The Wiseco John Penton ATV Race Report : The Gator Wins!
Adam McGill Earns First Victory Since 2020
By Kayla Bolton – Photos by Ken Hill
MILLFIELD, Ohio (May 21, 2023) – The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized, an AMA National Championship, (GNCC Racing) headed to Southern Ohio for the seventh round of racing in the 2023 season with The Wiseco John Penton. Rainfall over the night Friday and into Saturday morning made for muddy, slick conditions throughout the course of the day.
When the green flag flew, the roar of the XC1 Pro class taking off echoed through the valley of the Ohio facility. It would be JMR/GBC/Elka/Moose Racing’s Jarrod McClure earning himself the $100 All Balls Racing XC1 Holeshot Award to start the day, as he would lead the pack into the woods. As they came around through timing and scoring on lap one it would be Action Off-Road/GBC Tires/Rath racing/BNR/SSi Decal’s Joshua Merritt holding the early lead with a handful of riders right behind him.
As the pack emerged from the woods on the second lap, Action Off-Road/Pro Graphx/Kenda/Pierce Performance’s Jay Shadron would be in the lead position with McClure in second, Merritt running third and OBOR Tires/Moose Racing/Parts Unlimited/Lonestar’s Adam McGill battling his way through the pack in fourth.
McGill would put his head down and push, without even realizing he had made his way into the lead by the time he came through timing and scoring on the third lap. Merritt would move into second and continue to hold that position as Stewart Boys Racing/GBC/Pierce Performance/Focus X’s Wyatt Wilkin moved into third on the third and fourth lap.
The white flag came out as McGill continued to hold a 16 second lead over Merritt heading into the last lap of the race. McGill would continue to push and would come through to earn his first overall XC1 Pro race since the 2020 season. Merritt would come through in second to earn his first-ever overall podium finish and the defending champion, Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Brycen Neal would make a last lap pass to earn third overall on the day.
Wilkin would come through to earn fourth on the day, while Pierce Performance/Action Off-Road/GBC/Active Waste Solution’s John Glauda Jr. made his way up to fifth after a ninth place start to the day. McClure would fall back to ninth at the halfway point of the race and would have to work his way back through the pack as he finished sixth in XC1 and seventh overall.
Unfortunately for six of the XC1 racers it would be a shortened day out on the course as Abney Racing/Action Off-Road/Maxxis/Lonestar Racing’s Austin Abney completed four laps, coming through seventh in XC1. Action Off-Road/Pro Graphx/Kenda/Pierce Performance’s Jay Shadron would only be able to complete three laps after briefly holding the lead position. Action Off-Road/AMSOIL/Fly Racing’s Chris Borich and Richardson Racing/Action Off-Road/Kenda’s Cole Richardson were also only able to complete three laps as they finished ninth and tenth in XC1. Hunter Hart Racing/Ithaca Recreation sports/Fly Racing’s Hunter Hart had a mechanical issue after two laps and would be unable to battle on in Ohio. The same went for Bullet Proof Doorz/BNR Motorsports/Senge Graphics’ Ronnie Rusch as he only checked in for two laps of the race.
As the XC2 Pro-Am class took off it was McCormick Racing/Stewart Boys Racing/Action Off-Road’s Layne McCormick earning the $100 BNR Motorsports XC2 Holeshot Award, but as they racers headed into the woods it was Steven Harrell Racing/BNR Motorsports/Kenda/HMF’s Steve Harrell leading the way. Harrell would hold the early lead with McCormick sitting second, but as the race wore on McCormick would make his way into the lead for the second and third laps.
Harrell would need to work his way back up through the pack, striking as the white flag came out and leading all the way up until the checkered flag flew. Harrell has earned six XC2 wins thus far this season and continues to hold the points lead. Pierce Performance/Action Off-Road/GBC Tire’s James Glauda would have an outstanding performance as he made his way into third and then second. Glauda and McCormick would battle back-and-forth for the last two laps, but Glauda would come away with second as McCormick rounded out the top three in class.
Top Amateur honors went to Alex Elioff in the Junior A class as he earned his class win and an eleventh overall finishing position on the day. In second was College A competitor, Alex Thieman who came through in 12th overall and first in his class. Then it was Nick Davidson of the Vet A class rounding out the Top Amateur finishers as he came through 13th overall at The John Penton.
Grabbing the $100 4×4 Pro Holeshot Award courtesy of BNR Motorsports was BNR Motorsports/Can-Am/GBC/HMF/Tennessee Towing’s Robbie Pecorari. But it wouldn’t take long for Ryco Racing/Kenda Tires/KMK Off-Road/Elite Graphic’s Cody Collier to make his way into the lead. With Edgewood/TMS/DeRisi Racing’s Brandon Frazier hot on Collier’s rear wheels, Frazier would make the pass for the lead on the second lap before Collier would be able to make the pass back around him once again.
Collier would hold onto the lead position for the rest of the race, crossing the line with over a minute lead on his competition. Frazier would hold on to finish second overall and in the 4×4 Pro class. Stewart Boys Racing/Action Off-Road/DeRisi/HMF’s Haedyn Mickelson would run at the front of the pack for the duration of the race in Ohio on Saturday. Mickelson would find himself up in second and then back to fourth at different times throughout the race. However, he would make a last lap pass to earn the final podium finish in third overall.
As the green flag waved for the WXC class it was Hurricane Hannah/Fly Racing/OBOR Tires/HMF’s Hannah Hunter grabbing the $100 WXC Holeshot Award courtesy of BNR Motorsports to start off her day. Hunter would find herself in second behind Elioff Racing/BNR Motorsports/GBC/Fly Racing’s Jessica Elioff for the opening lap of the race. However, Hunter would make her way back around Elioff on the second lap and begin to try and place a gap over the rest of the WXC field in the sloppy conditions.
Elioff would fall back to sixth as the white flag came out, all while Pro Graphx/Penske Racing Shocks/Lonestar’s Chloe Harper made her way into the second place position and Waynesburg Yamaha/Kenda Tire/Pro Graphx’s Emily Wise made her way into third in the WXC class. Harper would hold on and cross the line second, with Wise coming through to round out the podium. Elioff would be unable to make a last lap push for a podium spot, but she would come through fourth in the class.
Youth ATV Results and Points are Provisional.
As the Youth ATV race came to an end it would be Bryce Pullen crossing the line first overall and in the YXC1 Super Mini Sr. class. Pullen would steadily work his way through the riders and muddy trails. Andrew Smallwood and Grant Hunter would work their way through the pack to finish second and third in YXC1 and overall, on the day.
In the YXC2 Super Mini Jr. class it was Braylon McDonald coming through timing and scoring first to earn the class win. Brody Sparks would make his way through to earn second in the class, while Gavin Brand would battle to earn third in the class.
Garrett Cox would come through to take home the 250 (13-15) class win, with Ethan Hopkins earning the 250 (13-15) Limited class win. Hayden Bettinger raced to earn the 125 (8-12) class win, and Corbin Fry would come through to earn the 125 (8-12) Limited class win. Landon Glauda came through to earn the 90 (8-12) class win on the day. In the Schoolgirl Sr. (13-15) class it was Isabella Gouker coming through to earn the class win, while Paisley Stout battled back to earn the Schoolgirl Jr. (12-15) class win. Gracie Wolfe came through first in the Girls Sr. (12-15) class, and Ava Lucas earned herself the Girls Jr. (8-11) class win. JP Pickens Jr. picked up his second win of the day in the ATV youth division as he came through to earn the 70 CVT (6-11) class win.
JP Pickens would make the pass for the lead in the last corner before heading under the finish line arch to see the checkered flag. Pickens battled back to earn his first MXC1 and Micro ATV overall win of the season. Torque Tong would continue to push throughout the race, leading for a portion of it before crossing the line second overall and in his class. Michael Stringfellow would come through third in the class and overall, on the day in Ohio.
Chad McCormick would bring home the MXC2 class win in the Micro ATV race, while Casen Jennings would battle back to earn second in the class. Joshua Swantek would come through third overall and in the MCX1 class. Cash Knecht took home the 50 Sr. (6-7) class win, with Holden Wolford earning the 50 Jr. (4-5) win. Crew Carter would take home the 90 Stock (8-9) class win, while Grayson Burkhart earned the 110 CVT Stock (8-9) class win.
In the Micro Bike race, it was Maverick Boyer making his way into the lead position, and never looking back. Boyer would come through the finish line to earn the win, fifth MXC1 class win of the season and fourth overall win of the year. Coming through in second place was Blake Abboud from Apple Grove, West Virginia. Rounding out the overall podium was Logan Goodwin of the MXC2 class.
Phillip Sollon would come through to earn third in the MXC1 class, while Tripp Lewis and Todd Toland finished second and third in the MXC2 class. Daxton Mullins would battle back to earn the win in the 50 Sr. 1 (7) class, and Tanner Toland would take home the 50 Sr. 2 (6) class win.
Colsen Obraynt would earn the Micro-E (4-7) class win, with Ryder Bower taking the 50 Jr. 1 (6-7) class win in Ohio. Carson Zink came through first to earn the 50 Jr. 2 (4-5) class win, with Hunter Siegel winning his seventh-straight Micro Shaft Drive (4-6) class race of the season. Then in the Trail Rider (7-9) class it was Jase Williamson earning the win.
Due to the extreme weather conditions, the Specialized Turbo eMTB race that was scheduled for Saturday evening was cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
Catch GNCC Pro ATV and Motorcycle Racing free via RacerTV.com all season long. Pro ATV Racing starts Saturday’s at 2pm ET, with the exception of Big Buck, Snowshoe and Ironman events where they will start at 1pm ET. GNCC Pro Motorcycle Racing will begin at 1pm ET on Sunday’s. Later in the year GNCC Racing will premiere on MAVTV with event highlight episodes.
For more information on the GNCC series, visit the official website at www.gnccracing.com or call (304) 284-0084. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #GNCC.
- Facebook: @gnccracing
- Instagram: @gncc_racing
- Twitter: @gnccracing
- YouTube: @racertv
The Wiseco John Penton Results and Points Standings
Millfield, Ohio
Round 7 of 12
Saturday, May 20, 2023
XC1 Pro Event Results:
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Joshua Merritt (YAM)
- Brycen Neal (YAM)
- Wyatt Wilkin (YAM)
- John Glauda (YAM)
- Jarrod McClure (HON)
- Austin Abney (YAM)
- Jay Shadron (YAM)
- Chris Borich (YAM)
- Cole Richardson (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Brycen Neal (172)
- Hunter Hart (145)
- Adam McGill (135)
- Cole Richardson (121)
- John Glauda (119)
- Wyatt Wilkin (95)
- Jay Shadron (89)
- Jarrod McClure (87)
- Joshua Merritt (87)
- Steve Harrell (78)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2023 National Champion.
XC2 Pro-Am Event Results:
- Steven Harrell (YAM)
- James Glauda (YAM)
- Layne McCormick (YAM)
- Grayson Eller (YAM)
- Dylan Walraven (YAM)
- Jeremy LeDonne (YAM)
- Charles Dunn III (HON)
- Branden Owens (YAM)
- Gabriel Naud (YAM)
- Tanner Walker (YAM)
XC2 Pro-Am Series Standings:
- Steve Harrell (205)
- Branden Owens (144)
- Grayson Eller (142)
- Dylan Walraven (119)
- Layne McCormick (117)
- James Glauda (106)
- Tanner Walker (103)
- Kenny Shick (83)
- Gabriel Naud (72)
- Albert Jadosh (66)
To get the latest GNCC Racing clothing and merchandise visit https://www.mototees.com.
How to Watch
Racer TV and MAVTV are the official homes for coverage of the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) events. All 12 rounds, from the season opener in South Carolina to the finale, will air in taped-delayed telecasts on MAVTV, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of the 2 p.m. ATV and 1 p.m. motorcycle races from each event. Catch all the action at http://www.mavtv.com/ and http://www.racertv.com/.
About GNCC Racing
The Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Specialized is the world premier cross country racing series. Founded in 1975, the 12-round motorcycle and ATV championship and 9-round eMTB championship, is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling two and three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 2,700 riders through racetracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks, and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Central America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised live on RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.
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