Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers notched several class overall wins this past weekend in both the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series and the 12 Hours of La Tuque in Quebec, Canada.

The Can-Am X-Team trio of Mathieu Deroy, Kevin Vachon and Bobby Desjardins rode their Can-Am DS 450 to the overall win in the top ranked General ATV class in La Tuque. Can-Am Maverick 1000R pilot Yani Desjardins won the two-hour side-by-side portion of the endurance event.

In Springville, Ind., four Can-Am 4×4 racers, led by defending 4×4 Lites class champion Kevin Trantham, won their classes at the 2013 running of the Limestone 100 GNCC race.

“This was the best weekend ever for Can-Am at the 12 Hours of La Tuque, with victories in the General, Amateur, Ironman and Side-By-Side classes. Many BRP departments were involved in this effort and it paid off with four overall wins, a three-peat for the DS 450 ATV in the General class and a successful debut for the Maverick 1000R,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am ATV racers competing in the GNCC series once again excelled in the morning session, winning four class overalls. Kevin Trantham’s third-place finish on the overall morning podium was another one of his great accomplishments.”

12 Hours of La Tuque

Known as the biggest off-road event in Canada, the 12 Hours of La Tuque is an off-road endurance event for ATV and side-by-side vehicles. Can-Am racing posted its most successful weekend in history, winning a total of four classes, the prestigious General ATV session and tallying seven of the top 15 places in the ATV portion of the 2013 event.

In near perfect weather Saturday, May 18, the Can-Am X-team / Elka squad of Deroy, Vachon and Bobby Desjardins finished second in the morning qualifier, which aided them during the Lemans-style start. After a good start, the team stayed consistent throughout the 12-hour event, which was made up of three four-hour sessions. The Can-Am X-Team won all three sessions to earn the overall and extend the DS 450 ATV’s General class winning streak to three years in a row.

The SxS class didn’t compete for all 12 hours like the ATVs, but faced two one-hour sessions over two separate days. Yani Desjardins, who consistently posted the fastest lap times, piloted his Maverick 1000R to the overall win, a first for the new Can-Am side-by-side vehicle. Martin Horik, who finished third in his Maverick 1000R, joined him on the podium.

Pro MX Sport won the Amateur ATV class and impressively finished sixth overall on its Can-AM DS 450. Can-Am ATV racers also swept the Ironman class podium, highlighted by Martin Lafontaine, who rode his Les Equipments Beaver-sponsored DS 450 to victory.

GNCC – Limestone 100

Can-Am 4×4 racers once again earned numerous podiums and four class wins in near perfect conditions at round six of the GNCC series in Springville, Ind. Trantham, the reigning 4×4 Lites class champion, won the 4×4 lites class aboard his 2013 Outlander 500 for the fifth straight time and earned third on the morning overall podium at the second-annual Limestone 100. He won by almost six minutes over Can-Am rider Andrew Langston. Can-Am pilot Scott Day was third in the class.

Defending 4×4 Open class champion Bryan Buckhannon won round six to keep remain perfect in 2013. Buckhannon has won 16 of the last 20 4×4 Open class races. He was joined on the podium by Can-Am Outlander 800 pilots Sam Williams and Tanner Bowles.

“My Can-Am Outlander was 100 percent perfect,” said Buckhannon. “It was fun to kind of have an old-school race with Michael Swift. We went back and forth … it was honestly the most fun I’ve had racing this year.”

Swift, winner of four straight events, won the U2 class on his Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc. He joined Buckhannon and Trantham on the 4×4 morning podium. Renegade racer Rob Smith, the current U2 class points leader, finished second ahead of Jordan Phillips, who also rode a Can-Am.

Another 4×4 class victory went to 4×4 Senior (40+) class racer Forrest Whorton riding a Team UXC Racing-supported Can-Am Outlander ATV. Can-Am racers Jerry Roberts and Mike Penland joined Whorton on the podium.

Jarrod McClure (JB Racing / Can-Am) finished fifth in the XC1 Pro ATV class on his DS 450 ATV. He’s currently fifth in the class point standings. Jeff Cromer (second, 4×4 Novice) and CJ Bender (third, 16-19 C) were the other two Can-Am racers to earn podiums at round six.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has approved first quarter awards providing funding from its OHV Access Initiative, the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs), to deserving organizations across the country.

“Yamaha has approved new GRANTs to support organizations that span the country, from California to Vermont, serving the mission to promote safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Yamaha’s reach through the OHV Access Initiative is national, but the heart of the program resides in the local communities that enjoy increased family fun and economic development through safe, responsible OHV access.”

In just this past quarter, the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative awarded more than $85,000 to a variety of organizations including local riding clubs, regional BLM offices and the National FFA, illustrating the breadth of the program’s reach. The 2013 Q1 Yamaha GRANT recipients are:

– Bureau of Land Use Management, El Centro Field Office, California
– Coastal Off Road Riders Association, South Carolina
– Colorado Backcountry Trailriders Association
– Dirt, Inc., Idaho
– Electric City Dirt Riders, Montana
– National FFA Foundation
– Northwest Wyoming Off High Vehicle Alliance
– St. Helen Dirtpackers ORV Club, Michigan
– Vermont ATV Sportsman Association

Yamaha’s GRANT to the Northwest Wyoming Off Highway Vehicle Alliance – the first organization from Wyoming to submit a qualified application into the program – raises the total number of states in which GRANTs have been approved to 38.

Yamaha is actively seeking qualified projects at local, state and federal levels. The current OHV Access Initiative GRANT application form and guidelines are available online at www.yamahaohvaccess.com. The next deadline to submit a GRANT application is Saturday, June 29, 2013.

About the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative:

Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia.

For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers competed in three different racing series and tallied 25 total podiums. Can-Am X-Team member Mathieu Deroy won the ATV Pro class at the New England ATV Motocross series in Hew Hampshire.

Can-Am DS 450 racers scored three class victories and eight podiums at round four of the 2013 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series in Indiana. At the World Off-Road Championship Series in Taft, Calif., Can-Am racers earned three podiums.

“The Can-Am racing team and amateur support riders had another successful weekend of racing, earning roughly two dozen podiums. It was good to see Canadian Pro Mathieu Deroy get his first Pro class win,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We had some challenges this weekend in the AMA ATV MX Pro class and WORCS SxS Pro Production, by just narrowly missing two podium finishes, but our teams are more determined than ever to earn a spot back up on the box as soon as possible.”

NEATV-MX – Round 3

Round 3 was held at a muddy MX101 in Epping, N.H. Leading the way was Pro class racer, Mathieu Deroy (Can-Am X-Team / PLX Sport / Ultimate ATV) of Canada, who won the first Pro class moto with a late-race pass. He then overcame a slower start to finish second in moto two to earn his first career Pro class win and overall aboard the Can-Am DS 450 ATV.

“My Can-Am DS 450 was amazing this weekend, ran great, got me to the front of the pack off the holeshots in the Pro class and led me to my first Pro win ever,” said Deroy. “The track was super rough. This win has got me really energized to go for the top podium spot again.”

NEATV-MX Pro class points leader Travis Moore finished second behind Deroy. Racing for BCS Performance / Wide Open Racing, the Can-Am Pro won the second moto of both the Pro and Pro-Am classes to earn the second spot on each podium. Fourth place in the Pro class went to Can-Am racer, Canadian Anthony Derochers.

Can-Am racers earned 11 other podiums at MX101. Jake Chamberland won the 4-Stroke A class and took third in the College Boy class. Ellie Derochers and Mark Gehring joined Chamberland on the 4-Stroke A podium. Ryan Dyer (Production Stock B), Alex Parker (4-Stroke B), Roy Lampron (40+ Open) and Justin Locke (25+) took second in their classes.

Max Baskin (Production Stock B), Tyler Pulver (Production Stock C) and Joshua Suchocki (40+ Open) tallied third place finishes on their Can-Am ATVs.

Mtn. Dew ATV MX – Round 4

Wildcat Creek MX in Rossville, Indiana, hosted its first AMA ATV MX national event. Former GNC national champion and Can-Am racer Travis Spader won two classes (30+, 40+) and Michael Troiano earned the overall in the Production A class on his DS 450. The five other podium finishers were Nick Gennusa (2nd, Open A), Merrill Crose (2nd, 450 A; 3rd, 30+), Douggie Hill (3rd, Open C) and Clayton Coad (3rd, 4-Stroke C).

BCS Performance / Can-Am DS 450 Pro Josh Creamer finished fourth in the Pro class. He ended up seventh in moto one after a mediocre start. However, a much-improved start and a third-place finish in moto two was good for fourth overall.

“My Can-Am DS 450 was working flawlessly. I had a brand new quad built by BCS Performance and they had it dialed in,” said Creamer, who is currently fourth in the Pro class point standings. “I need to get some turn around in my luck, I just need to get two solid motos in one day and I’ll be good. I know I can do it and I know my Can-Am can do it.”

Pro-Am class Can-Am racer Ronnie Higgerson won the second moto to grab the fourth-place position in Indiana. His top-five finish moved him into the points lead after round four. Gennusa (BCS / Can-Am X-Team) earned a season-best fifth place in the Pro-Am class.

WORCS – Round 5

Round five of WORCS headed to Honolulu Hills in Taft, Calif. The course featured a lot of dust along with man-made mud sections. Can-Am amateur ATV racer Mike Hrubetz won the 50 B/C class and took third in the 40+ B class on his DS 450. Can-Am racer Zachary Zobrist was second in the Spt. 15-29 B class. GPS / Can-Am X-Team racer Dillon Zimmerman finished sixth in the Pro class.

In side-by-side racing action, Team IMG Motorsports / Can-Am Maverick 1000R racer James Hill was in third place on the final lap of the SxS Pro Production class, but fell victim to a damaged tie-rod.

He ended up 12th in Taft, but still holds the second-place position in the points race. Fellow Can-Am Maverick 1000R pilots John Pacheco (IMG Motorsports) and Johnny Leach (Motoworks / DWT) finished six and seventh, respectively.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle, the entire 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers won numerous classes and earned several podium finishes at various off-road events in the U.S. and Canada. Highlighted by Team UXC Racing / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift’s morning overall and U2 class win, Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers won five morning classes at a soggy round five of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country held in Kentucky.

Team Hendershot Performance won the Pro SxS race at round three of the American Woods Racing Championship Series in Pennsylvania. Maverick 1000R side-by-side team Murray Motorsports finished third in the SxS Pro class at the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 in Nevada. In the Courses VTT series in Canada, a Maverick pilot earned a podium position while three Can-Am DS 450™ racers swept the ATV Pro class.

“Can-Am 4×4 racers dominated the murky Mammoth GNCC event, winning five classes. I was pleased to see Can-Am Renegade racer Michael Swift win his class, the morning overall and prove that sportsmanship is alive and well in our sport,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R racers continue to make strides in the new side-by-side vehicle, winning two events and earning podium finishes in others.”

GNCC – Round Five

Round five of the 2013 GNCC series was held at an extremely muddy Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, Ky. The morning session belonged to Swift and Can-Am 4x4s. The Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer overcame a crash, mud holes, bottlenecks and another delay to help a fellow competitor recover after a crash to win the morning overall and capture his third consecutive U2 class victory.

Swift beat fellow Can-Am racer Robert Smith, who currently holds the U2 class points lead. Can-Am X-Team racer Kevin Trantham, who won the 4×4 Lites class over Can-Am racer Andrew Langston, took the runner-up spot on the morning podium on his Outlander 500. Swift, Trantham and Smith comprised the all-Can-Am 4×4 overall podium.

Reigning 4×4 Open class champion Bryan Buckhannon stayed perfect in 2013, edging fellow Can-Am Outlander ATV racers Bo Jones and Samuel Williams for the class win. Mississippi’s Scott Wheeler took the victory in the 4×4 Senior class and was joined on the podium by class points leader Forrest Whorton (Team UXC Racing) and Mike Penland.

Ryan Smith expanded his 4×4 Novice class points lead with his second win of the year. Can-Am racers Brent Tindall and Jeff Cromer rounded out the class podium. Jason Gautier also grabbed third in the 35+ C class riding Can-Am.

In afternoon action, JB Racing / Can-Am DS 450 Pro Jarrod McClure finished eighth in the XC1 Pro class at the Mammoth GNCC. After being bumped over a muddy berm on lap one, McClure patiently picked off six racers over the next three laps to earn another top 10 finish.

AWRCS

Coming off its recent victory with the Can-Am Maverick 1000R at the inaugural UTV / SxS Grand Prix in Ohio, Team Hendershot / Can-Am took another overall win, this time in the AWRCS series. The team drove its Maverick to the UTV Open class overall at round three of AWRCS in New Bethlehem, Pa. Team Triumph of Windber took second in a Can-Am.

COURSES VTT

Round one of the Courses VTT Quadcross Series saw a trio of Can-Am DS 450 racers reach the Pro class podium and a Maverick 1000R racer take second in Saint-Pie, Quebec, Canada. Keven Vachon went 1-2 in the ATV Pro class motos to earn the victory. Mathieu Deroy’s 5-1 finishes were good for second.

Bobby Desjardins earned the final podium spot. Can-Am X-Team member Charles-Antoine Villeneuve earned third in moto one of the SxS 900-1000 class and then took second in moto two for second overall in his debut race.

“I did my first race with the Can-Am Maverick this weekend. The machine performed extremely well. I was really impressed with the power,” said Villeneuve.

BITD – SILVER STATE 300

Team Del Amo Motorsports / Murray Motorsports / Can-Am raced its Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs to a third-place finish in the BITD Silver State 300 outside Las Vegas. It was the second straight podium finish for brothers Derek and Jason Murray.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the Maverick 1000R, the 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.