GNCC Round 12 Race Report:  Ohio

Rider:  Zac Zakowski #990

Team:  Zakowski Motorsports

Race:  GNCC Round 12 – “Power Line Park” – St. Clairsville, Ohio

Results:  2^nd 4x4 Open / 15^th Overall

Menasha, WI:  This weekend Zakowski Motorsports and team rider Zac Zakowski were back at St. Clairesville, Ohio to try to get a repeat win from last year.  Zac looked and felt good going into the round with an all new suspension package and this track being his first career win last year.  Zac pulled a strong holeshot from the start and lead most the first lap only to fall victim to pre-mature shock fade.  While battling with the bike, Zac remained consistent to finish 2^nd in class and 15^th overall. 

Zac Zakowski:  I was really excited heading into Power Line Park this weekend as this was the track where I received my first career win last year.  We have spent the last 2-3weeks working on different shock packages to try to get that upper hand on the competition and things just felt good.  With the point’s battle for 2^nd place coming down to these last 2 races, things are getting interesting.

The 10-second call came sooner then I realized, as I was sitting on the inside gate-pick with my hand on the starter.  I had it in my head that I needed to get back to my holeshot ways of this 2010 season and into number 1 contention.  I pushed that starter hard; as I nudged by everyone into turn one, successfully collecting another holeshot.  That felt good as I went into the woods first knowing everyone was hot on my tale.

My game plan was simple for this race, get in front and go like I did in South Carolina this year.  Things were going good as I was running a smooth pace holding in energy.  Towards the end of the first lap I noticed that my shocks seemed to be kicking and feeling a little weird.  We went through a whooped-out field section and I thought I’d take a line to the left which turned out to be whoops the equivalent to the Baja 1000.  As I struggled to keep the bike from endowing, Buckhannon had slipped by on the inside corner.

While following Buckhannon, I noticed potentially large amounts of white smoke coming out of his exhaust.  I smiled to myself as I knew his engine was not going to last.  I watched as the smoke got worse and worse before black smoke and oil shot everywhere as the engine grenaded.  I regained the lead for most of the second lap with 2^nd close behind in my Ron Woods exhaust fumes.  We trucked on through the tight Ohio track.  Right before the finish Cecco had nudged by me.  I stayed hot on him trying to conserve energy.  I felt and knew that I could regain the lead, that is until I felt my shocks start going south.  With my shocks starting to go out, my confidence in the bike went along with it.  When your quad doesn’t act like you know it to, it’s hard to commit yourself to do what needs to be done.

I pushed hard and stayed with Cecco along with many riders of the 4x4 Limited class, including sponsored rider Andrew Langston who finished an awesome 2^nd in class.  Although I felt like I was staying consistent, my laps times proved that the suspension was getting the better of me as I was struggling to ride the bucking bull.  I stayed strong pushing myself to the end.

By the end of the day I held on for 2^nd place finish.  I feel that my finish was good for what we had going on.  Nothing will slow us down, I am still in 2^nd in points and I will give it my all to stay there.  I am 100% confident heading into Ironman in 2 weeks.  Get ready Ironman because we are coming!  This bike will be perfect for the final round I can assure you that.  See you there!!!!!

Thanks to the following supporters:  Can-Am/BRP, Countryside Auto Transport, Janssen Motorsports, Bopp Race Components, All Terrain Research, Tire-Balls, Rath Racing, Straightline Performance, Frogz Skins, OMF Wheels, Ricochet Skids, Ron Woods Racing,  Amsoil, Scott USA, Fasst Company, VP Fuels,Carbo-Rocket, STM Clutches, and Cycra.

Rider:  Zac Zakowski #990

Team:  Zakowski Motorsports

Race:  GNCC Round 10 – “Unadilla” – New Berlin, NY

Results:  2^nd 4x4 Open / 15^th Overall

Menasha, WI:  After a very long but relaxing summer break from the GNCC’s, Can-am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski came back more ready than ever to pick up where he left off.  Racing at the famous Unadilla National Motocross Track, Zakowski came home with a 2^nd place finish after leading for a large portion of the race and fighting hard for the number one spot.  Once the dust settled and the tether cords were pulled, Zac held onto a 15^th overall position.

Zac Zakowski:  Well, it’s been a little over two months since the last time I swung a leg over my quad for a GNCC course and needless to say, I couldn’t take it anymore!  I couldn’t wait to lay the hammer down once again on my Janssen Motorsports/Ron Woods Racing engine.  Coming fresh off our huge win at the 3^rd annual Heartland Challenge with fellow racers Scott Kilby and Kevin Tranthem, I could not wait to use what I learned at the Heartland Challenge in New York this weekend.

I felt so strange upon arrival at Unadilla, as I could barely remember what I used to do on race weekends.  After eating some yummy snicker bars, Tranthem, Kilby, and I headed out to walk the course.  Yep, just what I thought, jumps, jumps, and more jumps.  I knew this track was really going to test our Zakowski Motorsport differential braces on those landings.

I woke up to near perfect conditions, nice and cool, moist track, and nice sun.  After some stretches and breakfast I was off to the starting line.  This starting line looked as though it was going to be interesting as it was long and straight, over a hump, followed directly by an off-camber corner to the holeshot line.  Oh and did I mention that we were on the front row?

The ten-second call came and I felt my breathing slow, pupils dilate, and heart pound out of my chest.  The flag flew and I watched as everyone took off while I sat there with my bike refusing to start.  Then it took off with all four GBC Afterburn Tires churning out the horsepower the Can-am dished out.  Luckily I still managed to tuck into the woods in 3^rd after getting pelted in the mouth with mud.

We flew through the fast-paced New York woods before hitting the open MX track.  I knew I could make good time out on the track as I held it pinned around the sweeping curves, hitting the edge of burms, throwing roost, and clearing jumps so eloquently.  I dropped down into the “Gravity Cavity” and back up I went.  As soon as I crested the top I knew something really cool or really bad was about to happen as I was going way too fast.  I flew through the air with my eyes practically closed and everyone’s jaw dropping around me.  Then something strange happened, as I landed so softly it was like landing on pillows.  “Wow, was that fun”, I said to myself while promising to NOT do that again.

I was right on Cecco’s tail until he over-shot a corner while just hitting the chain-link fence barrier.  I cut down low overtaking 2^nd.  I then found myself running a very comfortable pace behind Buckhannon.  I settled into the groove behind him waiting for an opening.  The opening came on lap two when I noticed Buckhannon was beginning to slow.  He pulled over slightly almost to let me by and I knew something happened.  I was not about to take a chance though as I have been tricked by him before.  I made the pass and took off.  I looked back and he was nowhere so I knew something happened.

This was my chance!  For the next 2 laps I just pinned it, flowing effortlessly through the woods over all the tree roots as they appeared.  My Bopp Racing High Clearance A-Arms showed their stuff, as I was able to stay above the ruts.  I put around 35seconds over 2^nd place but then the lappers became relevant. This race seemed to have just endless amounts of traffic, by far the worst race for traffic to date.   I caught up to two freight trains of quads, about 15 racers deep, and knew this was going to take awhile.  I kept my pace steady but knew I was losing time between 2nd place and I.  Before I knew it, Cecco was right back behind me; I knew this was going to be one heck of a race to the end.

A huge battle ensued between the two of us as we swapped for the lead a dozen times.  I’d get caught behind a lapper and he would pass me, then he would get hung on a rut and I would pass him.  I have not had that much fun in awhile in a good-ole-fashioned battle.  We were just about to start our final lap and go by my pit.  At this point I was directly behind Cecco ready to take the paint off his bumper when I came over the crest of the hill and saw my pit-crew holding up a board saying to fuel. 

I knew that if I stayed on Cecco I would be able to regain the lead.  It wasn’t a questioning my mind; I just knew I would be able to do it.  I also knew that if I stopped to pit, it would greatly reduce the possibilities of taking the win.  After arguing with myself for a split second, I pulled in and got a splash of fuel and was on my way.  In those seconds in the pit I fell behind about 15 lappers.  I put my head down and charged as hard as I could to get passed them.

In the end I crossed the line in 2^nd after giving it my all to make it through traffic.  The race felt great, it just seemed to come down to pit strategy.  All in all, we learned a lot this race, both me as a racer and my pit crew/mechanics.  I really felt like we came away with the most knowledge to date.  Don’t expect us to have silly little issues in the final three rounds, as we are more ready than ever.  There will be some heavy mods to the bike after this race.  We are still holding onto 2^nd in points so lets keep rolling.  See you in Tennessee!!!

Thanks to the following supporters:  Can-Am/BRP, Countryside Auto Transport, Janssen Motorsports, Bopp Race Components, All Terrain Research, Tire-Balls, Rath Racing, Straightline Performance, Frogz Skins, OMF Wheels, Ricochet Skids, Ron Woods Racing,  Amsoil, Scott USA, Fasst Company, VP Fuels, and Cycra.

Zakowski Motorsports Takes Pro-Utility Win at 3^rd Annual Heartland Challenge

Zakowski Motorsports has done it!  In a true underdog story, Team Zakowski Motorsports/All Terrain Research has walked away with the Pro-Utility win at the 3^rd annual GBC Motorsports Heartland 10-Hour Challenge.  After soaring temperatures in the mid nineties and almost 100 percent humidity, the trio of GNCC championship chasers Zac Zakowski, Kevin Tranthem, and Scott Kilby sacrificed everything they had in order to pull off the win, finishing an amazing 36m: 26s ahead of 2 time Heartland Challenge champs.

The day started off decent with team head, Zac Zakowski, performing the le-mans style start and heading into the woods 3^rd.  After a mere mile or two Zakowski had overtaken the lead and continued to put some distance between him and 2^nd.  After falling victim to the intense heat and exhaustion, Zakowski stepped off the bike giving multi GNCC champ Scott Kilby his first go at it in an attempt to make up the little bit of time lost. Currently sitting in 2^nd place, Kilby laid down some smooth laps before handing the bike over to current 4x4 Lights points’ leader Kevin Tranthem.  After a few laps Kevin, who keep in mind is used to riding a Can-am Outlander 500Efi, had used the high Horse powered Janssen Motorsports/Can-am 800 engine to overtake 1^st place while hitting the 2-hour mark.

The riders tried to remain consistent while attempting to hold the bikes together for 10 hours.  Slightly after we regained the lead, Warnert Racing had run into belt problems giving Zakowski Motorsports a 5-minute cushion over 2^nd place.  The trio of Can-am backed privateers was sure to keep anyone from closing the gap between us.  The last thing we wanted was for them to catch us over the course of the next 8 hours.  The next five and a half hours Zakowski Motorsports did not let them gain any ground by consistently laying down quick times, putting a total of just under 8-minutes between us and second place.  “We knew that we could keep running faster then them but just had to stay smart.  In the meantime we hoped for a break between us and 2^nd place so that we could back it down a notch or two.” said Zakowski. 

Luckily hope came when radio confirmation came through that second place Team Warnert had gotten buried in a mud hole on lap 28, extending our lead to 2 laps and a little over a half hour.  With that in mind, Zakowski Motorsports riders finally got the break they were asking for as they set the bikes into cruise mode until the finish.  With the last session coming up and Scott Kilby throwing a leg over the bike, we all headed to the finish to watch as our dream unfolded.

 After the long day was said and done, Zakowski Motorsports in conjunction with All Terrain Research had come out on top.  The riders and everyone involved with Team Zakowski Motorsports/All Terrain Research were extremely happy.  Everyone has worked very hard for the past 2 weeks and it feels great to get the win. 

“I just can’t believe we did it!  We ran a smooth race and had the determination to make something happen.  We just went out there and did what we had to do. I’d just like to give a huge thanks to everyone at Zakowski Motorsports and All Terrain Research for making it all happen.  For our first attempt at this race I think we did fairly well and definitely will be back next year.”-Zac Zakowski 990

 Zac, Kevin, and I were pumped going into this race and new we had a shot at this thing.  Warnert has been on top of this race for a while and we really wanted to show that we could do it at a privateer level.  Big thanks to Zakowski Motorsports”-Scott Kilby

 “I think it is just great that we were able to pull it off without a problem.  We kept our heads on straight and fought through the pain.  The big check was nice too!  Just like to say thanks to All Terrain Research for believing in us.”-Kevin Tranthem

Zakowski Motorsports would like to thank the following.

Can-Am/BRP, Countryside Auto Transport, Janssen Motorsports, Bopp Race Components, All Terrain Research, Tire-Balls, Rath Racing, Straightline Performance, Frogz Skins, OMF Wheels, Ricochet Skids, Ron Woods Racing,  Amsoil, Scott USA, Fasst Company, VP Fuels, and Cycra..