standings

Traci Cecco 202 GNCC Women's Pro 2nd Round 4- Steele Creek 2nd Round 3 - The General 1st Round 2 - Orange Crush 6th Round 1 - The Lone Star 1st Chris Borich #3 GNCC Men's Pro 1st Round 4 - Steele Creek 5th Round 3 - The General 2nd Round 2 - Orange Crush 1st Round 1 - The Lone Star 1st

great runs for borich & cecco at steele creek

• Chris Borich Finishes 5th - Maintaining Series Lead
• Traci Cecco Gets Strong 2nd Place Finish - Just 3 points out of Series Lead

APR 2-3, 2005
GNCC Round 4
Steel Creek, NC

GNCC Mens' Pro Race Report By Lance M. Schwartz

Start
My bike fired on the 1st kick and I believe I was 4th off the start.

1st lap
I was running 4th at the beginning of the race, but was able to fight my way up to 2nd towards the end of the first lap. Bill Balance was in front of me in 1st and Brandon Balance was behind me in 3rd place. It pretty much stayed like this until the end of the first lap.

2nd lap
Heading into the 2nd lap, Bill Balance led the race. He was followed by William Yokely, Greg Trew, Matt Smiley and myself. Almost every one of us led the race at some point during the 2nd lap. We were all swapping back and forth for the lead.

3rd lap
The 3rd lap was pretty much the same. There were the same riders, Balance, Yokely, myself, Trew, and Smiley all swapping positions. It seemed like every 3-4 miles there was a lead change. The changes happened so often because the track was riddled with mudholes, bottlenecks, and lappers.

4th lap
The 4th lap Bill Balance was able to regain the lead and pull away from the rest of the pack. He did a much better job of taking faster lines through the lappers.

5th lap
The final lap, we were running Bill Balance in first, Matt Smiley in second, followed by me in third. Smiley and I kept swapping back and forth between 2nd and 3rd place. Balance, again picked better lines through traffic and bottlenecks. With 1.5 miles to go, I was in third following Matt Smiley. Smiley went between a lapper and a tree and was able to make a clean pass. By the time I got to the lapper, he was trying to back down a hill he was stuck on. As I tried to get around him, I tagged his rear tire and it threw me into a tree. As I was trying to get moving again, William Yokely and Greg Trew went by. I was able to salvage a 5th place finish, which puts Bill Balance and I in a tie for the GNCC points race.

Track:
Great track, except the mudholes. It was pretty tight and rough. But, that’s what we’re used to riding in. I guess the hardest thing to deal with during round 4 was the lappers and bottlenecks. If you could pull from the pack at all, the lappers allowed you to walk away from the rest of the leaders.

Quad:
We tried raising the rearend of my 450R in hopes of keeping it out of the mud. Because of that decision, my R steered a lot harder than it usually does. I was fighting the steering all day long. I immediately switched my Alba Action 450R back to my old setup and am looking forward to mixing it up with these guys again in South Carolina.

Chris Borich Interview 4/6/05
Interview by: Geoffrey Walters

Everyone here at Team Alba is really happy to have Chris Borich on our side. He's been a front runner in GNCC Men's competition for a few years now, and he feels like 2005 is his year. Chris' confidence has helped him snare the points lead in the early going, with wins at the first two rounds and a second at round three. A recent setback at a muddy race saw him lose a few points, but it has done little to dampen his spirits or his resolve. Chris Borich is a winner, and he won't rest until he has the GNCC ATV Championship under his belt. We asked him about his bike, his competition, and his season, and here's what he had to say:

Hi Chris, what are you up to?
I just got done riding, actually.

So, you're leading the points in the GNCC right now…
Yeah, me and Bill Balance are tied in points.

That's pretty exciting after 4 rounds!
Yeah, it's pretty intense!

This season, you are looking for the championship, right? No runner-ups, no 3rd overall… you want 1st?
Yep, that's my goal… last year it was my goal too, but the quad I was on didn't suit me the best. This year the Honda TRX450 is really working for me.

It sounds like you're pretty happy with your equipment.
Oh yeah, it's working great right now.

As evidenced by your wins! Were those your first pro wins?
No, I've won a few before… probably 7 or 8 total.

Those were the first rounds of the season. The next two weren't as great were they?
Yeah, we we had a bad couple of races the last two.

How did you finish?
2nd and 5th. The last one was a mud race – it's always hard to tell where you're going to end up in one of those. On a dry track you can pretty much get in the lead and keep it.

Do you plan on making any adjustments to your program or the quad for the next round?
No, I think the last race was basically a luck thing. I think the bike is working pretty good, and I'm just looking for a dry course.

Who's going to be your toughest competition throughout?
It's going to be Ballance. Yokley and Smiley are there too, but I think it's going to be Balance.

How long have you been racing?
6 or 7 years.

As a pro?
This is my 4th year.

So tell us about this mud race…
It rained all night, really hard. The track actually dried out OK, but there were 5 or 6 brutal mud holes. If you got off the good line, you'd sink it right up over your fenders. Lappers were a problem too.

Is that what happened towards the end of the race?
Yeah, I was in 3rd, 2nd was right in front of me. On about the last mile, Smiley got through, and then I clipped a lapper and got stuck. Two guys got by me, and I didn't have time to get them back.

Well, it sounds like you were pretty strong, even though you didn't get the finish you were hoping for.
Yep, I was up there all day. I was into 2nd, back to 5th, up to 3rd… the lead would change every 3 or 4 miles or so.

That must have been a great race to watch. So, other than Alba, who is helping you out this season?
IMS, Quadzone, Outerwears, Pro Armor, Moose, Maxxis, Spider Pegs, Updog, WER, Tire Balls…

It's really good to see the support in this industry for guys like you. This sport is growing, for sure!
Yep, I think it's just starting out!

What's the plan for the next race?
I've been training, and I'm just hoping for a good, dry track so I can click a win off. You just never know with a muddy track.

Are you pretty confident going into the next round?
Yeah, especially after going into the season with those first two wins, that felt great. The last 2 races were just a little different.

Well, I'll wish you some luck and let you get back to your day. I'll be looking forward to seeing another win!
Oh yeah, with the right terrain.

Is there anybody else you want to thank?
Just my mom and dad, my pit crew, and everybody that helps out.

See Complete Race and Series Results at GNCCracing.com

Additional Race Info at ATVriders.com
Additional Race Report at ATVSCENE.COM