Four-Time champion Chris Borich proved his merit once again at Saturday’s FMF Steele Creek GNCC, where he swept his third consecutive win of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country season.

Although Borich only lead two of the six laps, he surely made them count when besting his teammate Chris Bithell in the final moments of the two-hour race.

Thousands of spectators were in attendance for Round 3 of the 13-race series and there wasn’t a shortage of racing action at the picturesque Steele Creek Campground in Morganton, North Carolina.

Coming off two previous wins this season, Borich came out swinging as the green flag dropped for the 1 p.m. race, grabbing his first Team Woodhead/DeRisi Racing Holeshot Award of 2013. However, it was Borich’s Maxxis-backed teammate Chris Bithell who took over the lead on the opening lap. Borich stayed close in tow, while BNR Motorsports rider Kevin Yoho latched onto the leaders to run in the third place position early on.

Lonestar Racing/Precision/ITP’s Adam McGill quickly inherited third place before making his way up to Bithell and Borich out front. McGill made several attempts to inject himself into the lead battle but the West Virginia native decided to play it safe in hopes of later capitalizing on the duo’s mistakes.

“I pushed and pushed to catch back up to Borich and Bithell after getting stuck in the mud hole on the last lap,” McGill said. “Once I caught them, they were battling back and forth and I didn’t know if they were going to take each other out or what. They were running hard and bumping hard so I thought that might be my chance but I’m happy to come out of here with a third.”

AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler grabbed a back-of-the-pack start but managed to quickly move his way into the top five. By Lap 2, Fowler had caught up to Yoho and Waynesburg Yamaha/GT Thunder’s Jeff Pickens and the three went back and forth until Fowler was able to break free. That is until JB Offroad/Can-Am’s Jarrod McClure, who was also playing catch up through the pack, reached Fowler and applied the pressure for fourth.

All eyes were on the leaders for the final hour of racing as the duo rode wheel-to-wheel through the tight woods of the Steele Creek Campground. As the Pennsylvania boys came through to take the white flag, the order showed Borich and then Bithell.

But Bithell put a sly pass on the inside of Borich just before taking the white flag, thus kicking off the final lap ahead of the champ. However, Borich put his veteran racing experience on the forefront once again as he ultimately secured his third consecutive XC1 Pro class win at the culmination of two hard fought hours of racing.

“Today was a phenomenal day. Everything on my ATV was spot on and it was just a lot of fun out there,” Bithell said. “It was an awesome battle [with Borich]. Usually we kind of wait for the last lap to go for it but this time when the two-lap card came out, we [Borich and I] just gunned for it. I couldn’t have had a better time out there today.”

Fowler bested McClure in the battle for fourth, allowing Fowler to maintain second place in the overall point standings. McClure’s fifth place finish puts him tied for seventh place with Pickens – who claimed tenth overall for the day.

Still recovering from a pre-season spleen injury, Yoho was able to hold on for sixth place, just ahead of rookie Braden Henthorn who came in seventh. DeRisi Racing’s Eric Hoyland secured eighth, while HMF/GBC/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher took home ninth.

Defending XC2 Pro Am champion Patrick McGuire was finally able to secure his first win of the season, moving into second place overall in the class. XC2 rookie Landon Wolfe grabbed the $100 All Balls Racing Holeshot Award but it didn’t take long for McGuire to make his way into the lead and from there, he never looked back.

Indiana’s Fred Marley latched onto McGuire on the opening lap and maintained a second place ride throughout the two-hour race. Chad Jones spent a majority of the race in pursuit of Marley but it wasn’t enough to make a pass on his fellow Indiana racer.

Current Pro Am points leader Brycen Neal had some issues off the start but eventually made his way into podium contention by the second-to-last-lap. Neal’s intense riding caused his rear wheel to break apart but that didn’t stop the persistent rookie from securing the final XC2 podium position.

Pennsylvania’s Jay Shadron secured his first win of the season in the College A (16-21) division, also finishing as the top amateur rider of the afternoon. Shadron currently holds second place in the overall standings, with Marshal Goings in first.

The 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series continues April 13 and 14 with the VP Racing Fuels Big Buck GNCC in Union, South Carolina. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.

STI riders came out on top of a rapid ground assault at the recent World Off-Road Championship Series event at Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

H&H Racing – with STI Tech 4 XC tires mounted front and back on their Honda quads – staged its blitzkrieg from a home base in Las Vegas and invaded the Crazy Horse Campground in force.

Bryce Peart led the charge on the Colorado River beachhead and raised the STI flag at the top step of the podium after both the Pro-Am ATV and Production A battles.

Team owner Mike Hrubetz was also at the front lines on this extremely rough and rocky terrain and emerged with a win of his own in the Senior B/C division.

Hrubetz saw combat again the next day and stepped up once more with a third place in the 40 B class skirmish. Another H&H soldier, Mike Bell, captured second place honors at the same time in the 45-minute 40 A engagement.

Round 4 on the 2013 WORCS calendar is scheduled for April 19-21 at Sand Hollow SVRA in Hurricane, Utah. H&H Racing and STI will of course be on the mission.

STI will again be supporting its troops with a vital contingency award supply line and on-scene assistance through Anthony Martin’s Triumph Motorsports squad.

For more info on the WORCS campaign, visit worcsracing.com.

Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle driver James Hill finished second in the SxS Pro Production class at round three of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Arizona.

Brothers Derek and Jason Murray also earned a podium finish with their Maverick 1000R X rs, racing to a third-place finish in the Best In The Desert (BITD) Mint 400 outside of Las Vegas. At the 2013 Mtn. Dew AMA ATV Motocross Nationals opening round in Georgia, BCS Performance / Can-Am pro Josh Creamer finished second in the Pro class aboard his DS 450.

“I was thrilled that Can-Am racers earned hard-fought podium finishes in three different series, and in very difficult conditions,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “James Hill overcame a challenging WORCS course to earn his second podium behind the wheel of the Maverick. The Murray Motorsports team had a spectacular podium finish at the Mint 400 and narrowly missing second-place by only two seconds. Josh Creamer – despite a first-turn crash in the first moto and very wet, muddy conditions – won a Pro class moto and notched an impressive second-place finish overall at round one of the AMA ATV MX series.”

Side-By-Side

Numerous Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicles participated at round three of WORCS held at Crazy Horse Resort in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. James Hill (No. 91 IMG Motorsports / GBC / Can-Am) was the top-finishing pro Maverick 1000R racer, earning a spot on the SxS Pro Production class podium with a strong second-place finish. Californian John Pacheco took sixth place in the same class with his Maverick.

Hill started on the first line in his class and was in the top five after one lap. Hill moved into the top three one lap later and kept pushing toward the front. He then took over the physical lead on the sixth-and-final lap, but had to settle for second overall due to adjusted time.

“The track was gnarly. My goal was to get out front quick and save the car the best I could due to the rough course,” said Hill.

At the grueling Mint 400 BITD desert race near Las Vegas, Nev., Murray Racing drove its Maverick 1000R X rs to one of the closest SSV race finishes in history. Derek and Jason Murray finished in third place, but were amazingly only two seconds from earning second-place overall in the SxS Pro class after adjusted time.

Can-Am X-Team member and Maverick side-by-side pilot Cory Sappington (Desert Toyz) finished in fifth place in the SxS Pro class.

ATV

At the opening round of the Mtn. Dew AMA ATV MX Nationals held at Aonia Pass Motocross Track in Washington, Ga., Creamer piloted his BCS Performance-backed Can-Am DS 450 to second overall. Creamer, making a full return to the ATV MX Nationals stage, was involved in a first turn pile-up that put him in last place at the start of moto one.

The former ATV MX national champion regained his composure and started to pass his way through the field. Despite muddy conditions, Creamer carved his way to sixth place by the end of moto one.

Creamer won the moto-two holeshot in the muck and then expanded the gap over second place after posting the fastest lap of the moto on lap four. He ended up winning by almost nine seconds. The moto win combined with his sixth-place run in the first moto earned Creamer second overall in the Pro class.

“It was a relief to get the holeshot in the second moto. I did a quick look back after the first lap and saw I was already pulling on the guys. I just put my head down and charged,” said Creamer. “I have to thank Jay [Brazee] and everyone from BCS / Can-Am. They made the DS 450 run flawlessly. I could hear all the fans out there rooting for me and I have to thank them the most.”

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.

Motoworks / Can-Am pro racer Josh Frederick suffered a serious back injury after crashing during the Pro ATV race Sunday at round three of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

Medical crews were on the scene quickly and, after complaining of the loss of feeling to his legs, he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

Further examination revealed that Frederick’s T-5 vertebrae was fractured during the violent crash. Frederick was then flown to a level-one trauma center in Las Vegas for additional examinations and surgery.

Frederick underwent surgery Sunday evening to remove the piece of bone lodged in his spine and his back was fused. The surgery was successful and Frederick is now resting comfortably at the hospital.

He did not regain feeling to his legs after the surgery and due to the amount of swelling it is not currently possible to determine a time frame for potential recovery or paralysis. Josh has been fitted with a back brace and on Tuesday he will start therapy.

“Josh is such a wonderful person, a devoted father and husband and a dedicated professional racer. While it deeply saddens me to learn of the severity of this injury, I also know that Josh is an extremely hard worker, a fighter and a true champion, I pray that he will persevere and overcome this challenge,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Josh and his family are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone at BRP and the entire Can-Am racing family.”

Frederick will not be racing for the remainder of the 2013 season and the Motoworks / Can-Am team will shift its focus to ensuring Frederick has everything he needs during this recovery. Frederick and his wife thank everyone for the outpouring of support from his fans, fellow WORCS racers and the entire international racing community.

“[We’re] Trying to stay positive. Prayers are definitely appreciated,” said wife Tiffany Frederick. “He’s way bummed and worried about everyone but himself. This is going to be a long, wait-and-see outcome. We have faith in the power of healing but also know it is always God’s will.”

He was currently competing in both the Pro ATV class and SxS Pro Production classes in WORCS, along with the SCORE series where he was defending his #1a ATV title for the Motoworks / Can-Am race team.

He recently earned the first-ever WORCS podium finish for the new Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side at round two and was the racer who gave the DS 450 its historic first win in 2007.