Written by:
Jason Weigandt
07/07/2008
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Behind DuVall came a fierce battle for second. Monster Energy/Andrews Yamaha’s Dustin Gibson took the spot, just ahead of Red Bull KTM’s defending XC2 Champion Justin Williamson and Powersports GrafX KTM’s Kailub Russell. Just three seconds separated the trio at the finish as they battled the through the final corner of the race. Virginia’s Eric Bailey rounded out the XC2 top five.
Veteran contender Barry Hawk made his return to action in the XC1 class after breaking his shoulder a few months ago at a race in South Carolina. Hawk, a Pennsylvania native, ran at the front of the pack for the first two hours of the event but dropped his pace slightly in the final hour, finishing up sixth in the premier class.
Seventh in XC1 went to Husqvarna’s Australian Glenn Kearney, ahead of FMF Suzuki’s Charlie Mullins, who crashed hard and managed to salvage some points. Florida’s Garrett Edmisten and
South African Louwrens Mahoney rounded out the top ten.
GNCC Notebook:
The GEICO Mountain Ridge GNCC marked a return to the rough, rocky, technical terrain where Knight does his best work. Patches of rain throughout the weekend kept dust down and created a few deep mud holes, which only further added to the challenge.
FMF Suzuki’s Jimmy Jarrett snagged the Racer X Holeshot Award in the XC1 class, and Gibson claimed the Thumpertalk.com Holeshot Award in XC2. Jarrett ran into trouble when a rock smashed his water pump, while Gibson hung on to finish second in his class. To help out privateer racers, AXA Financial Advisors also handed out two holeshot awards to Novice class racers in the 10 a.m. amateur race
The Independence Day Weekend event featured a free concert from the rock band Ten Man Push, and two different free dinners for racers, one courtesy of Moose Racing and another by QuadZone.com.
