Racing a GNCC on a Quad or Bike? | We Did Both! 1

Sometimes, you must pinch yourself and ask, "Is this really happening?" Such was the case recently when Yamaha Motor USA had a few moto journalists out for the 2025 Yamaha YZ250FX and Ironman GNCC. Being presented with the opportunity to ride brand-new dirt bikes in cool environments with others who work in the industry, most of whom are old friends, is something not to be taken for granted.

The weekend started on Friday with the intro of the '25 YZ250FX at a private facility owned by Eric Terrel outside of Indianapolis. Eric owns O2 Blast and supports the AmPro Yamaha GNCC team. His property has a fun single-track course, large turn track, and small EnduroCross section, which gave us everything we needed to put the new Yamaha to the test.

I spent about an hour and a half on the bike running through the course, which featured tight sections, small hill climbs, a creek jump, and some wide-open areas on the turn track. I even took my first shot at one of those big tractor-tire jumps. By the end of the afternoon, I was very excited to race the bike on Sunday at Ironman.

Yamaha scheduled the intro for the same weekend as the final round of the GNCC championship at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and allowed the journalists who wanted to race the new YZ250FX to do so. The bike was impressive, and I knew it would be fun on the demanding Ironman course.

We are posting a more in-depth review of the bike on the Vital MX YouTube channel, but the '25 250FX is all new. It utilizes the bilateral beam frame from the '24 YZ250F with a wide-ratio six-speed transmission, KYB SSS forks, KYB rear shock, 2.1-gallon fuel tank, redesigned air box, and numerous other updates that make it an off-road weapon. The new frame design and 10mm lowered suspension make it slimmer with a lower center of gravity, and it's more agile, which was noticeable in the tight confines of the facility. My excitement for Sunday was high.

Friday evening, Yamaha scheduled a dinner for the journalists, photographers, and videographers along with two of their ambassadors, Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw. Sitting around, listening to stories, and trash-talking over good food and a few drinks is enough to make one's day. Neither Ryan nor Damon had raced a GNCC or knew what to expect with the upcoming races, so we watched videos of Ironman Hill and Howard's Hole from the Snowshoe event. Outwardly, confidence was high with RV and the Beast from the East, but they were clearly nervous. At least, that's the story I'm telling.

Weeks before the event, I was asked if I'd like to race a quad on Saturday in a team race with Ryan and Damon, and, of course, I said, "Yes." I'd never ridden a race quad in my life, but there was no way in life I was saying no to being on a team with those two.

At dinner, there were a lot of comments, such as, "We're here to win, so don't f*%k this up, Darkside." Clearly, they thought I was the weak link, but I kept saying, "Maybe quads are my calling." They had never ridden a full-blown race quad either, and I resented their assumptions that I would suck. Villopoto and Bradshaw also told me I better not back out and quit. Hello, I'm not the one who quit MXGP. How about you don't loop it out on the start, Ryan. No matter what happened, it would be a great story and fun.

Saturday morning arrived, and we met Johnny Gallagher, an accomplished ATV rider and our fourth team member. He showed us his Yamaha YFZ450R that we would be racing and gave us some tips, including, "Don't put your foot down if you feel off balance" (It will get run over by the rear wheels) and, "If it flips, try and get away from it." Great!

We decided RV would start, Damon would go second, I would follow, and hopefully, Johnny would make up for RV and Damon's lack of ability. Our nerves were showing through the amount of shit-talking we were doing. None of us were as confident as we were portraying. We went down for the start, which is a dead engine start in GNCC racing, but RV never killed the engine. He claimed he didn't know it was a dead engine start, but I'm dubious. Either way, he still didn't get the holeshot even with it running. He did come out around third, which I guess is acceptable.

The team race was added within the Industry Class and GNCC's website does not have a lap time break down for each of us, but Ryan did the lap in just over 30 minutes as I recall. Damon followed up with a lap that was a couple of minutes faster than Ryan. As I saw Bradshaw approaching the spot where we switched riders, I tried to settle my nerves and raise my confidence. How difficult could this be?

It was my turn, and I took off winding through the moto track and getting a feel for the ¼ turn twist throttle (No thumb throttle, thankfully), how it turned, and the power delivery. Trying to weigh the outside of the machine in a turn is extremely awkward. As a dirt bike rider, you tend to want to lean into the corner, but that does not work on a quad.

I realized quickly how much of a beating a quad is on the body. They have about 8" of travel, but it felt like 2". Every bump was brutal, and they are not designed for someone over 6' tall. My back screamed at me, and I had horrible arm pump within the first ten minutes and knew it would be a long lap. I was glad there was only one.

Pretty early into the lap, I stalled it in a spot where the trees funneled into a space wide enough for one quad, but I realized I couldn't find the start button. I was in full panic as other riders were stuck behind me and screaming for me to go. In what felt like a full 60 seconds, I finally found the button on the left side, fired it up, and took off. 

The rest of the lap was fairly uneventful as far as traumatic issues were concerned. Climbing the hills was pretty intense on four wheels. I could just see myself stalling it and rolling backward to the bottom. There were a lot of gnarly areas, including dry creek beds, silt, and part of the moto track that had me telling myself, "Never again." I found the tighter sections the most difficult because I wanted to turn the handlebars to fit between trees and turns when I should have been sliding the rear around. It takes a different skill set, for sure.

I had a few moments where it looked like I knew what I was doing, and I'm content with that. At least once, I got the thing up into the upper part of the power band, and I never hit a tree or flipped it over. That's a win. When my lap ended, I handed it off to Johnny Gallagher, and I stood trying to straighten my back out and relieve the arm pump while my team and I discussed how impressed we were with the guys who could ride them fast. I now have an all-new respect for how badass those dudes are.

I was asked numerous times if I had fun on the weekend, and I honestly couldn't answer that. A few days later, I look back and am thankful I took the opportunity, and it was a positive experience. Would I do it again? Yes, I would. 

Sunday is for two wheels in GNCC racing, and we arrived at the course in the morning to prepare for our 10 a.m. race on the YZ250FX. Randy Hawkins' AmPro Yamaha team was hosting all the journalists for the day, so we all hung out at the rig and started getting our gear on, filling our hydration packs, and talking about the upcoming two-hour race. Yamaha helped me reset my sag, and then we all headed down to the start area.

If you've never experienced a GNCC start, you must change that soon. There were 731 bikes, riders, and thousands of spectators, all on the start grid leading up to the start of the race. It's absolutely wild to witness and be a part of. After the National Anthem, the announcer begins letting each class row take off after the customary "Tennnnnnnn seconds" call. It's dead silence, the green flag is thrown, and the racers start their bikes and take off in a roar for lap one. I was in row ten, so I tried patiently waiting as my heart rate climbed with each dead engine start.

I have yet to master these dead engine starts and had high hopes for this time. The bike started right away, but my overexcitement caused me to forget I was in neutral. So, I dumped the clutch and just sat there. I put it in gear, took off, passed a few people in the first turn, and worked up a bit as we went through the corn fields that led to the woods' entrance.

As we entered the woods, a bunch of bikes got bottlenecked up, so I jumped a little off course to the left and passed some riders, but I quickly realized downed trees blocked me in. I tried to wheelie over them, lost traction, and fell. Once back on the course, I proceeded to make my way towards Ironman Hill, which terrifies me, if I'm honest. I've taken the long way around most laps in past years because I am legitimately scared of those hills. I went straight up the main line this year, and the YZ250FX did not disappoint me. I was so pumped when I got to the top.

The Ironman course is loaded with hills, creek beds, rocks, corn fields, and other obstacles that make off-road racing challenging, and the new Yamaha handled all of these challenges nicely. The bike was very maneuverable and handled well as claimed, but the engine was what stood out. I found it smooth and usable when in the tight confines of the trees and fast in the open areas, but it was most impressive up the big hills. If I lost my momentum, all I had to do was feather the clutch, and it would tractor on up to the top. I honestly like that bike a lot.

The biggest issue I had during the first lap was my hands cramped up tightly, so I took it pretty easy while counting down the lap markers. On lap two it had subsided enough for me to try to push a little more. I gained confidence and worked past some slower riders. I particularly enjoyed the creek section towards the end of the course, where I was doubling through the natural whoops that had developed. Unfortunately, while climbing a small hill towards the end, another rider hit my front wheel and bent my rotor. I had no front brake for the final lap and a quarter, which is not ideal.

I was concerned about one particular silty downhill with no front brake. I thought about it all the way until I reached it. It's steep and sandy, and there are two trees right at the bottom that you have to hook a sharp right to avoid. I drug my rear brake and pulled the front brake lever all the way to the bars, which helped a little. Thankfully, I made it through without hitting the trees and continued on.

I crossed the finish line on my third lap in 2:04:09, just in front of Phil Nicoletti, who was about to lap me. I have yet to do four laps at a GNCC, which is what the more talented riders accomplish in a two-hour race. That is my goal for next year. I want to not get lapped and complete four laps.

These GNCC events are interesting because while they are going on, I'm just waiting for it to be over. There are so many bikes on the course, and there is almost never a moment when someone isn't trying to pass you or you are passing someone. They are nerve-racking, exhilarating, infuriating, and a blast all at once. None the less, they bring a major sense of accomplishment when you finish, and I want to feel that again.

I can't thank everyone involved enough at Yamaha Motor USA, AmPro Yamaha, and everyone else. I also want to mention the listeners who came up to say hi and be supportive, the people on the course who were yelling, "Darrrrrkkk," and the rider who passed me while yelling something about my pony. It was another event that I will hold onto as an incredible memory and great time. Now, to prepare for next year. See you at the next one.