There are few things more exciting than following your favorite racers as they take to the starting line week after week in a series like the GNCC or ATV MX National Championship.
Join us as we follow sponsored rider, Brycen Neal as he takes on each round of the 2022 GNCC. Hear from him directly about his experiences, see photos, and watch videos as Brycen progresses from round to round.
Round 1 - VP RACING FUELS BIG BUCK
Big Buck Farm, Union, South Carolina
February 19, 2022
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:Hey guys! Here's a little recap from this past week's GNCC Big Buck race in South Carolina. After 8 ½ months off from racing, we lined up this past weekend for the first time after recovering from ACL/Lateral meniscus surgery. The conditions were absolutely perfect, the track was fast, but very one-lined and tough to pass which is out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, we got a mid-pack start and started marching forward. We caught up to the front two leaders toward the end of the second lap and it was an all out battle from there! On the last lap we were able to overtake both positions and get into the lead with about a mile and a half to go. My brand new blacked out Barker's Exhaust system was singing through the entire race course and I was able to bring home the win! Words are beyond what I could describe I was feeling, but it was so awesome to grab the win at the first race back. My Barker's Exhaust performed flawlessly all day long. It’s been such a great addition to my program and I couldn’t be more proud than to bring home a win in our first race together. Looking forward to the next one in FL in 2 weeks!
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Round 2 - MOOSE RACING WILD BOAR
Hog Waller - Palatka, Florida
March 5, 2022
2nd Place - 25 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:Hey guys what’s going on? Round 2 of GNCC racing went absolutely great, I finished 2nd overall right behind 1st place after 2 hours of the toughest, roughest, and most physically demanding race on our schedule. I spent all winter training in OH and the warmest day got to 45 degrees. Down in FL, on race day it was in the 80s and it was hot, but we battled back and forth for the lead all day long and all the way down to the finish. We left with great points and results.
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Round 3 - THE SPECIALIZED GENERAL
Aonia Pass MX - Washington, GA
March 12, 2022
Results:
3rd Place - 21 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Round 3 in GA was super cold with high winds. The rain from the night before made for a very deep rutted and muddy race. It was crazy with all the position changes back and forth all day long. We were in each position from 1st-6th in the last 2 laps. The track broke down on the last lap and all hell broke loose with lines and passing. We were in 2nd with about a mile and a half to go, and Hunter Hart and myself got passed at the same time by Walker on a really good line he had. We tried everything in the last mile to get around Hunter, but it didn't happen. We ended the day in 3rd place.
I'm feeling great heading into round 4 in Union, SC. I’ve had good workouts and seat time, and we really like the track down there. With beautiful weather in the forecast it looks like it’s gonna be a fast pace, straight up race and we’re ready to roll!
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Round 4 - DUNLOP TIGER RUN
Big Buck Farm - Union, SC
March 26, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Hey y’all! This past weekend’s race went absolutely awesome. We were able to grab a good start and make quick passes. Not before long, it became a private battle yet again between Walker and I for the race win.
At the end of lap 2 I was able to make the pass, I put my head down and started to ride really hard to try and create a gap. He pitted the very next lap (we both had to pit twice this race due to the length of the race and our fuel mileage), and I kept going to try and increase the gap. I was able to have an awesome lap and gain about 10-15sec of cushion to pit the next lap and remain in the lead.
From there I got the white flag and had to maintain that distance of 10-15sec, navigate a very rough track, and multiple lapped riders as well. I was able to keep racing hard all the way to the finish and maintain the gap and grab the W! My second of the season, and now we are separated by 4 points in the championship! Ready for the next one!
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Round 5 - FMF RACING CAMP COKER BULLET
Moree's Sportsman's Preserve - Society Hill, SC
April 9, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Hello to my Barkers family, we had a great showing at the previous GNCC round 5 at camp Coker in Society Hill, South Carolina! We got pin-balled off the start and didn’t go into the woods anywhere near where we wanted to be. But by the end of the lap we had passed our way up to 4th place on the heels of the next two positions in front!
We were able to pass both before we left the motocross track and I got a couple pit boards saying that Walker was +30sec ahead. I put my head down and charged as hard as I could the next lap and was able to close that gap by the end of the lap to a few seconds. We caught up to the rear wheels of Fowler and would continue to follow throughout the next couple laps.
On the final lap we both had to make a splash for gas, I was able to make the pass on him during the pit stop! After leading for a couple miles, he made a good pass and got me back at the end of the moto.
Throughout the rest of the final lap I was stalking him as tightly as I could trying to make the pass at every opportunity. With about 2 miles to go I was able to make the pass when we took a split line and then I put my head down and sprinted until the end of the race to take my 3rd win of the season and take back control of the points lead!
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Round 6 - HOOSIER
Ironman Raceway - Crawfordsville, IN
May 7, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
What’s up my Barkers Family? This past weekend of GNCC racing treated us great! We were able to grab the win and make it 3 in a row!
Driving out to the track on Friday it didn’t look very good for racing at all, water was sitting in the corn fields and the ground was saturated. I put on my mud boots and walked the track and got a look and thought to myself if it doesn’t rain anymore and the sun comes out it could get really good! I did my rain dance and it paid off!
The next day it amazed everyone how much things dried up. There was deep ruts and creek crossings scattered across the track, but the top of ridges and fields dried out perfect. We got a top 6 start and quickly got to second place behind Fowler. On lap 2 I made the pass and started putting down a good pace. At the end of lap 4, I had a 18 second gap and on the last lap Walker made a mistake and I was able to win by 46 seconds! The next race is in my backyard in Athens OH, so we’re gonna try our best to make it 4 in a row!
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Round 7 - THE WISECO JOHN PENTON
Sunday Creek Raceway - Millfield, OH
May 21, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Round 7 of the GNCC championship came as close to my home as it gets! The Penton is only an hour away from my house and it’s also the race that took me out of the championship last year with an injury. So this year I really wanted to grab the W and conquer the place for last years injury. We got off to a top 5 start and it was a bit tough to pass on a one lined race track, but we marched our way forward and was able to get to the rear wheels of Fowler at the half way point of the race. We battled for a lap and a half until he broke a chain just before the white flag! From there we stayed smooth and rode it in for the win and made it 4 wins in a row!
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Round 8 - PARTS UNLIMITED MASON-DIXON
Matthews Farm - Mount Morris, PA
June 4, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
I’ve never done that great at the Mason Dixon race track in the past, it had always fought me hard and I always left the place feeling like it got the better of me. But this time we was able to come out on top and grab another win making it 5 in a row! The track was absolutely amazing and I was having a blast out there. Walker and I had a back and forth battle going all day long, on the last lap he spun out in a corner and caught traction and flipped the bike. So from there I sprinted to make a gap and held it until the finish!
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Round 10 - THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATV/MC MOUNTAINEER
Summit Bechtel Reserve - Beckley, WV
September 10, 2022
Results:
3rd Place - 21 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Hey everyone! Long time no talk! I’ve been enjoying a bit of summer and mostly working toward the end of the season championship. Round 10 of GNCC racing did not go as planned for us. We worked our butts off this summer and made big strides of improvement with the machine and it rained all day long at this one. We got off to a slow start and tried to make passes quickly but the track was not good with multiple passing lines. I found myself in 4th place at the halfway mark after the pit stop with my championship competitor out in front getting away. The rain continued to fall a bit harder and the track got slicker the last couple laps. I ended the day in 3rd place and was super disappointed with not being able to showcase the package I worked hard on all summer. The next race is this weekend in our backyard in Athens, OH. We’re ready for redemption!
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Round 11 - KANATI TIRES BURR OAK
Sunday Creek Raceway - Millfield, OH
September 24, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Hey Barkers family! Writing to you on the Thursday before this weekends big race. Our last race 2 weekends ago in southern Ohio treated us great. We grabbed a great start and quickly got into the lead and held the lead all day long to the finish and brought home the win! The conditions were absolutely perfect and my Barker's Exhaust was singing loudly and proudly all day long! 2 more races to go now, time to focus up and try out best to close out this championship!
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Round 12 - AMSOIL BUCKWHEAT 100
CJ Raceway - Newburg, WV
October 8, 2022
Results:
1st Place - 30 Points - XC1 Pro - ATV
Brycen Comments:
Hello, Barker's racing family! This past weekends race in WV at the Buckwheat 100 GNCC went absolutely awesome. The track and conditions were amazing, we jumped out to a fair start and started picking our way to the front of the pack. We got to the rear wheels of Fowler towards the end of lap 2 and started applying pressure.
I went for a pass in a line that I had taken the lap before but a log had got kicked out just right and it caught my a-arm and wrecked me! I picked myself back up in 5th place and started charging forward. With only 2 laps to go and a tight track for passing I was stressing real bad about my position. I put my head down and started marching forward!
I made a couple passes right before the white flag. I went into the last lap in 3rd place behind Hart and Fowler who was starting to get away. I passed Hart right before the 5 mile marker and had a 10+ sec gap to reach Fowler with only half a lap to the finish. I charged hard and caught him just before the last big field section on the track at the 10 mile marker and it took me the entire field to inch my way to his rear wheels.
With 2 corners to go before the end of the field section I set up an outside inside pass and shot out of the corner with everything I had with that Barker's Exhaust just a singing! We touched tires and I edged him out going into the next corner and he ran into me from the inside and we came together to almost a complete stop. But I had the lead and was able to march forward in the closing minutes and hold out to capture my 8th win of the season and put myself one race away from closing out this championship chase. We have a gap going into the last race of the year at the Ironman! One more to go, let’s go!
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Round 13 - YAMAHA RACING IRONMAN
Ironman Raceway - Crawfordsville, IN
October 22, 2022
Results:
2022 XC1 Pro GNCC National Champion
Brycen Comments:
Hello, Barkers family! We headed into the final round of GNCC racing at Ironman Raceway with a 12 point lead looking to close out the championship. It was the driest Ironman race we’ve had in over a decade, powdered silt berms everywhere in the corn fields and woods and the dust covered the woods like huge forest fire smog. We had a big time error on the start and went into the woods worse than mid pack. I tried to keep my cool and just focused on being safe and picking people off one by one, I marched my way forward through the pack and got into 3rd position.
I settled in as I needed a 4th place or better to secure the championship and I was focused on doing what I needed to do to close this thing out. It was the most stressful and nerve racking race of my life, I was micro managing the entire race and every right tree section and rocky creek crossing I was giving myself just that little extra second to get through it all smoothly. The last lap was the longest lap of my life, I counted down the mile markers and just kept trying to ride smooth! We crossed the finish and claimed the 2022 XC1 Pro GNCC National Championship!
I’ve worked a life time to get to this point, my father and I have gave it our all to try and accomplish our dream. I would like to give the biggest thank you to the Barker's Family. They provided with me with nothing less then a grade A fast, durable and high quality exhaust system to tackle this season's GNCC schedule each and every round. I’m so proud to win this title for us and to bring it home and make all the hard work and sacrifices worth it for everyone involved in this program. The love and support was overwhelming, thank you guys!
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