Barnes and McGhee Power Through Adversity at the Camp Coker GNCC

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Updated: April 25, 2017

photos by Ken Hill

Barnes shot off the line to capture a substantial holeshot

Following a one-month break since its season opener, the 2017 Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series UTV Championship resumed on Saturday with Round 2 of racing in Society Hill, South Carolina. John Barnes and co-pilot Philip McGhee Jr. finished with an impressive 15^th place position in the XC1 Pro UTV class after racing four brutal laps without any brakes.

Barnes and McGhee quickly powered their Polaris RZR S 1000 off the start to capture the holeshot and lead their row into the woods. Barnes settled into a good pace on the opening lap and was running really well until he noticed that his brakes were completely gone.

Despite the outcome, Barnes is confident in the team’s ability to finish up front and he is positive about the progress being made alongside his Factory Polaris Team.

The motocross track added an interesting element to the racing.

“We have put in countless hours testing and developing this program and we’re going to continue working hard between races. Our Factory Polaris Team had each of its sponsors represented very well in our display over the weekend and we are very pleased with the level of support and great products from our sponsors.”

“From that point on, I had to learn a whole new method of racing,” Barnes said. “Basically our new stopping method was to swerve to the left and then swerve to the right and back to the left again in order to slow down. We eventually mastered that technique and used it for the next four laps.”

Barnes and McGhee put their heads down and continued to push ahead as they battled for a top-ten position for a majority of the race. However, as a result of the extreme measures taken to slow the machine down, the duo encountered a bearing carrier fail on the final lap that ultimately ended their day before reaching the checkered flag.

The team would like to extend a big thanks to its sponsors for the 2017 season: Factory Polaris, STI Tire & Wheel/Roctane HD tires, OMF, Elka Suspension, Super ATV, CP Carillo, Millennium Technologies, IMS, Ballistic Battery, Trinity Racing Exhaust, Hot Cams, Team RZR, RZR Extreme, Alba Racing, Yokley Racing, Alpinestars, Maxwell Industries, Monster Army, VP Racing Fuels, Dragon Alliance, America’s Motorsports, One Stop Design and Machine and Slick Products.

Camp Coker GNCC
Society Hill, South Carolina
Saturday, April 22, 2017

XC1 Pro UTV Results