MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The 42nd Annual AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, came to close this past weekend, October 29 and 30, with the famed AMSOIL Ironman GNCC held at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
With the help of Indiana Cross Country Racing (IXCR) as a co-sanctioning partner, the 22nd annual running of the Ironman GNCC drew in an astonishing 2,440 unique ATV and motorcycle race entries, making this event the largest rider attended event in GNCC history.
For the past 10 years, IXCR has dedicated themselves to promoting top-notch hare scramble events throughout Indiana, and through the GNCC co-sanctioning initiative, IXCR riders have the opportunity to earn championship points toward the GNCC and IXCR series at the same time. IXCR has been a part of the Ironman GNCC since 2009, where the partnership has allowed the event to grow into one of the most popular off-road events in America.
"We are elated at the number of racers that participated in the Ironman GNCC," said director Tim Cotter. "Nearly 2,500 competitors headed into the Indiana woods and raced under perfect conditions at our final round of the 2016 season. These statistics are a testament of the resiliency and dedication of the GNCC Racing Nation."
The community support that the GNCC family receives from the motorsports-crazed town of Crawfordsville is incredible. The 10-mile racecourse was decorated with local fans on both Saturday and Sunday, making this a lasting memory between AMA members of both motorcycle and ATV disciplines.
"Grassroots racing is the lifeblood of the AMA, and at the Ironman GNCC, the final round of the AMA National Championship series, we saw our largest crowd of amateur racers yet," said AMA president and CEO Rob Dingman. "The 2,440 AMA members who participated this past weekend are a testament to the vitality of the sport, the effectiveness of the series promoter Racer Productions, and their own dedication. Congratulations to everyone for a job well done."
The Amateur bike race on Sunday morning attracted nearly 900 rider entries, making it the single biggest race of the weekend, as well as in the history of GNCC Racing. Prior to the race start, Tim Cotter of Racer Productions recognized the life and passing of Ironman Raceway founder, Joy Adele "Duck" Shaver, who lost her battle with cancer on Tuesday, just days before the event. Proclaiming the event to be renamed the ‘Ironwoman' GNCC for one day in celebration of Joy and her years of dedication and love of the event, all of the women riders were asked to step to the front of the start line for recognition, along with any cancer survivors in attendance.
Ironman GNCC has long been tied to breast cancer awareness with its pink theme and fundraising surrounding the annual October event dates. Fittingly, the top-three overall winners from the 894 entries in the Amateur race were all WXC competitors, namely Becca Sheets, Kacy Martinez, and Mackenzie Tricker. Racer Productions is also proud to announce $7,793 raised at the event will be donated to the Montgomery County Free Clinic (MCFC), continuing years of partnership with the non-profit organization dedicated to providing free mammogram examinations across the Crawfordsville and Montgomery County region.
RacerTV.com provided live streaming coverage of the Ironman Pro ATV and Bike race. To view the archived show please click here. In addition, a highlight show featuring the event will air on Saturday, December 17, at 4:00 p.m. EST on NBCSN.
With all 13 rounds of the 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series now complete, the series will travel to Morgantown, West Virginia, on November 25 and 26 for the season ending awards banquets.
For more information on GNCC Racing, visit the official website at gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and to catch the latest news.
