The Ironman GNCC Side by Side and Pro ATV Race Report
Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 22, 2011 National Guard Polaris Coastal DragonFire Yokley Racing Team driver William Yokley finished 2nd Overall and 2nd in the Side by Side Open Modified Class. National Guard Polaris Coastal Yokley Racing Team driver Scott Kiger finished 3rd Overall and 3rd in the same class. There were 54 total entries with 25 Open Modified teams in the race today. William’s guest passenger was his wife Tina, and Scott’s passenger was Joe Waligora. Yokley is the 2011 GNCC Open Modified National Champion and Kiger finishes 3rd in GNCC season points.
National Guard Coastal Yokley Racing Pro ATV Team rider Jarrod McClure finished 5th Overall and 5th in the XC1 Pro ATV class. There were 193 total entries with 14 XC1 Pro riders.
Summary – Side by Side
The National Guard Polaris team arrived at this season finale GNCC Side by Side race hoping to wrap up the National Championship. The weather and conditions were perfect, and the Ironman always has the largest turnout of competitors and fans of any of the GNCC events. The fans are positioned all along the course, especially at the long hillclimb and creek crossing sections. There are also high speed open-field sections to showcase the horsepower and handling of the Ranger RZR XP900.
At the start, Yokley was 5th in the first turn, with teammate Kiger right next to him. They went into the woods in 3rd and 4th. They moved up to 2nd and 3rd at the completion of lap 1. William knew he could wrap up the title by finishing 2nd, so he raced conservatively, making sure he took care of his equipment and not taking big chances with lappers. The team finished out the race in 2nd and 3rd, with both machines on the podium.
This was William’s 2nd GNCC National Championship with Polaris in the Side by Side division. With Scott Kiger finishing the season in 3rd place, the team enjoyed a very successful season. The team has one race left for the 2011 season, the season finale of the WORCS on Nov. 12 at Speed World MX in Surprise, Arizona. Yokley is leading the points and with a good finish, can wrap up the WORCS National Championship. Kiger is in the top 7 in points, and has a chance to move up in the final standings.
Yokley Racing wishes to give a big thanks to all of our loyal sponsors who have made it possible for us to participate and be successful!
Summary – XC1 Pro ATV
National Guard Coastal Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure looks forward to the Ironman every year. “The spectators are wild; they line the hills and jump in to help if you get stuck, and are always cheering and yelling – it’s great!”, said Jarrod.
Jarrod was first off the line at the start, and won the $250 holeshot award. He was 2nd going into the woods, and battled with McGill and Borich through lap 1. The big hillclimb section was a challenge on every lap; there were several different lines and riders were always getting stuck, so you would either make up or lose positions each lap. The creek sections were long and pretty deep, so you had to be careful not to drown your machine out.
On lap 2, McGill jumped in the creek right next to Jarrod, and proceeded to soak him and his machine. Everything was wet, and it became difficult to hold on to the controls, not to mention it was freezing! Jarrod finished out the race in 5th place. The ATV worked great and he had no other major issues. He is now 6th in season points, with one makeup GNCC race left in 2 weeks at Loretta Lynn’s in Tennessee.
Jarrod will race at Loretta Lynn’s and then immediately travel to the last WORCS race in Surprise, Arizona one week later. He plans to finish the season strong!
Yokley Racing Team Sponsors
The Army National Guard, Polaris Industries, Coastal Racing, DragonFire Racing, Kenda Tires, Monavie, EXIT Suspension, Roll Design, XC Bobs.com, Douglas Wheel Technology, HMF Exhaust Systems, Moto Pro Training, SHIFT Riding Gear, Tsubaki Chains, IMS/Roll, CV4 Hoses, ATVRiders.com, Tireballs, Precision Racing Products, G-4 Graphics, SCOTT USA Goggles, IMS, Hygh Octane Designs, Bowers Motorsports, TanTerra Wines, Tusk Off-Road, Baldwin Motorsports, K&N Filters, RPM Axles, KG Clutches, PowerMadd and Fluidyn Powersports.