GNCC Okeechobee Update & The Alligator Enduro

GNCC Okeechobee Update & The Alligator Enduro

GNCC Okeechobee Update

Team Suzuki Off Road Manager Mike Webb phoned into the Dirt Bike offices following the first GNCC at Okeechobee, Florida from a scratchy cell phone with this update. Yamaha mounted Jason Raines pulled off his first GNCC victory with a huge upset at the opening round. Raines, considered one of the young upstarts in the off-road world piloted his YZ250 2-stroke to a commanding win over Kawa mounted Fred Andrews and Suzuki’s Rodney Smith. Steve Hatch was an early leader and looked strong until a base gasket tore and he was forced out of the event. His teammate Mike Kiedrowski started horribly in 19th and in a matter of a few laps had taken over the lead. While leading, MK pitted and Yamaha’s Jason Raines with Russ Pearson in tow, took over the 1-2 position. MK came out in third, worked his way into second and then snagged a tree branch, which tore off his fuel petcock. The result? MK dribbled out all of his bikes blood and failed to finish the event. Raines went on to dominate, yanking out a big lead over Kawasaki’s Fred Andrews, and Suzuki’s Rodney Smith. Hot Rod was in second, but Freddy hunted him down late in the event and took over the number 2 slot.

Other big news from the GNCC came in the Industry Race, which was held in the morning. Jeff Emig ended up battling with Innovation Sports Tom Carson and took the victory. This class has received a glug of notoriety as of late, with high end stars competing in the grueling race. FMF’s Danny LaPorte was also a front runner, only to scrunch his knee. Moose Racing’s Dick Burleson (last year’s winner) grabbed a top ten five finish.

The Alligator Enduro

Lafferty Dominates

Dirt Bike tester and off-road legend Larry Roeseler called into the well anointed, yet tastefully decadent Dirt Bike offices with a quick rendition from the Alligator Enduro. LR participated and was one row in front of KTM’s Mike Lafferty. According to ‘Ski, it was worth the price of admission as he got a first hand look at Junior’s unbelievable tenacity in the woods. ‘Lafferty is stunning. That boy wicks it harder than anyone I’ve witnessed lately, and the tighter, snottier and tougher it is, the faster and more delicate he rides. The guy is gnarly!’ The National Enduro Champion recorded yet another enduro victory, topping former champ Randy Hawkins by three points. Roeseler said that it was super tough and challenging, plus had enough muck and yuck to make things really interesting. Lafferty, riding a 400 EXC four-stroke, dropped just 10 points to Hawkins’ 13. Hawkins rode a Yamaha YZ250F.
There was a four-way tie for third place, involving Husqvarna CR125-mounted Fred Hoess, Yamaha YZ250-mounted Ty Davis, Suzuki RM250-mounted Bradley Hodge and Yamaha rider Russell Pearson. All four riders dropped 15 points, but Hoess edged out Davis, Hodge and Pearson (in that order) on the tie-breakers. Seventh place went to SETRA champ Allen Gravitt (KTM), followed by Michael Grizzle. Other class winners included Alan Randt (A Vet), Ryan Crist (125/200cc A) and Robby Neely (A Four-Stroke).