Jason Weigandt

Late in the race, Bill Ballance?s Ironman jinx was about to strike again. The defending ATVA Grand National Cross Country Champion was running strong all day in Indiana, but when he and Chris Borich got stuck in a mudhole on the last lap, William Yokley and Chad DuVall sped past.

Borich Beats the Thumpers

Yokley Finally in Kentucky

Borich Gets Revenge on Wisp Mountain

No event on the 2003 ATVA Grand National Cross Country Series tour offers more ups and downs than the MSR Wisp GNCC at Deep Creek Mountain Resort. Not only do the ski slope trails offer climbs and descents like no other, Chris Borich experienced a big high to match his awful low here last year. After breaking his arm in a crash at Wisp in 2002, the Pennsylvanian came roaring back to win this year?s race.

Every round of the 2003 ATVA Grand National Cross Country tour features rugged terrain, so chances are high that even the best riders will have a bad race sometime during the series. But not three-time and defending champion Bill Ballance. The Kentucky rider is so much faster than his competition that he can afford to take his time getting through the bad spots. So while the competition is pulling their machines from the muck, Billy is pulling away.

Rain has been a constant on the 2003 ATVA Grand National Cross Country tour, and when the skies opened up at the start of round seven of the series, the Wiseco John Penton GNCC in Ohio, the riders knew they were in for another tough one.

Ballance Rocks at Rausch Creek

Ballance Dominates at Loretta Lynn?s