GBC Motorsports racers on the west coast are in mid-season form as the Dirt Series and Quad X Series reach the halfway point of the 2017 season. GBC Motorsports is a proud supporter of these series and has traditionally been well-represented at some of Southern California’s most famous tracks.
Dirt Series – Round 4 at Competitive Edge
Looking back at Round 4 of the Dirt Series, GBC racers hit the track at Competitive Edge MX in Hesperia, CA looking to grab some valuable points. Alex Theudorou came into this round leading the ATV 450 Pro class and would take the first moto win, followed by Kory Ellis in 2nd place. Alex would end up crashing in the second moto, but managed to finish the race to take 4th overall to hang onto his class lead. Meanwhile, Ellis went on to win the second moto and the overall victory.
After missing Round 3, Joey Berg was back in action and made a statement with a 1-1 sweep in the ATV Pro-Am class. Travis Miranda added a class win with a pair of 2nd place moto finishes in the 450 Intermediate class, while Gary Bennett finished 2nd overall in the 450 Novice class for the second straight race. Jacob Peter added a 2nd place podium in the Mini Open 90 class, and Justin Luna went 3-3 to earn 3rd place overall in the ATV Open class.
Casey Sims finished 3rd in the UTV Open 800 class in Round 4, but bounced back with a victory at Glen Helen.
Troy Barker paved the way for GBC racers in the UTV classes. Barker picked up where he left off in Round 3, once again winning both motos and taking the UTV Unlimited class victory. Jacob Peter’s pair of second place finishes earned him the overall win in the UTV Open 800 class, while Casey Sims finished 3rd and Alyssa Herrera finished 4th.
Dirt Series – Round 5 at Glen Helen Raceway
The sun was and temperatures soared into the 90s out at Glen Helen Raceway in Devore, CA as the Dirt Series and Quad X Series collided for an epic Sunday of off-road ATV and UTV racing action. This marked the second round of the Quad X Series while the Dirt Series reached its halfway point with Round 5 at the world famous motocross track, just one week after hosting the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross National.
Round 5 at Glen Helen was fruitful for several GBC Motorsports supported racers, including GBC’s own Kory Ellis. Racing in the ATV 450 Pro class, Ellis battled with the race leader in moto 2 for the entire final lap, crossing the finish line 2nd in one of the more exciting finishes of the day. Thanks to a solid 2nd place finish in the first moto, Ellis took the overall win for the second consecutive round. After sustaining injuries at the previous Dirt Series round, 450 Pro class leader Alex Theudorou made the trip out to Glen Helen in an effort to earn some points. Fighting through the pain and discomfort, Theudorou rolled the high-flying Glen Helen track and stays within striking distance of the leader. He will have just over a month to continue healing before the next Dirt Series event.
Travis Miranda added a class win after finishing 3rd and 1st in the ATV 450 Intermediate class. This was Miranda’s second consecutive victory as well, moving him to within 3 points of the class leader. Joey Berg laid down a pair of third place motos on his way to a 3rd place overall finish, and holds a 30-point lead in the ATV 450 Pro-Am class. Hector Urias added a 3rd place podium finish in the 450 Vet 50+ class, while Jacob Peter found the podium as well with a 3rd place result in the Mini Open 90 class.
Nic Granlund enjoyed just about as much success as is possible during this race weekend. Granlund was on fire in his Dirt Series motos, winning the UTV Pro 1000 class in his Mongrel equipped RZR. Sierra Romo and Randy Romo finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, to give GBC Motorsports the UTV Pro 1000 sweep.
Nic Granlund was near perfect at Glen Helen, winning the UTV Pro 1000 and UTV Unlimited classes in both the Dirt Series and Quad X Series, and winning 7 out of 8 motos.
Granlund completed his perfect Dirt Series appearance with a pair of moto wins and the overall victory in the UTV Unlimited class. Larry Heidler proved he is enjoying his new Turbo, finishing 3-2 in the Unlimited class motos and joining Granlund on the podium in 2nd place overall.
Claudia Romo was having some mechanical difficulties with her car, but remained focused and pushed through to grab 2nd place in the UTV Production 1000 class. Casey Sims added a 1-1 sweep in the UTV Open 800 class, continuing his season-long streak of podium finishes. Jacob Peter finished 3rd in the Open 800 class, while Gavin Yogues added a 3rd place podium in the RZR 170 Stock Novice class.
Quad X Series – Round 2 at Glen Helen Raceway
Despite the heat out at Glen Helen Raceway, a handful of racers decided to take advantage of the combo race with the Quad X Series and compete in both. With a total of 40+ motos throughout the day, it was a test of endurance for riders participating in both series. Travis Miranda was perfect in the ATV 450 Intermediate class, giving him three total moto wins and two overall wins on the weekend. Fellow GBC Motorsports racer Craig Bennett grabbed a 4th place overall finish in the ATV 450 Pro class, finishing 4th in both motos. In the ATV 450 Novice class, Gary Bennett won the first moto and placed second in moto 2 to earn 2nd place overall on the day.
Nic Granlund was nearly perfect at Glen Helen, adding to his win total with the Quad X races. Granlund finished 2nd and 1st in the UTV Unlimited motos and claimed a pair of moto wins in the UTV Pro 1000 class,
#97w, Linkon Leaverton, and #86, Larry Heidler, prepare to do battle in the UTV Unlimited race.
bringing the tally to seven moto wins and four overall victories in one day. Randy and Sierra Romo again joined Granlund on the Pro 1000 podium, but this time it was Randy in the 2nd place position and Sierra in 3rd.
Claudia Romo added a 2nd place finish in the UTV Production 1000 class, a solid outing for the WORCS racer. Casey Sims was outstanding as well, finishing 1st in both motos to take the UTV Open 800 overall victory.
GBC Motorsports racers will now prepare for the next Dirt Series round, set for July 23rd at Sunrise MX in Adelanto, CA. The next round of the 2017 Quad X Series is slated for August 26th at Glen Helen Raceway. Learn more about GBC Motorsports ATV and UTV tires at www.GBCMotorsports.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
