On A Roll - Maria Battles Heat, Dust - Takes 4th Straight GNCC Win For RPM/Factory KTM

Written by Scott Thornton

What a year! Four straight GNCC wins with five wins in six races so far this season. If you're a fan of Maria, you've gotta love the way the season is going for her.

I got a text from Maria right after the race Sunday saying, "Ninth overall! (It was) Pretty warm. The track wasn't so good sooo dusty." Even so, Maria won by 2 minutes 46 seconds, which now sounds almost like a close race after the nearly 8 minute blowout we witnessed her put out two weeks ago at Hurricane Mills, TN. I think it's safe to say that Maria is really enjoying this season... so far.

Maria-Rd5-Hurricane Mills, TN

A few years back Maria took the opportunity to go back east and try a GNCC event. After that first GNCC race, Maria decided she loved the GNCC format. "It's a lot more like the type of riding I'm used to back home in Washington," she said. "Lots of tight trails, trees, and mud." Well, after this week, Maria has proven she can master just about any type of condition that pops up while racing her RPM/Factory KTM. So far this year she's faced cold temps, rain, mud, hot temps, dust, did I mention mud... and very tough competition. Through it all she's maintained her cool smoothe riding style, consistently winning and proving she is truly national champion material. With four WORCS championships under her belt, she's proven she's mastered the fast pace and competition of the open west. If she can take the GNCC Championship, she'll prove she's mastered the tight gnarly conditions and competition of the east as well, making her a true undisputed off-road national champion. At least that's the way I see it! With two 2nd place finishes at the prestigious world-wide competition, the International Six Days Enduro, I think it won't be long before we can call Maria the "Undisputed Off-Road Women's Champion of the World!" Go Maria!!!

Yadkin Valley Stomp Yadkinville, NC - Round 6
Women - Class Results
Place	Nbr	Name	Hometown	Brand	Laps	Elapsed
1	411	MARIA FORSBERG	BRIER, WA	KTM	4	02:04:48.953
2	224	MANDI MASTIN	WHITEHOUSE, OH	YAM	4	02:07:35.015
3	326	ASHLEY CROUCH	PITTSBURG, TX	KAW	4	02:14:08.406
4	727	LEEANN BANGE	SPRING GROVE, PA	YAM	4	02:14:32.546
5	100	EMILY RAINES	TRAVELERS REST, SC	YAM	4	02:15:12.078
6	481	KELLY HALL	ALEXANDRIA, OH	KTM	4	02:16:18.265
7	912	NINA COBB	GREAT BARRINGTO, MA	HSB	4	02:19:21.031
8	904	SAMANTHA M STEINER	VAN ETTEN, NY	KTM	4	02:19:21.250
9	445	SHELBY S ROLEN	BLAINE, TN	KTM	4	02:22:13.046
10	736	TAYLER E WRIGHT	RIVESVILLE, WV	YAM	3	01:58:31.250
11	446	VERONICA L MARTIN	DENNISON, IL	KTM	3	02:27:14.187
12	617	KELLY KEIL	GIBSONIA, PA	KAW	3	02:38:48.937
13	393	TAYLOR DRESSLER	ALPHRETTA, GA	YAM	1	00:46:33.093

Click here to go directly to GNCC results for lap times!

2010 GNCC Series Bike a.m.
Women - Class Points				RND 1	RND 2	RND 3	RND 4	RND 5	RND 6
Place	Make	Nbr	Name	Finish	Finish	Finish	Finish	Finish	Finish	Total Points
1	KTM	411	MARIA FORSBERG	1	3	1	1	1	1	118
2	YAM	224	MANDI MASTIN	2	1	2	2	2	2	115
3	KAW	326	ASHLEY CROUCH	4	2	3	7	4	3	103
4	KTM	445	SHELBY ROLEN	5	8	5	6	6	9	87
5	YAM	727	LEEANN BANGE		4	4	3	3	4	87
6	KTM	904	SAMANTHA STEINER	8	16	DNF	5	5	8	63
7	KTM	481	KELLY HALL	7	5			7	6	59
8	YAM	393	TAYLOR DRESSLER	13	13	9	11	11	13	56
9	YAM	736	TAYLER WRIGHT		12	10	9		10	43
10	HSB	912	NINA COBB				8	8	7	40
11	YAM	100	EMILY RAINES				4		5	33
12	KTM	446	VERONICA MARTIN				10	10	11	32
13	KTM	456	VANESSA MARCOUX	9	6					27
14	KTM	922	AUBRIE WILLIAMS		10	8	DNF			24
15	HSQ	494	KARINE GEOFFRION	10	9					23
16	KAW	513	KATIE NORTON	12	7					23
17	YAM	533	KELSEY O'DONNELL	3						18
18	KTM	397	CHELSEY WARD	14			13			15
19	KTM	439	SARAH WHITMORE	6						15
20	KAW	511	RANDI BAILEY			6				15
21	GAS	492	JESSICA MORRISON			7				14
22	KTM	906	BRITNI SANTEE					9		12
23	HSB	396	JILLIAN BOLSO	11						10
24	KTM	382	GENEVIEVE MARCOUX		11					10
25	KTM	342	KAITLIN HAGAMAKER				12			9
26	KAW	617	KELLY KEIL						12	9
27	HON	329	GLENNA SCHMID		14					7
28	KTM	438	BRITTNEY LEWIS		15					6

Yadkin Valley Stomp Yadkinville, NC - Round 6 Sunday, May 09, 2010 GNCC Bike a.m.
Overall Top 19 Finish Results							307 Entries
Place	Racer	Hometown	Class	Nbr	Brand	Laps	Elapsed
1	TYLER MACDONALD	CLEVELAND, SC	Sportsman A	700	YAM	4	01:56:00.359
2	ROBBY AUSTELL	GROVER, NC	Sportsman A	477	KAW	4	01:57:12.578
3	PATRICK BEAULE	ST-JULIE, QC	Sportsman A	308	OTH	4	02:01:07.046
4	JOHN T BENNETT	ALLISON PARK, PA	Sportsman A	408	YAM	4	02:01:16.000
5	BRANDON BOLLING	POWHATAN, VA	Sportsman A	533	KTM	4	02:02:07.500
6	MATTHEW G WELBORN	BOONVILLE, NC	Sportsman B	705	SUZ	4	02:02:14.328
7	LUKE A HORSH	YORK, PA	Sportsman B	465	YAM	4	02:03:28.046
8	RANDALL RIGGS	CUMBERLAND, MD	Masters A (50+)	201	YAM	4	02:03:53.062
9	MARIA FORSBERG	BRIER, WA	Women	411	KTM	4	02:04:48.953
10	DYLAN IU	REEDSVILLE, OH	Sportsman B	389	YAM	4	02:04:53.046
11	WESLEY KELLER	ABINGDON, VA	Sportsman A	469	YAM	4	02:04:58.796
12	LESTER L PARTLOW	ASHEVILLE, NC	Sportsman A	370	YAM	4	02:05:26.562
13	EAIN T KIRBY	LENOIR, NC	Sportsman B	487	KTM	4	02:07:00.890
14	STEVEN WIGGINS	CLEVELAND, NC	4 Stroke C Lites	334	YAM	4	02:07:22.062
15	WILLIAM M DICKSON III	LENOIR, NC	Sportsman B	664	YAM	4	02:07:25.031
16	ADAM HURSH	YORK, PA	Sportsman B	466	YAM	4	02:07:31.671
17	MANDI MASTIN	WHITEHOUSE, OH	Women	224	YAM	4	02:07:35.015
18	JOHN STOFFELL	KNOXVILLE, TN	Masters A (50+)	760	KTM	4	02:08:04.218
19	KEVIN O AGEE	MILLEDGEVILLE, GA	200 C Schoolboy (12-16)	426	KTM	4	02:08:41.171

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Newsflash

Maria Steps Into Familiar Territory and Takes Win At 1st Round of Worcs Week

Back home on familiar territory yesterday at Straddeline ORV Park just outside Olympia WA, Maria took her familiar place on the WORCS podium.

What are champions made of?

Mud, rain, ruts... what else would you expect from a GNCC race in Ohio?

Maria's RPM/Factory KTM carries her to her fifth straight victory Sunday morning at Moose Mountain Ridge, PA. I just did hear from Maria!

What a year! Four straight GNCC wins with five wins in six races so far this season. If you're a fan of Maria, you've gotta love the way the season is going for her.

Maria, piloting her RPM/Factory KTM, tore, tractored, and blazed her way through the Tennesee mud to another remarkable GNCC win.

KTM Breaking News on Rd4 GNCC

* - Note: Scroll down article to see Maria's win hi-lited!

Astride her trusty RPM/Factory Support KTM, Maria rocketed to an early lead this morning at Big Buck near Union, SC and never looked back,

Maria takes the early lead on her factory supported KTM during Rd 3 at Steele Creek and never looks back!

Maria was featured on PitPassRadio.com Tuesday night, the 9th of March in the second hour of the show. Catch the entire show by clicking here. If you press pause on your player

After a tough start, Maria digs her way back from 7th, after the first lap, to pull out a spot on the podium with 3rd place at GNCC Rd 2 in Washington, GA.

Want to catch Maria's GNCC Rd 2 race results live Sunday from Washington, GA? Catch 'em LIVE right here!

GNCC Quick Fill Excerpt Recapping River Ranch Women's Class

This piece extracted from full article:

Quick Fill #9: This Week in GNCC

Want to hear a little more info on how Maria's GNCC debut went? Both Dirt Rider Online and KTM Press Online posted articles about Maria's smokin' start to the season. Find the stories and photos right here.

It's in the books! Maria has won Rd 1 of the 2010 GNCC season!

It has finally come! Today's the day of Maria's first GNCC race of the 2010 season. It is taking place at River Ranch, Florida. Check out the live results here http://gncclive.tracksideonlineresults.com/

Check Out Maria's Just Released 2010 Official KTM Rider Interview!!!

So Much Fun! That’s how Maria described KTM Photo Week and the AMA End of Season Awards Banquet.

So Cool! I have set up this little notifier on google that notifies me any time news is posted on the internet with Maria's name in the title. I was so excited to find a notice telling me that Maria has been nominated to be the AMA's female racer of the year for 2009 for her performance at the International Six Days Enduro in Portugal!

I know the holidays are busy for everyone but that is my excuse for being a little late telling you about Maria and our trip to the 2009 Endurocross final in Las Vegas this past November 21st. We had a great time this year, as we always do! Maria's mother Cherryl and I drove down with the travel trailer on Tuesday and Wednesday. Maria flew down on Thursday evening with her boyfriend and her father and his friend.

Barely off the plane from Portugal on Monday Maria had only four days to readjust her internal clock and catch a plane to Las Vegas Friday evening,

Six Days is over! I can hardly believe it! The 2009 International Six Days Enduro is now in the books and Maria...

Check out the four new photos just sent in especially for Maria by famed photographer Mark Kariya! Recheck this photo album often to view the latest photos from Portugal!

Refresh Button Reminder

Just a quick reminder, don't forget to hit the REFRESH button on your browser as you read these stories. The stories may change within the first hour or so after I post.

Day 5 - Woohoo! Maria Muscles Her Way Into 2nd Place!

Whew! Five straight grueling days of racing and Maria just keeps doing her thing and hey, it is paying off!

After two days of blasting shoulder deep sand whoops and running a dark poorly lit tunnel, Maria cranks out an awesome day

It's still early but after 4 special tests Maria has already gained on Jonsson in the number two spot and pulled a little more of a gap on 4th place.

Check out the isde-tv day 3 video recap. Maria is featured in an interview near the end of the video!

Finally! Photos From Portugal!!!

I finally got some photos from Portugal posted! Enjoy!

Monotonous, back-breaking, bike killing sand whoops! That's the best words I could find to sum up today's course,

Late Post - Better Late Than Never! News From Cherryl AND Maria today!

No contact with Maria or Cherryl (her mother) yet today but based on results, it appears that day two was much the same...

Just a quick note with some important information about the stories posted here.

After six long hours battling warm temperatures into the 80s and some tough competition in the Women's Cup class, Maria...

After two long flights, a 2 hour drive, and a day that seemed to never end, Maria and her parents,

T-Shirt Orders on Hold Till After ISDE

Maria's ISDE Fundraiser T-shirt sales will be temporarily suspended during the ISDE while Maria is away. You can still donate directly to Maria's ISDE account by clicking here.

You've gotta check this out! Maria takes a few minutes out of her busy pre-ISDE schedule Tuesday night to talk with the hosts of America's #1 Motocycle Talk Show - Pit Pass Radio!

Maria battles the heat and Cyrus

Many of you may have already heard, but I can tell the exciting news now that it has been officially released by KTM. I will be racing the GNCC Series for the 2010 season!

Haha! Ok, so it's not on a motorcycle... YET! It was still awesome!!!

Sorry to all of you regular followers. I know this is a bit later than usual, but...

Oh yeah! After last weekend I said Maria was back, but after this weekend we can shout it out...

Maria has a great time at Washougal with no MAJOR incidents!

The daunting task of funding Maria's trip to the 2009 International Six Days Enduro in Figueira da Voz, Portugal this October has begun.

Wanted! - Maxxis Posters of Maria

Maria wanted you to know that she has had a hard time getting copies of her Maxxis posters.

It's official everybody! Today Maria received an official invitation to compete on the Women's World Cup Team for the USA in the International Six Day Enduro to be held this year in Portugal!

Maria is coming to Idaho!

Maria Still In Rehab-No Racing for Now

Maria did attend round 5 of the WORCS series in Milford, CA but still not able to race.

Maria - Still Not Sure About Honey Lake

I thought you might all be interested in a brief injury update.

Ok, Ok, OK! I ADMIT IT! I messed up the story and got the facts a bit askew in the story about Maria's latest injury!

You must have heard by now!

Better Late Than Never!

Maria Injures Elbow Last Saturday During Desert 100 Poker Run!--Plus a little insight from Scott

Think about it! Doesn't it always happen this way for you too?

Maria had some tuff competition for the 3rd round of the WORCS series in Havasu but she still pulls off another podium.

Next WORCS Stop-Lake Havasu!!!

Maria's been training her hinie off and she's been on her bike every chance she gets

Click here to view album.

Error Correction! OOOPS!!!

I made an error in Maria's last race story

Maria blasts to another great start off the line in Saturday's women's pro race in Adelanto, CA, but by the end of the first turn

Maria had a wonderful time in Indianapolis with her boyfriend George at Dealer Expo 2009 this past weekend.

Just a few short hours ago, just after midnight Friday morning, Maria and her boyfriend George landed in Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the 2009 Motorcycle Dealer Expo representing Maxxis Tires.

Anything can happen in racing and Maria found one more thing to add to the list of things to have on hand before each race.

New Maria EnduroX Photos!

Wanna see Maria's new Endurocross pics? Just click here...

Maria's Vegas Endurocross Results!

Maria's results are now posted right here! Check 'em out under the Event Results Menu or click here.

Quick EnduroX Update

The 2008 Endurocross has finished just a couple of hours ago and...

Things are getting exciting! The bikes are on their way...

Maria's in Dec. DirtRider Article!

Hey, if you haven't done it already...

Check It Out!!!

Hey, don't forget to check Maria's Media, Photo Gallery, and Event Results sections OFTEN to see her latest cool magazine articles, pictures and race results!

Watch Maria and George Dance in HSM3!

Crazy World Record Jump Video!

Did you go to the Taft WORCS race? If so, I'm sure you all heard about this guy!

Maria to Ride Vegas Endurocross!

Maria is scheduled to race in the final round of the 2008 Endurocross season in Las Vegas, Nevada!

The 2008 WORCS season is in the history books and Maria has had a fantastic year

She's done it again! Maria locks in another WORCS Women's Championship for the 2008 season! Not only that,

Maria gets second in Honey Lake! More REALLY exciting news to come as soon as it is confirmed!