Polaris/Coastal/CST/National Guard/Yoshimura/Yokley Racing Captures Two Podium Finishes at Big Buck GNCC

By John Pellan
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Updated: April 14, 2014

photos by Ken Hill

William Yokley

Polaris/Coastal/CST/National Guard/Yoshimura/Yokley Racing Team driver William Yokley put in a stellar performance at Saturday’s Big Buck GNCC in Union, S.C. where he captured his first overall victory of the season. Yokley was joined on the podium by team driver Scott Kiger, who finished an impressive third overall at Round 2 of the 2014 AMSOIL GNCC Side-by-Side championship.

Heading into Big Buck with tenth place in points, William, alongside his passenger, and wife, Tina, was placed on the second row for the start. With a fifth place finish at the opener, Kiger and his passenger Tyler King started on the first row; approximately 30 seconds ahead of Yokley and the others on row two.

Starting from the second row can be more challenging early on because of limited passing opportunities but Yokley’s Polaris Team RZR 900 fired up right away and the team began to charge through the pack. It only took two laps for William to put himself into the lead on time adjustment, but it wasn’t an easy maneuver with the tight track conditions and a stiff field of competition.

“It was tough to pass, I had to use my car a little to stay right there!” Yokley laughed. “It was so fast and so tight in places but we were able to capitalize some things and make lines through the pack.”

Kiger put his Polaris RZR XP 1000 up front early on, where he battled for the physical lead. Once Kiger got into the physical lead, it was all about the battle for time against his teammate Yokley, who was continuously gaining.

“It was a great track, it was fast and it got a little dusty towards the end there,” Kiger said. “But we just tried to fight our way around the lappers and we were lucky enough to stay up there and battle for the physical lead.”

William put in a hard fought race to capture the overall victory in South Carolina, where he now holds the XC1 Modified points lead heading into Round 3 of the SxS championship.

“The GNCC crew put on a great track as always and we just had to be patient all day,” Yokley added. “The National Guard Coastal Polaris handled great like always and the Yoshimura motor and Walker Evans suspension just soaked everything up out there. Just all of our great sponsors, I can’t thank them enough. It’s a group effort and I do just a small portion so without them this wouldn’t be possible.”

While Kiger physically crossed the finish line first, the Coastal National Guard Polaris finished third place after time adjustment.

Kiger added, “We were first physically through the line but William fought hard from the second row. When I looked back and saw him less than 30 seconds back, I knew we were in trouble, but it was a great day. I couldn’t ask for a better car and with only two races on it, I couldn’t ask for it to perform any better.”

After two rounds, Kiger holds third place in the XC1 Modified championship standings with two top five finishes behind him. He also looks forward to more testing opportunities with the RZR 1000, as it made its GNCC debut this season.

The GNCC Series broadcast Saturday’s Side-by-Side race live in its entirety on the Internet. The archived show can be viewed on RacerTV.com or by clicking HERE.

The GNCC Side-by-Side Series will resume on May 24 with the Mountaineer Run GNCC in Masontown, W.Va. For a complete listing of results and point standings, visit www.gnccracing.com or click HERE.

Yokley Side-by-Side Racing Team Sponsors:
Polaris Industries, Coastal Racing, CST, Army National Guard, Yoshimura, Holz Racing Products, OMF, Walker Evans, Fluidyne, Beard Seats, Tireballs, SustainU, Hot Cams and Big Country Powersports.

XC1 Modified Results: