Borich Edges Fowler at Unadilla GNCC

The 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series returned after a two-month summer break at Unadilla Raceway in New Berlin, NY for round 10 of the series. Chris Borich fought off a tough challenge from Walker Fowler to secure the XC1 victory.

It was Waynesburg Yamaha/GT Thunder’s Jeff Pickens (12) who shot out to claim the $250 DeRisi Racing/Team Woodhead Holeshot Award and the early lead but AmPro Yamaha’s Fowler quickly took over out front. Maxxis-backed Borich jumped in right behind Fowler and the duo began their race-long battle for the lead.

GNCC racers returned to action this past weekend in New Berlin, NY.

Not far behind was the battle for the third place position between Precision/ITP/Lonestar/Axis/Baldwin Racing’s Adam McGill and Reliable Tool Supply/Maxxis’ Chris Bithell. McGill and Bithell were riding wheel-to-wheel until bad luck struck and Bithell encountered a mechanical issue on Lap 3 that forced the Pennsylvania native to forfeit the rest of the race.

Bithell’s misfortune opened up some breathing room for McGill as he continued to push toward the leaders. However, on the next lap McGill got tangled with a lapped rider and went down, allowing JB Racing/Cheerwine/Can-Am rider Jarrod McClure to make the pass for third. BNR’s Kevin eventually made the pass on McGill as well, taking over the fourth place position.

Jarrod McClure raced to a third-place finish at Unadilla Raceway.

Borich and Fowler went head-to-head in the final laps of the two-hour race as they picked their way through the biggest obstacle of all – lapped traffic. The duo traded off the lead position throughout the final lap but in the end, it was the four-time champion Borich who claimed his 66th career win at Round 10.

McClure held on to capture his first podium finish of the season, marking exactly one year since he finished atop the podium at Unadilla. Yoho maintained his position in front of McGill to capture fourth place, while Team Woodhead/DeRisi Racing’s Braden Henthorn finished sixth. HMF/GBC/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher came in seventh and Pickens took eighth.

Kevin Yoho kept Adam McGill at bay and held on for a fourth-place finish.

In the XC2 Pro Am division, Michael Lancaster grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award but it was Maryland’s Landon Wolfe who claimed the early lead. Current points leader Brycen Neal made his way out front by Lap 2 and the Ohio native immediately created a gap and never looked back, claiming yet another win in the Pro Am division.

New York’s Nathan Thomas made his first GNCC appearance of the season, grabbing second in the XC2 class, followed by Josh Merritt in third.

Brycen Neal (center) captured his seventh XC2 win on the season. He’s joined on the podium by Josh Merritt (left) and Nathan Thomas (right).

Pennsylvania’s Cole Richardson put forth an impressive ride at Round 10, capturing the College A (16-21) class win and fifth overall for the day. Richardson earned not only the Top Amateur honors but also finished higher than any non-XC1 rider in the race.

In the 10 a.m. race, young guns Westley Wolfe and Cody Collier battled it out for the Schoolboy (13-15) class win, pushing themselves into the top two positions overall. After a hard-fought two-hour battle, Wolfe captured the overall victory with Collier close behind and Super Senior (45+) winner GT Thunder’s Dave Simmons rounded out the overall podium in third.

The 4×4 overall battle came down to the final moments between U2 front-runners Robert Smith and Michael Swift. Team UXC Racing’s Swift made a late pass on BNR’s Smith in the final corner before the finish, grabbing the 4×4 overall victory and first place in the U2 class. Can-Am rider Bryan Buckhannon rounded out the 4×4 podium with yet another win in the 4×4 Open class.

Michael Swift (center) topped the 4×4 class. Robert Smith (left) finished second, while Bryan Buckhannon (right) was third.

The 2013 GNCC series heads to Foxburg, Pa., September 21 and 22 for the Car-Mate Gusher GNCC.