Whibb's GNCC series starts today,

[secondfield]

Well, bugger me, Knighter still got the pace eh, even on a brand new machine..

[takitimu]

Whibs had to fight back from 5th so be an interesting update from him - knighter sure proved he has the pace on a good bike !!

[denill]

Whibs had to fight back from 5th so be an interesting update from him - knighter sure proved he has the pace on a good bike !!

Yeah it will be interesting to read Whib's take. It's good the Knighter is back 'cos when Whibs beats him that will make him the best in the world.

He could have used the ten US grand I would expect tho...............

"Defending GNCC Champion Knight, who just recently left a BMW ride in Europe, took home the $10,000 overall win, as well as an additional $1000 for topping the XC1 class. The big-purse Snowshoe event also paid a $5000 bonus to Whibley and $3000 to Kanney."

[Katoomer]

Whibs had some help from Mother Nature.

"The race broke down to a Knight versus Strang battle for the win. In the fifth lap, disaster struck for Strang when he crashed into a deer in the woods of the course, leaving Whibley to make up significant time and climb into second place. The deer essentially allowed Whibley to extend his GNCC points lead over Strang.

"It was a long day for me," Whibley said. "I couldn't get up with them today. I managed to come in second and get some points. Jarrett and I got stuck in a mud hole for awhile and Josh passed us by. I never saw him again."

[denill]

Race: GNCC Round 9, Snowshoe, WV
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki
Bike: KX450F
Result: 2nd

Lining up on the tarmac ready for the live engine start. This start system is unique to the Snowshoe event with the riders seeded into rows of five and released at 10 second intervals. Also unique to the Snowshoe event this year was the 20 plus mile lap. The lap was kind of in two parts, the first part was out on one side of the mountain with the second part out on the other side.

With the wave of the green flag we were away. I was on the front row and rounded the first turn in third behind Barry Hawk and Josh Strang. The first mile of the lap was pretty fast gravel roads and I made a couple of moves and got to the lead. I led the way for the first half of lap one until I got stuck in a mud hole letting some guys by while I lifted my bike out. I had lost some time and Josh Strang and David Knight had taken up the sharp end of the field and ran with it.

The track was pretty good with a mix of fast roads and tight technical rock and root sections that were not to tough but a fair challenge. Some of the roads were a little dusty and in the rocks care was needed to preserve the bike with plenty of riders damaging parts with the slightest slip.

I didn't feel comfortable out on the track and soon found myself in a race with Jimmy Jarret and Charlie Mullins. Both of them ended up in front of me until I managed to sort myself out a little and move back by them. I worked my way up to third but David and Josh were riding great and had gapped me. I continued to put in the best times that I could and was solid in third.

As we came through the pits for the last time I got a pit board saying I was up to second. I wasn't sure what had happened up front but when I crossed the line I saw Knighter so I guessed Josh had problems. I soon learned that he had hit a deer and crashed hard. That was a tough break for Josh as he had rode a great race and had me beat.

With my second place result I was able to extend my points lead in the series with only four rounds to go.

We now have a two month break in the GNCC series for summer. Although this will not be a quiet time for me as there are four rounds of the OMA series during this time and a round of the Enduro X series. This will help keep me sharp for the next round of the GNCC series in early September.


Thanks to my sponsors:
GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki, Moose Racing, Sidi, Smith, Shoei, Pirelli, Leo Vince, ProMoto Billet/Fastway, IMS, RG3 Suspension/Moto SR, CTi, Vortex Ignitions, G2, PG Graphics, Renthal, Silkolene, EBC Brakes, Tsubaki Chains, CV4, Rekluse, No Toil, WER, BRP, Enduro Engineering, Works Connection, Motion Pro, Ohlins

[takitimu]

Nice update, thanks

Kind of a shame Whibs does not get another race against Knighter before the summer break, but ah well, looking forward to when racing resumes, I reckon I might need check if(make sure) work needs me in New York for September 12th.

[denill]

Race: OMA Round 5, Hixton Wisconsin
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki
Bike: KX 450F
Result: 1st

Stuck in the sweat box van for the 12 hour drive to the OMA in Wisconsin was no fun. The AC had blown out a couple weeks earlier, although doing 80mph (130km) down I 90 with your head and as many other body parts as you can fit out the window also works to cool the core temperature.

The track was a new venue for the OMA series but was a little shorter lap than normal. A Moto X track was the centre of the loop and held some fun jumps. The trail was fresh and had a lot of off cambers and plenty of logs to hop over. The area hadn't seen any decent rain for a while and was pretty dry and dusty so the start would be critical.
Lining up with a game plan to get a good start and run with it. I knew I could hole shot having taken that prize at each of the previous OMAs this season.

With the wave of the flag my GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki sprang to life and shot me to another hole shot. I put my head down and tried to make a gap right off the bat. After a lap I had about 26 second lead so I tried to maintain that buffer although with a short lap we were quickly into lapped traffic and many of these riders were struggling with the technical, tight trail.
I was amazed as I came around to complete another lap that my lead had grown, as it was tough to be the first guy to run up behind the lappers and blaze a way through. A lot of these riders were pretty courteous though and moved over where they could.

By the fuel stop I had a good lead with my teammates Jimmy Jarrett and Scotty Watkins battling over second spot with the returning Brian Garrahan.
The chequered flag flew and I took the win. Scotty secured second spot and Brian came home third. Jimmy went down late in the race injuring his arm and putting a hole through his lip.

1st: Paul Whibley, JG Offroad ,GEICO, Montser Energy Kawasaki
2nd: Scotty Watkins, JG Offroad, GEICO, Montster Energy Kawasaki
3rd: Brian Garrahan, Yamaha
4th: Nick Farringer, Husaberg

Thanks to my sponsors:
GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki, Moose Racing, Pirelli, Sidi, Smith, Shoei, RG3 Suspension, Moto SR, ProMoto Billet/Fastway, Leo Vince, CTi, IMS, Vortex Ignitions, G2, P.G. Graphics, Silkolene, EBC Brakes, Tsubaki Chains, No Toil, WER, BRP, CV4, Rekluse, Renthal, Enduro Engineering, Works Connection, Motion Pro, Ohlins USA

[denill]

What Cycle News Said:

[WRFracer]

What Cycle News Said:

Hey thats bad news about Jarrett he was doing really well in the GNCC's this year.

[secondfield]

Hey thats bad news about Jarrett he was doing really well in the GNCC's this year.

True... they are very well matched this year...

Hey'.... go over there and feed it to them mate

[denill]

Hey thats bad news about Jarrett he was doing really well in the GNCC's this year.

Not many more sleeps and you'll be there.

Good luck and when keep us informed on your progress Adam.

[takitimu]

OMA Rd - 6 Millville, Minnesota

http://www.cyclenews.com/articles/of...lville-oma-win

Motocrosser Alex Martin gave Paul Whibley (pictured) his greatest challenge so far in the Parts Unlimited Off-Road Motorcycle and ATV Nationals, but when round six - the Motion Pro Spring Creek Grand Prix at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota - ended, Whibley used his superior conditioning as well as his woods speed to keep his win streak alive. Martin easily held on for second while Whibley's teammate Scott Watkins rounded out the podium.

If anyone was going to beat Whibley, it was Martin at this, his home track (he literally grew up at the facility his father, former AMA National Hare Scrambles Champion John Martin, owns and runs). A break in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship gave Martin the chance to mix it up with the OMA's best on his Spring Creek MX/Ti Lube/Storm Lake Honda CRF250R. Though the dead-engine start found him lagging the field, he quickly stormed through the pack until only Whibley remained in front of him.

JG Off-Road/GEICO Powersports/Monster Energy Kawasaki's Whibley did most of the leading, but he couldn't shake Martin, who demonstrated clearly superior speed on the motocross track he's done so many laps around over the years.

To no one's surprise, the woods proved to be Whibley's strong point. "I knew he was going probably as good as he could go in the tight stuff, and I wasn't overly concerned that I couldn't beat him. I knew I could still go faster in the tight stuff."

He almost had to. A badly bent brake pedal almost two hours in forced an unscheduled pit stop for the RG3/Pirelli/Moose KX450F, but Martin needed a second splash of gas - a slow splash due to having no dry-break system on his stock MX tank with its twist-on gas cap.

"Right at the end there, I was still putting down those fast laps and that was good, but, unfortunately, Paul ended up getting [back] around me and I kind of dropped anchor big-time after that," he admitted. "I felt like I still finished the race strong and I'm fairly happy with my performance."

Watkins ran a solitary third - a couple minutes behind the leaders and a couple minutes up on fourth - aboard his Silkolene/FMF/Shoei-backed KX250F. Cole Kirkpatrick was likewise a lonely fourth after breaking out of the pack early on his Cycle Shack of Lubbock/Enduro Engineering/Moose KTM 250 XC.

Chris Bach, once again, topped the A division and claimed fifth overall on his Spastic Designs KX450F, edging YZ250-mounted Adam Bonneur by a few seconds at the finish, though on adjusted time (each line starts one minute apart) he had a minute and four seconds in hand.

Husaberg's Nick Fahringer fought back from crashes and brake issues to earn seventh overall followed by Jeff Melik on his YZ450F, Justin Williamson aboard his Gas Gas EC250 and Husaberg FE450 racer Dylan Debel.

[denill]

And here's what Whibs had to say:


Race: OMA Round 6, Millville MN
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki
Bike: Kawasaki KX 450F
Result: 1st


Round 6 of the OMA series was staged at the Spring Creek National MX track at Millville Minnesota.
The fantastic venue made a change from the usual "field in the middle of nowhere" setting. With the moto track prepped and a typically tough OMA track laid through the surrounding woods the stage was set for a great race.
Local National MX rider Alex Martin made an appearance and Enduro front runner Cole Kirkpatrick both would add some speed and depth to the pro class.

With the wave of the green flag the race was on. I shot to another great start and lead the way around the mx track before we shot through a hole in the fence and wove our way into the hills. Alex was hot on my heels after we exited the track and continued to stay close through the woods. As we came back to the mx track and through scoring I was expecting a battle to hold the lead but I managed to hold him at bay. My teammate Scotty Watkins was running in third not to far back and was ready to pounce on any mistake. As the time wore on the racing became more intense and the pace increased. Alex took his turn leading after making a pass stick on the mx track and was riding great. I regained the lead after working our way past a lapped rider blocking one of the tougher hill climbs.

I ran into some problems after the fuel stop when I clipped a stump and tore the end off my rear brake lever. The remaining stub was near impossible to use and the resulting pace allowed Alex to erase the buffer I had begun to create. Diving into the pits my mechanic Scotty was able to bend the stub out giving my boot something to work with and I was back in the race. I caught Alex quickly after we left the mx track and could see his pace had slowed a little.

I was still struggling with the rear brake as my foot would slip off on all the rough braking bumps causing some hairy moments and a leg that was beginning to fatigue from the effort. I took the lead with a couple of laps to go and began to extend my lead to the finish. Crossing the line with nearly a two minute buffer. Alex held onto second and Scotty Watkins brought home his KX 250f in third.

1st: Paul Whibley (JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki)
2nd: Alex Martin (Honda)
3rd: Scott Watkins (JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki)

Thanks to my following sponsors:
GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki, Moose Racing, Shoei, Smith, Sidi, Pirelli, RG3 Suspension, Moto SR, Ohlins, CTi, Leo Vince, Pro Moto Billet/Fastway, IMS, Vortex Ignitions, G2, PG Graphics, Silkolene, EBC Brakes, Tsubaki Chains, No Toil, WER, BRP, Rekluse, CV4, Enduro Engineering, Renthal, Motion Pro, Works Connection

[scott411]

that would have been a wicked track, the mx track there is set ina huge valley surronded by trees, would have been cool,

[denill]

Race: CRA 4 Hour
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: JG Offroad, GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki
Bike: Kawasaki KX 450f
Result: 1st


On an off weekend I competed in a CRA 4 hour race at the LL Raceway in PA. Most riders raced as part of a team but I saw the event as a chance to get in an extra hour training on the bike so I rode it iron man.

I got a good start and led the way around the first lap. Overnight rain had watered what would have been a dusty course to perfection although it was a little slick in some spots. It was also pretty hot. Temperatures in the 90s(35c) with high humidity. The air seemed thick in the trees like it was something you could grasp. Lucky my Smith goggles have got plenty of anti fog coating and worked great in the tough conditions.

After a lap Katherine gave me a pit board saying a lap time was 13 minutes. I was in for a long day and a lot of laps. Katherine kept the motivation coming with times and distances to people to lap in front, giving me something to chase and focus on.
At the first fuel stop Katherine handed me the IMS dump can and the tank was replenished. The short lap made it seem like I had been out there for hours, on the flip side I knew the track inside out.

Another hour and a half up and in for some more gas. I had a good lead so there wasn't too much of a rush so I grabbed a bite of a sandwich and made some fine tuning adjustments on my Ohlins shock to better cope with the demands of the track.

I took the win after 4 hour racing. I almost got dizzy after going around so many times but it was a good days training.

Thanks to my sponsors;
GEICO, Monster Energy Kawasaki, Moose Racing, Shoei, Smith, Sidi, CTi, Pirelli, RG3, Moto SR, Ohlins USA, Leo Vince, ProMoto Billet/Fastway, IMS, Vortex Ignitions, G2, PG, Silkolene, EBC, Tsubaki, No Toil, WER, BRP, Motion Pro, Works Connection, Rekluse, CV4