GNCC Recognizes Top Racers and Sponsors at 2017 Awards Banquet
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With all 13 race rounds complete on the 2017 circuit, the annual GNCC Night of Champions took place from December 1-2 with the ultimate celebration to cap off the season. More than 1,360 racers, family members, and fans from all over the country came together in Morgantown, West Virginia, at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place to celebrate the prestigious accomplishments of the top 10 racers in each championship class.
Each evening kicked off with dinner and opening ceremonies. Each championship class was honored on stage, in addition to a handful of specialty awards and recognition of series sponsors and supporters. The best ATV racers were honored in front of over 700 people on Friday evening, while nearly 670 more attended Saturday evening's ceremony to honor the top motorcycle racers in the series. For a full list of 2017 GNCC champions, click here.
| 2017 Specialty Award Winners | ||
| ATV Winners | Bike Winners | |
| Rider of the Year – Walker Fowler | Rider of the Year – Kailub Russell | |
| 4x4 Rider of the Year – Kevin Cunningham | Amateur Rider of the Year – Alex Teagarden | |
| Amateur Rider of the Year – Drew Landers | Youth Rider of the Year – Zack Davidson | |
| Youth Rider of the Year – Layne McCormick | Bike Manufacturers Cup – KTM North America | |
| Bad Ass Award – Jeremy LeDonne | State Championship – Pennsylvania | |
| Sport Ambassador – Mike Penland | In Memoriam – Chris and Cody Gragg, Albert Amatuzio, Steve Crowe, Craig Petzold, Dale "Cookie" Cooke, Devin Langford, Matthew "Loupie" Lambruno, Elizabeth "Lib" Hawkins, Donna Rae Penton | |
| Manufacturers Cup – Yamaha Motor Corp. | ||
| State Championship – Pennsylvania | ||
| Sponsor of the Year – CST Tires | ||
| In Memoriam – Ethan Fittro, Joe McCune, Gae Tretinik, Ronnie Byrd | ||
Rocky Mountain ATV/MC returned with their Ticket to Ride program for the fifth year. Four lucky winners received a paid trip-for-two to Moab, Utah, for a riding excursion with the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC staff to take place this upcoming spring. Congratulations to Friday night's winner's 4x4 A champion Dwight Pollard, from Clayton, Georgia, and WXC rider Alicia McCormick, from Muncy, Pennsylvania, who will be provided with Side-by-Side machines on the trip. Motorcycles will be provided for Saturday night's winners, Junior A/B (25+) competitor Kasey Belt, from Weston, West Virginia and 4-Stroke A Lites rider Conner Keegan, from Coal Center, Pennsylvania.
Several thousand dollars' worth of contingency awards were distributed to the top five finishers in each class and additional door prizes were raffled off to racers throughout the evening. GNCC series sponsors stepped up to distribute the biggest contingency prizes in history, thanks to AMSOIL, Maxxis, Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, Parts Unlimited, FMF Racing, CST Tires, VP Racing Fuels, Dunlop, Wiseco, HDB MotoGrafx, All Balls Racing, Hot Cams, Hot Rods, Cylinder Works, Pivot Works, Tire Blocks, Factory Connection, Cometic, Hinson Clutches, Twin Air, Moto Master Brake System, Fox, Moto Tees, 100% Goggles, Evans Coolant, Alco Cleaners and FPS Racing.
Immediately following the awards portion of the ceremony, musical entertainment was provided by DJ ELO, as GNCC Racers and their families continued the celebration on the dance floor. GNCC also provided a free photo booth from 5:30 p.m.-midnight to capture the evening's festivities.
The 2018 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series will kick off with the Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina, the weekend of February 24-25. The full 2018 schedule will be released within the next month.