GNCC Rd. 4 Race report - Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race team

[shanewatts]

Fantastic weather greeted the GNCC Racing nation at Round 4 held near Cross Anchor, SC over the weekend and our team riders Jason Thimas and Jesse Groemm regrouped and started rebuilding their progress to the top of the podium following a difficult start to their respective GNCC seasons, and the devastating loss of team mate Rory Mead to spinal injuries at the previous race.

Jason Thomas was enthusiastic about the turn around in his performance in the premier XC1 Pro class. "I've been struggling so I really needed a good start and to run up front for a while to get back in the mix, and that is exactly what happened thanks to switching over to Rory's KTM 250 2 stroke machine. It was excellent to finally be a part of the lead pack again, and I was feeling great being there, but then right at the end of Lap 1 Whibley hit a big vine and it snagged me which resulted in a decent crash. From there I just rode solid and pushed it all the way to the end, finishing only a few seconds behind Steward Baylor. I tell you what though, going through the Pro pits on the first lap was a huge highlight when I put sick pass back on Kailub Russell with a mad, back-it-in slide. Everyone on the inter-webs are loving the pics and video of it!!!"

Jesse Groemm rode strong to finish 5th place in the XC2 Pro class, saying, "That was a decent result, but I'm not happy. I want to win these races. I need to focus on getting better starts and also riding more hard pack Moto style tracks in the future to get better with this style of racing. Getting top 15 Overall just doesn't cut it for me - I want to be top 5 Overall and winning XC2, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Team owner Shane Watts added, " I'm pleased with how things went today for our guys, and we're looking to build on this for the next GNCC and have both of our riders placing higher up just like they are very capable of doing. It's been a difficult and stressful few weeks around here with Rory's injury and all, so just like with Rory we are all in a good spot to move forward with improvements in the immediate future. We are ecstatic with the response to the Fundraiser Raffle that we conducted for Rory in conjunction with this event, and although final numbers haven't been totaled yet, this raffle generated in excess of $30,000 of funding for Rory's future medical costs."

The next racing commitment for the Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise KTM Race team will see Jason Thomas competing in Rd. 1 of the OMA Nationals in Missouri this coming weekend.

The Maxxis/KLIM/DirtWise Race team is supported by Maxxis tires, KLiM Technical Riding gear, KTM Sportmotorcycles, FunMart Cycles, Fasst Co. Flexx handlebars, TCX boots, Leatt protection, Grimes Manufacturing, HTW Scaffold design, Stuk Graphics, DirtTricks sprockets and brake rotors, G2 handguards and throttle tubes, IMS fuel tanks and footpegs, FMF exhausts, SRT chains and radiator guards, ProGrip goggles and grips, Silkolene Oils, DP brake pads and clutch plates, Wiseco engine components, Stillwell Performance linkage guards, DT1 airfilters, TM Designworks chain guides, and P3 pipe guards and skid plates, KTMTalk.com, OffroadChampions.com, Reel helmet cameras, BatteryStuff.com, and MotoSeat.

To see the Jason Thomas Pit Drift Big Buck GNCC 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIM_yNF ... e=youtu.be