Can-Am Warnert Racing’s Bryan Buckhannon Wins 4x4 Open Championship
Warnert Racing Sweeps all Four 2009 GNCC Utility ATV Classes; Michael Swift concludes with a perfect season
Chris Bithell
There was plenty of mud on hand for the morning rounds as racers took to the starting line. The slick conditions created bottlenecks and plenty of carnage on the infamous hill climbs of the Crawfordsville, IN track but 4x4 Open class racer Bryan Buckhannon managed to avoid most of the mess as he raced for his second consecutive 4x4 Open championship. Our class was the first to go so I was lucky and was able to avoid a lot of traffic and bottlenecks until later in the race when I had built up a decent lead, said Buckhannon.
Buckhannon rode a flawless race, taking the overall win with an impressive time of 02:04:26 and clenching the 4x4 Open Championship. Ive had a great season despite being injured earlier in the year. Can-Am and Warnert Racing has done an awesome job for me all season long and I really have to thank them for all of their support and I am looking forward to another successful season with them next year, said Buckhannon, whose championship marks the fourth championship of the season for the Warnert Racing team.
4x4 Limited class champion Michael Swift, who claimed the title early at round nine achieved what few racers can claim in the GNCC series: a perfect season. It feels really good to have accomplished that goal. I was getting a little nervous for this round, but I pulled it off, said Swift with a sigh of relief.
Cliff Beasley went on to take his 12th win of the season in the 4x4 Lites class after wrapping up the championship at round ten, and Rick Cecco, who took the U2 championship at round eleven, claimed third at the final round with a time of 02:11:56.
In the Pro ranks, Chris Bithell put on an amazing charge to land a fourth place finish. Despite a slow start, Bithell kept his cool and rode a blistering pace to go from fifteenth to fifth place in just one lap. Bithell would hold down the number five spot until the final lap when he would press even harder to take over fourth place before crossing the finish line.
The Can-Am Warnert racing team has had a very successful season with its riders dominating the morning classes and taking championships in the 4x4 Open, 4x4 Limited, 4x4 Lites, and U2 classes. The Warnert team will be training hard over the off season in order to maintain its championship status and again dominate in the 2010 GNCC season.
