ITP Racers Win Seven Classes at John Penton GNCC

“Despite some dry, dusty conditions in Ohio, our GNCC racing team had a great weekend with seven wins and 16 podiums,” said Pat McGuire, Public Relations / Race Support. “It was good to have several racers, from youth competitors to our GNCC veterans to UTV Pros, stand on the podium displaying not only their own high level of skill, but also the versatility and performance of ITP tires.”

JOHN PENTON GNCC 
The 26th annual Wiseco John Penton GNCC, held in Millfield, Ohio, hosted round eight of the ATV series and round four of the UTV series. Sixty-eight SxS racers competed at the John Penton, with 31 entering the Pro ranks. Team ITP drivers earned second and third on both the overall and XC1 Pro UTV class podiums.

Mouse Pratt earned his first trip to the podium with a strong second-place finish in his No. 7 Jack’s Racing / Can-Am Maverick. However, it was his third straight top-five finish and he currently sits third in the class points race with two rounds remaining. Tim Farr (JB Racing / Houser Racing / Can-Am) also put his ITP-clad Maverick on the box, earning his second-consecutive third-place finish. The former multi-time ATV racing champion is seventh in the standings. Farr’s teammate and fellow ITP-backed racer Larry Hendershot Jr., took fourth, and is in second place in the points chase.

ITP racers tallied seven wins and 14 podiums in ATV action. Media All Stars / ITP racer Mark Batson had his best performance of the season, winning the Senior A/B (38+) class aboard his Yamaha outfitted with ITP Holeshot GNCC fronts and QuadCross XC rears. Batson, now with four wins (a class high) on the year and six straight podiums has climbed to third in the class standings. Another afternoon competitor earned a win in Ohio, as Junior A (22+) class racer Steven Covert put his ITP-shod in the winner’s circle. His second win of the year has pushed him into the class points lead heading into round nine.

Three other afternoon racers earned podiums for Team ITP. College A (16-21) racer Kristian Meyer, currently second in the class in points, took third in Ohio. Brayden Shick also notched a third-place finish in the College B (16-21) ranks. With a second place finish, Dale Batson garnered his first podium of the season, in four attempts, in the Vet B (30+) class.

ITP racers had a good showing in the 10 a.m. session, earning three wins and five podiums in all. Angel Knox (No. 728 Honda) kept up her winning ways, earning the WXC class win for the third straight race in her effort to repeat as class champion. Defending Super Senior 45+ champion Dave Simmons posted his eighth consecutive win of 2015 to extend his points lead to 38 points and inch that much closer to a repeat championship. The third class victory went to Schoolboy Jr. (13-15) class racer Cameron Abee, who now has a class-high three wins and sits third in the class standings. Tanner Talbott, who leads the class in points, took third in Ohio. Rich Little III, also earned a podium finish for ITP in the 4×4 C class, taking second.

The Youth session also saw success for ITP racers, as Jordan Digby (125 Sr. 12-15) and Damien Hawkins (90 Limited 8-12) each won their class. Digby is second in points in his class, while Hawkins, who has six wins, sits atop his class standings. Parker Henderson took second place in the 90 (8-12) class and Keaton Henderson was third in the 125 Jr. (8-11) class.

SCORE BAJA 500
The prestigious SCORE International Baja 500, viewed as one of the toughest races of the year and a tune-up for the more-demanding and longer Baja 1000, was held this past weekend in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The No. 1917 Can-Am / ITP / Murray Racing Maverick MAX SxS, piloted by brothers Derek and Jason Murray, finished second overall in Class 19 using 30-inch ITP UltraCross R Spec tires. The Murrays completed the 500-mile course in 14:38:50 to earn a coveted podium spot.

ITP had three teams in the Class 19 top 10, as the team of Marc Behnke and Derek McCaughy were eighth and the squad of Cody Nygren, Ashton Hemphill and Dan Fisher finished 10th. Twenty-three UTVs competed in the class, and only 11 finished.

About ITP

In business for more than 30 years, ITP has become the world’s #1 ATV/UTV aftermarket tire and wheel source. ITP utilizes its experienced staff of engineers, designers and technicians at its two American tire facilities in Clinton, Tenn., and Jackson, Tenn., to develop award-winning tire-and-wheel designs for virtually all ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. Numerous outlets distribute ITP tires across the United States and in more than 25 countries worldwide. For a full-color ITP catalog, call toll-free: 1-800-889-7367. www.itptires.com