BRP’s Can-Am brand dominated during this year’s Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) racing season, bringing home six titles, including a repeat of the prestigious GNCC XC1 Pro SxS and 4×4 ATV Pro class championships.

“It’s extremely difficult to repeat as GNCC champion, but Maverick 1000R side-by-side pilot Kyle Chaney and Renegade X xc 800R racer Bryan Buckhannon took full advantage of the unmatched capabilities of their Can-Am vehicles to defend their XC1 Pro SxS and 4×4 Pro ATV championships,” said Bernard Guy, BRP vice-president, regional general manager, North America. “These prestigious Pro class titles, and several 2015 GNCC amateur championships, highlight that our Can-Am vehicles offer industry-leading performance, exceptional reliability and remain the vehicle of choice for racing enthusiasts.”

Chaney, who also recorded two regional racing championships this season, kept up his winning ways in 2015 by securing the 2015 XC1 Pro SxS class title with a strong fourth-place finish at the final round of the GNCC series. Chaney, with six total wins in 12 rounds over a two-year span, now has two consecutive championships behind the wheel of his TurnKey UTV / Fox Shocks / Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle.

Can-Am Maverick 1000R XC1 Pro class racers swept the top four overall spots in the class on the year to reinforce the vehicle’s class-leading performance. Tim Farr won the final two XC1 Pro SxS class events in his Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle to ensure BRP’s Can-Am brand won all six rounds in 2015 and 10 of the last 12 rounds over the past two seasons.

Can-Am Renegade X xc 800R ATV racer Bryan Buckhannon saved his best performance for last, outlasting 10 other 4×4 Pro class riders to record his third victory of the year and the 2015 championship. Buckhannon put the Rotax engine-powered Renegade ATV, the industry’s most race-ready 4×4 with unmatched durability and performance, on the podium at all 13 events to earn his second consecutive class championship, despite facing his stiffest competition yet.

BRP (TSX:DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am all-terrain and side-by-side vehicles, Can-Am Spyder roadsters, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of over CA$3.5 billion from 107 countries, the Company employs approximately 7,600 people worldwide.

brp.com

This past weekend, Polaris Off-Road Vehicles would take to the Terracross track, at Camp RZR West, in Glamis, Calif, and the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Ironman in Crawfordsville, Ind for both series’ season finales.

Round 5 and 6 of TerraCross would be held at Camp RZR with Jason Luburgh taking the checkered flag for Round 5, and also winning the points championship, with Cody Rahders in second and Dana Creech in third. For Round 6, Mitch Guthrie Jr. would get his first TerraCross win of the season. Cole Cottew would come in second and Brandon Schueler in third.

Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift and Kevin Trantham came into the GNCC Ironman claiming 10 of 13 first place finishes in the Pro 4×4 Class. Unfortunately, dominating the podium was not enough to pull out the points championship with the Pro 4×4 Class championship hinged on the results of the last race of the season. Swift would have the chance to win the championship with a win at Ironman. Both he and Trantham would battle hard on their Scrambler 850s in what would be an epic race. At the checkered flag, they’d finish second and third as well as that for the season, an incredible feat for Swift’s second and Trantham’s first year on the Scrambler.

The GNCC single-seat class would see 10 ACEs line up, the most entries of the season. Dillon Harper would capture the checkered flag for his first win with Sam Yokley in his North Country Powersports ACE 570 taking second and the championship for the inaugural single-seat season. Team UXC’s Torrey Rush would take third in his first race in an ACE with teammate Marc Spataro finishing fourth. Jesi Stracham would round out the top five taking fifth.

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2013 sales of $3.8 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles, including all- terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER and RZR side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles. Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian Motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid powered vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered parts, accessories and apparel, Klim branded apparel, and ORV accessories under the Kolpin and Cycle Country brands. Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII,” and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel, and vehicle accessories is available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at www.polaris.com.

Can-Am X-Team members wrapped up their Grand National Cross Country season in dominating fashion, winning six classes, the SxS overall and securing two Pro class championships at the Ironman event in Indiana. Can-Am Maverick 1000R pilot Kyle Chaney and Renegade X xc 800R racer Bryan Buckhannon successfully repeated as XC1 Pro SxS and 4×4 Pro ATV class champions, respectively.

“We ended the 2015 GNCC season on a definite high note, as Can-Am X-Team racers Kyle Chaney and Bryan Buckhannon both repeated as Pro class champions. Chaney finished fourth at Ironman to easily win the XC1 Pro SxS class title, while Buckhannon put a resounding exclamation point on his consistent, championship season with a victory aboard his Renegade 4×4 at the final round,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “Overall, the 2015 ended with Can-Am racers winning six class titles, and pure dominance in the XC1 Pro class, where our Maverick racers took the top four spots in the final standings.”

At the famous AMSOIL Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Ind., Can-Am racers Kyle Chaney (TurnKey UTV / Can-Am) and Bryan Buckhannon needed strong finishes to repeat as GNCC champions in both the 4×4 Pro ATV and XC1 Pro SxS classes, respectively.

In side-by-side vehicle action, defending class champion Kyle Chaney just needed to be steady and record a decent finish to maintain his points lead and capture yet another title. Chaney posted a strong rally and fourth-place finish to easily win the GNCC XC1 Pro SxS championship. It was Chaney’s second consecutive GNCC championship and third title of 2015 behind the wheel of the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle.

“Two in a row! I’d have liked to have finished on the podium here, but my co-pilot Chris Bithell calmed me down and helped me focus on finishing, so I could win the championship,” said Chaney. “The competition in side-by-side racing is super stiff these days. You used to be able to come out with a stock machine and compete, but those days are gone, so you have to be prepared. The Can-Am Maverick is the best woods machine, period!”

Can-Am / JB Racing / Gunk racer Tim Farr earned his second straight XC1 Pro class victory to finish the year in third place in the final standings behind teammate Larry Hendershot Jr. and Chaney. Farr has now won the Ironman event for three straight years in the Can-Am Maverick side-by-side vehicle. With Hendershot’s fifth-place finish, and Mouse Pratt’s (Jack’s Excavating) third-place run, Can-Am ended the year by sweeping the top four spots to dominate the final XC1 Pro class standings.

Can-Am X-Team member Richard Travalena also scored a class championship, winning the UTV Amateur Limited class in a Can-Am. Dave Plavi ended the season strong by winning the XC2 Pro Sport class in Indiana, to finish second overall for the year in his Offroadmotorsports’ Wicked Bilt / Can-Am Maverick 1000R.

Buckhannon took matters into his own hands during the 10 a.m. session, winning the final round to give him his second consecutive 4×4 Pro class title. The multi-time GNCC champion had one of the most consistent seasons in history, winning three times and finishing on the class podium at all 13 rounds.

“It was no-holds barred and we knew it was going to be that way. There was a lot of pressure on us. I’m very hard on myself, but I calmed myself down before this race,” Bryan Buckhannon. “This was a great year for us and for Can-Am. The Renegade has been flawless all season…this machine is built to win races.”

Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers also won three other amateur ATV class championships. Scott Day (4×4 A/B), Matthew Ewart (4×4 C) and Forrest Whorton (4×4 Senior 40+) were each crowned 2015 GNCC champions riding Can-Am ATVs.

Yamaha Racing’s Walker Fowler secured the overall ATV National Championship in Sunday’s Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) season finale off-road event, dubbed “The Ironman”, in Crawfordsville, Ind. aboard a YFZ450R sporting Yamaha’s 60th anniversary yellow and black color scheme. Highlighting the event was Yamaha Motorsports USA’s 60th Anniversary celebration commemorating and recognizing their history and heritage in motorsports and GNCC racing.

On Saturday, Fowler, a GNCC veteran who has raced his way up the ranks for more than a decade, captured his first ever XC1 Pro Championship over the weekend finishing the final race in fourth place at Ironman Raceway. Fowler’s trophy room now includes titles in XC1 Pro, XC2 Pro-Am, College A, Schoolboy (13-15), and 90cc Mod. (12-15) classes dating back to 2006.

“I’ve been chasing this championship for years, and it’s an incredible feeling to finally top the podium with my N-Fab/Am-Pro Yamaha team and the 60th anniversary Yamaha YFZ450R,” Fowler said. “To finally take the win this year is a dream come true, and to do so alongside Yamaha’s 60th anniversary makes it even more awesome.”

In addition to Fowler’s 60th anniversary YFZ450R, other racers under the Yamaha banner, including the 2015 XC2 ATV Champion and N-Fab/Am-Pro Yamaha rider Cole Richardson, Maxxis/SSI/Yamaha’s Chris Borich and GBC/Fly/Fox/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher, raced with Yamaha’s black and yellow heritage colors and graphics.

The celebration was attended by past Yamaha GNCC racing legends including nine-time pro champ Bill Ballance and nine-time women’s champ Traci Cecco. Ballance helped pit for Fowler, and Cecco competed alongside friends and fans alike, winning the WXC class at the Ironman.

“This has been another exciting year for Yamaha’s off-road racing programs, and it’s great to be celebrating current and past champions throughout our 60th anniversary,” said Donnie Luce, Yamaha’s Off-Road Racing Coordinator. “We’re stacking up trophies this year in both MX and cross country thanks to the best machines and riders in the industry. A lot has changed in 60 years, but Yamaha has stayed consistent as the leading brand in motorsports racing.”

Yamaha celebrated the 2015 season and 60th anniversary at the GNCC Ironman finale displaying a complete line of 2016 ATVs and motorcycles along with the all-new YXZ1000R – the world’s first and only pure sport Side-by-Side (SxS). The YXZ1000R also made its debut appearance into GNCC racing at the Ironman in the XC1 SxS class, creating a lot of buzz and excitement around the model. The Yamaha tent took part in the GNCC’s trick-or-treat festivities, giving out custom made “#1” Halloween candies, 60th anniversary collector’s edition beanies, hot chocolate and popcorn. Yamaha additionally awarded the brand’s top finishers in each class with a free congratulatory gift.

In addition to Yamaha’s 60th anniversary celebration, the GNCC community recognized the concluding days of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to help raise funds and awareness for this important cause at the Ironman. Honoring the cause, Yamaha pledged to donate $60 for each Yamaha racer who won their class – the donation amount in conjunction with the manufacturer’s 60 years in business. Yamaha funded over $1,200, with the weekend’s contribution totaling $7,606.50 towards Breast Cancer Awareness in the local community.