes in Both Mains
• Wrong set-up on Ellis' YFZ Causes Struggle in Moto 2

Race Report by: Rob Vegter
It was a great day for racing, light breeze and plenty of sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. Finally. The track promoter Wyn Kern had been working all winter on track condition and track prep. Wyn brought in about 100 loads of sand to help soften the traditionally hard pack, blue grove track at Gatorback. He had also planned on full track prep before each pro moto to keep the track fun and safe. Last year the track got very fast and rough, many riders ended up with broken frames and axles. The rider count was up over last year by about 200 totaling over 700 entries for the weekend. It seems each venue attendance is bigger and better than the year before.

Pro Moto 1
John Natalie pulled the hole shot followed by Kory Ellis pulling the inside line from the left side of the gate. Kory took the inside line to help keep a tight line in the first corner which gained him the number two spot. Luburgh was third followed by Spader, Gust, Dunk, and Little. Natalie ran very strong pulling on the field during the entire moto; the rest of the field spent the first couple of laps settling in for battle in a freight train on the track. Luburgh would be the first to fall off of the pace when he knocked his tether clip from his kill switch causing his motor to shut off. A few laps in the running order was Natalie, Ellis, Spader, Gust, and Farr. When Tim ran a little wide, Little got around Farr for the 5th spot.

The freshly groomed track conditions for moto one made for great racing. The slower corners caused the front runners to tighten up - keeping the crowd on edge. The running order remained the same up front for the rest of the race. Ellis started to pull time on the trailing group towards the end of the race ensuring his number 2 spot in moto 1. The final top five in moto 1 was Natalie, Ellis, Spader, Gust, Little.

Pro Moto 2
With Kory Ellis’ second place finish in moto 1 he earned a good gate pick. He had such a strong start in Moto one that he picked close to the same gate. The gate dropped and the pros charged to turn one, Ellis again held the inside of the first turn but this time didn’t get a clear shot around the corner. Kory came out in the 5th spot, a manageable position to make a move for the podium. Kory charged hard and passed Cain for the 4th spot. The running order was Natalie with the hole shot, Spader, Luburgh, Ellis, Jones, and Gust.

Kory held on to the 4th spot while struggling with a set up that was intended for a groomed track. The conditions were completely different form the first moto and the wrong set-up had Kory Ellis struggling to maintain position. Unlike all other GNC Pro events, the track for moto 2 was not groomed prior to the moto, so it was very fast and rough making for dangerous conditions. Many of the riders had problems with set-ups, some even with the wrong swing arms. It seems Suzuki guessed right on track conditions as they drove passed rider after rider into second and third position for the moto.

Ellis slipped back to the 6th spot in moto 2, giving Ellis a 2-6 for the day. The final results the moto was Natalie, Jones, Gust, Spader, Byrd, Ellis.

Pro Results
Natalie, Gust, Spader, Jones, Ellis, Little, Cain, Goodman, Dunk, Farr. After the race team Suzuki again filled another protest. This time Natalie was the target and it was his fuel they were concerned about. This makes 2 out of 3 races Suzuki has filled a protest following a race. John Natalie then turned and fired back with a protest of his own. He protested both Suzuki riders for fuel and engine displacement. It looks like the race year has started out with too many head games and not enough racing. Hopefully things will turn out for the good of all riders and sponsors.

Pro-Am Results
The weekend started out great for Sage Baker. After winning both the Pro Am Production and Pro Am Unlimited qualifiers, he was feeling pretty good about the track. It was dry, fast and he was ready to go. After the moto he was docked 2 positions after a report that he passed under a yellow flag. Although he attempted to protest the penalty, he knew he had to look forward and focus on two outstanding runs.

Unfortunately for Sage, both the Pro-Am Production and Pro-Am Unlimited races involved crashes and 16th place finishes. In the Pro-Am Unlimited, Sage fought his way back from a bad start but ended up crashing with another rider. In the Pro-Am Production event, Sage's downfall was a slow start. The riders in the front of the pack had a pile up. Sage came upon the carnage and couldn't avoid it - so he was collected up into it as well. After getting untangled and restarted, he drove hard, catching up and passing another rider, but still managing only a 16th place finish. After round 3, Baker moves back 1 place to 2nd overall in the Pro-Am Production group.

Next race:
Macon, GA April 3