Whibs 2010

[Katoomer]

Live timing was crappy today .Showed Paul in third at halfway point. However found this news:

Strang made the pass for the win 1 mile from the finish.

Chris Bach was second about 5 seconds behind.

Mullins comes back for third.

Jarrett 4th, Kearney 5th.

Whibley runs out of gas about a mile from the finish while in third.

Hope he salvaged some points.

[Katoomer]

Ended up 15th OA , 10th in XC1.
GNCC site still not working

[raglanash]

Ratshit, that GNCC sites a joke!

[takitimu]

Whib's write up here http://www.paulwhibley.co.nz/news.php?item.117.2

End of lap two we were in for gas (as most riders did) as we elected not to push the gas mileage in the thick sand. With a freah pair of Smiths restoring my vision I managed to catch back up to Josh Strang who was running in 3rd. Part way into that lap my vent hose for the tank came loose and begain splashing gas everywere.

Sounds like Whib's had a pretty tough ride.

The gncc write up here http://gnccracing.com/articles/1975_...d-florida-gncc

[flyingcr250]

oh man human error is one thing but mechanical failure is just gutting

[Katoomer]

Round 2 results . Paul got 2nd behind Strang who won again
Points:

1. Josh Strang (60/2 wins)

2. Chris Bach (46)

3. Charlie Mullins (39)

4. Paul Whibley (36)

5. Cory Buttrick (28)


http://www.gnccracing.com/articles/1...s-general-gncc

[denill]

Race Report: GNCC Round 2, Georgia
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Am-Pro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha WR 450
Result: 2nd XC1

Round 2 of the GNCCs was held near Washington Georgia. With some work done to make sure the problems we had in Florida were a thing of the past, I was confident of a better result this time out.
My jump off the line was ok but got pinched out coming into turn one. I was able to duck up the inside and into the top 5 and avoid a pile up. During the first lap there were several lead changes but eventually my teammate Thad Duvall made a break for it and took control of the race. He set a fast pace and built a lead of over 40 seconds. The track was in good shape and the mudholes were minimal, although still catching some riders out. It was also pretty rough with the puggy soil in the woods cutting up fast. I was racing with Josh Strang for 2nd place in the first half of the event until I collided with a lapped rider and lost a lot of time trying to restart my bike. Josh closed in on Thad and they duked it out until Thad crashed heavily and retired from the race. Late in the race I wore through my grip on the throttle side and could feel it balling up under my thumb but it didn't really effect my speed. Josh was riding good and no matter how much I tried I couldn't make up any time and had to take second.
I was happier with the result but these first 2 races have highlighted some things we need to work on and we plan to be a lot more prepared by the Steel Creek GNCC and be ready to make up some lost points.

Results
1st: Josh Strang, Suz
2nd: Paul Whibley, Yam
3rd: Chris Bach, KTM

[raglanash]

http://www.racerxonline.com/video/fl...gncc-film.aspx
Vid from round 1. Like strangs jump over bog and rider!!

[denill]

Race Report: GNCC Round 3, North Carolina
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Am-Pro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha WR 450
Result: 4nd XC1

With some improvements made to the set up of my bike I was confident of a better result going into Round 3 of the GNCCs at Steel Creek in Morganton, North Carolina. Rain was forecast for Sunday afternoon and around lunch time it started to cool down and seemed like the weather was closing in. Light rain was falling as we lined up for the start making the mostly hard pack track pretty slippery.

The start went ok with a mid pack start but sneeking into the top three before we hit the woods. I was following Josh Strang and KTM rider Cory Buttrick. I was riding a little tight with the slick conditions not inspiring any confidence and pumped up a little in the early part of the race. I soon had other issues with the setting in the shock seeming too soft and not behaving like I would have liked. It seemed to be riding low in the back and this combined with the conditions was making life tough. I held onto third for a couple laps but lost contact with the leaders. At the fuel stop a quick adjustment was made to the shock and it was much improved and I felt I could push again but as the rain continued to fall and conditions became increasingly muddy and heavy the soft setup of the shock began to cause some more issues. I was running around 4th place when the 2 laps to go board came out.

The track was deteriorating and the slower riders began to struggle on some of the steeper hill climbs. One hill had a lot of riders bottle necked a third of the way up. I weaved my way through and attacked the hill. I got past the main blockage but my back wheel slid down into a rut and I spun out. While I was restarting my bike I was informed that the race was going to be called off due to the blockage. I got my bike going and since I had got past the worst of it I pinned it and climbed to the top of the hill and continued to the finish where they had put the chequered flag out and had indeed called the race off. I was also informed that Strang and the others were stuck at the base of the hill I had just climbed and I was first to come through.
I was also informed that the results were to count from the end of the 5th lap and the last lap that I completed was not to count.
Pretty gutted but them's the breaks.

Results: (XC1)
1st: J. Strang
2nd: C. Buttrick
3rd: C. Mullins
4th: P. Whibley

[denill]

Yep, that would piss you off.......................

A moral victory but not the points!

[takitimu]

Here's a video with Whib's waving at the end , he definitely sneaked up the inside at the start !!!. Classic.
http://visionmoto.webs.com/apps/vide...reek-gncc-2010

It sounds like Whib's has the bike damn close to sorted, the next race I think will be very very interesting.

[denill]

Race Report; Mid East XC, Antiock Speedway, Morganton NC.
Rider; Paul Whibley
Team; AmPro Yamaha
Bike; Yamaha WR 450
Result,1st

The sun was out and the soil was primed for racing. The venue was Antiock Speedway, Morganton in NC for a Mid East Harescramble.
A good start and I was following GNCC XC2 champ Kailub Russell for the first mile or so, then I took my turn leading when Kailub overshot a turn. We swapped positions a few times as we learnt the way over the 5 mile course. Near the end of the lap I took control although Kailub stuck right with me as we battled through lapped riders early in the second lap. With the track being so short and lap times just over 10 minutes the racing was intense but traffic was everywhere.

The track incorporated the woods around the edges of a working speedway and we got to drift around most of the oval and part of the infield. The track was a little faster in places than the normal tracks but was fun with some nice loamy sections down by the creek. I pulled a little lead in the middle of the 2 hour event and had time to come in for gas and get back out still in front. The constant stream of traffic made it hard work to build any lead.

Earlier in the week the team had a Kenda tire test and with armed with this knowledge of the product, I was able to choose what I felt was the perfect combo for the race.
Kaluib was riding good though and never let up, keeping the pressure on and me in his sights right to the end.
I took the win with a 15 second lead.

Paul Whibley is supported by:
Yamaha, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, Monster Energy, Ohlins, G2, CTi

[merv]

Good on Paul for winning.

[takitimu]

Kaluib is quick, so nice result for Paul, sounds like he's starting to gel better with the setup now. Hope it goes well for the next GNCC.

[denill]

Race Report: Southern Off Road Championship Series, Elberton, Georgia
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: AmPro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha WR 450
Result: 1st

The plan was to race a North Carolina race after the Mid East XC that I raced on Saturday. With storms predicted for the area, the North Carolina race for Sunday was canceled. So I had to head south to find some racing. Almost 2 hours south from our base near the AmPro Yamaha workshop was a SORCS event.

I had never competed in one of these events before. With some promising reports from people who had raced this series the plan was made, up early and make the 10am start. We were met at the track by Dennis, a friend of Randy Hawkins who helped out a lot over the coarse of the day with filling me in on how the event is run and refueling in the pit stop.

I holeshot the race and led the way around the roughly 8 mile track. I had left my soft Kenda tires on from the day before expecting rain but the track was dry and hard pack in a lot of section. The trail had a good mix of open woods and a several mile pine tree sections that required a lot of effort and concentration to go fast in. Another section was a ripped open style mx track that bermed up nicely and provide a viewing area for the spectators.

Several of the local riders kept the pace up and never let me get too far out front. After 5 laps the chequered flag came out, taking my second win of the weekend. A good couple of days racing and training ahead of the next GNCC in S.C.


Paul Whibley is supported by:
AmPro Yamaha, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, Monster Energy, Ohlins, G2, CTi, Moto SR, Vortex Ignitions.