Subject: Team Am-Pro Yamaha Race Report

Hi everyone,
 
Well another weekend at the races has past and we have yet another great story for you. Our guys are building their steam and keep improving on their set-ups both on and off the bike to keep progressing from week to week.

This weeks GNCC round was in the team stomping grounds about 60 miles south of the team headquarters in Union South Carolina. 
 
Barry Hawk's day didn't start on the right foot, he had a good jump but had another rider come in from the inside and bump him and he fell in the first turn. When he remounted in last place he was on a mission to reach the front and he did mount an incredible charge. By the end of the first lap he had passed up to 4th place!! He then made it into third shortly after the completetion of lap 1, but then it got tough for him to make up any ground. He was only 20 seconds behind the leaders (Mullins and Knight) but just couldn't seem to make it up. "I kept getting the pitboard from my mechanic and it always said i was down 20 seconds! I was having a really tough time with lapped traffic and just when I would make up a few seconds, I would lose them right back trying to get around someone." He continued trying but just couldn't seem to make up the time and when the two lap board came out he knew he had nothing to lose and decided to go for broke, but the result was making a few mistakes and falling losing even more time. In the end he finished a strong 3rd place about 50 seconds behind the leader. "It was a really boring race for me, I rode by myself from the second lap on." He had another good finish and is only 14 points out of the championship lead.
 
Charlie Mullins came off the line like a bullet from a gun and rounded the first turn with the holeshot. He looked strong and smooth and lead the first two laps with a little cushion on Knight in 2nd. "On the third lap I was feeling strong and confident but I came up on a lapped rider and he and I tangled up and I went down, when I got up and going again Knight was right on me." From there he couldn't shake Knight and they jockied back and forth until the last lap. He was leading at the start of the last lap and looked as if he was going to keep Knight at bay and come away with a GNCC victory but more trouble with a lapped rider foiled his plan. He again came together with a lapped rider and went down. He rebounded as quickly as he could but was unable to make a pass on Knight before the finish. "It was a frustrating day, I fell 4 times due to lapped traffic, but that is the way it goes sometimes, I felt strong all day and am happy to be on the podium."  His finish moved him closer to the lead in the championship and sits a mere 10 points down.
 
Thad Duvall  our XC 2 pro lites rider again was blazing fast and rounded the first turn in second. A few mistakes before they dipped into the woods dropped him to 4th, but that didn't last long as he quickly moved back into the lead and was leading at the end of the 1st lap, with Rodney Smith hot on his heels. At the start of the 2nd lap Rodney passed him, but that didn't last long and Thad decided to go for it. He moved back into the lead and proceeded to pull a 30 second gap on the field by the end of the 2nd lap. The next lap didn't go as planned and he took a bad line in a mudhole and got stuck. By the time he got going again, he was 30 seconds back from the lead pack. That was short lived and he again caught the pack and moved back into the lead!!! Then with two laps to go and still blazing, he hit a tree and knocked his banjo bolt loose on his front brake system resulting in a loss of brakes. He came into the pits and got it repaired as quickly as possible, but he lost over 5 minutes in the process, ending is bid on a victory. Thad kept charging all the way to the finish and wound up in the end finishing 8th in class and 24th overall. Not too bad considering he lost that amount of time in the pits. He was disappointed with the end result but knows barring any complications he has the speed to run with the leaders.
 
Points Standings
 
Charlie Mullins-3rd overall (10 points out of lead)
 
Barry Hawk-4th overall (14 points out of lead)
 
Thad Duvall-6th XC2 class (14th overall)

We all appreciate all of our fans and sponsors continued help and support, hope to see you at the races.

Jason Raines
Team Am-Pro Yamaha