Steele Creek GNCC Cancelled
Kit Palmer | April 4, 2005
The fourth round of the Grand National Cross Country Series in Morganton, North Carolina, April 3, was cancelled because of inclement weather. After hosting a successful ATV program on Saturday, April 2, the weather turned sour over night.
On Saturday night the rains came and, with it, the wind. By Sunday morning, the wind was taking its toll on the Steele Creek facility. EZ-Ups were strewn everywhere, Port-A-Johns were knocked down, the GNCC finish line and podium were destroyed, speaker towers were blown over, and the factory teams were battling to keep their tents and awnings on the ground. The sound of trees snapping could be heard in the woods.
Finally, the power lines at Steele Creek hit the ground, and the local power company came out to fix the problem. This brought out the local sheriff, and while everything was on hold until the power company could complete its work, the relentless wind kept pounding and trees kept falling.
Finally, mercifully, the race was cancelled for the day. Racer Production is hoping to return to Steele Creek in three weeks for a bike-only event.
Luckily, the wind appeared to have only damaged trees and equipment and not people.
Kit Palmer | Off-Road Editor
Kit Palmer started his career at Cycle News in 1984 and he’s been testing dirt and streetbikes every since – plus covering any event that uses some form of a knobby tire. He’s also our resident motorcycle mileage man with a commute of 120 miles a day.
