2015 Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC)

UTVs were first introduced into the Grand National Cross Country Series (GNCC) at the final round in 2007. The infamous GNCC series pits record numbers of motorcycles, ATV’s and now UTV’s against not only each-other, but also incredibly varied terrain. GNCC racing consists of hills, mud, woods, dirt, rocks and even motocross sections testing both survival and speed. Our good friend Dana Creech won that inaugural UTV “woods” race at the Klotz Ironman in Crawfordsville, IN. Dana mentioned that there were close to twenty UTV entries at that first race, and it was his ever important co-pilot Chris Bithel that lead him around the bottlenecks and traffic jams to victory. As Dana knew then, and many others quickly figured out, knowing the course ahead of time can be a huge advantage. Bithel is a top ATV racer that had just previously raced the course and seen what lines would develop and work out. The UTV segment of GNCC has grown rapidly, but there is still a considerable amount of success coming from ATV racers who are on course earlier in the day. Speaking of growth, 2008 saw a record 71 UTV entries for a single event, the 2014 Ironman had 88 total cars and GNCC had a total of 119 different UTV teams entered throughout 2014.

THE RACE

The GNCC UTV race is a 1-hour long moto starting at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. There is a 30-45 minute single seat UTV race following the youth ATV race as well. UTV competitors both driver and passenger must be at least 18 years old at the time of event. Single seat competitors must be at least 16. UTV Teams register as a team consisting of driver and passenger. Driver must drive all races, but the passenger may be changed between individual events. Registration is from 2-3 pm on the day of the race. UTV must use a OEM motor and matching frame combination. Frame geometry must remain as designed by the OEM. UTV’s are limited to 64” width with a one inch variance. Drivers meeting is conducted on start line previous to start and all competitors are required to be present. Race start is dead engine, with Official throwing green flag to signal each rows start. Each row consists of 5-6 units and will start approximately every thirty seconds.

COST

Race entry for a UTV class is $60 and $40 for the shorter single seat SS race. Transponders can be purchased for $65 or rented for $10 per event. Weekend pit passes are $20 for adults (12+), $10 for Kids (6-11) and 5 and under are free. Camping at most GNCC events is free for racers and their families.