Can-Am DS 450 ATV Pro class racer Josh Creamer finished second overall at round eight in Unadilla, N.Y., in a successful return to the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series.

He was joined on the Pro class podium by defending AMA ATV MX champion John Natalie, who finished third overall. Natalie’s Motoworks / Can-Am teammate Joel Hetrick finished fourth while Canadian Can-Am X-Team racer Richard Pelchat took seventh on his DS 450.

“It was another great weekend of racing, as our Can-Am riders battled hard to earn two spots on the Pro podium in Unadilla, N.Y. Josh Creamer had a memorable return to the AMA ATV MX National series convincingly winning the first moto and ending up second overall. Motoworks / Can-Am pilot John Natalie earned a hard-fought third-place finish and kept himself in the championship points race with only two rounds remaining,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Joel Hetrick just missed the podium, finishing fourth, but gained some valuable points in his pursuit to remain in the top three in the Pro class points race.”

Holeshots were critical in New York as the famed Unadilla Valley Sports Center played hard and fast with limited lines to pass. Creamer, BCS Performance / Can-Am racer and current New England ATV Motocross series Pro class points leader, proved he could still run with the top ATV pros as he grabbed the holeshot and immediately pulled to a three-second lead.

Creamer held the lead the entire moto on his way to earning his first moto victory in almost two years. Creamer was fourth at the start of moto two, but moved up to second – passing Natalie – at one point before settling for third.

His 1-3 finishes were good for second overall and his first AMA series Pro class podium since 2010, the year he won the pro title.

“BCS Performance did a great job on the DS 450. I got the holeshot and checked out from there. I didn’t get tired and I just stayed focused,” said Creamer. “I really felt good out there. I’ve spent the last six weeks training and it really helped me to be ready for this round. I am really happy to have finished on the podium and now I am really excited for Red Bud. I want to thank all the fans out there for all of their support. It was great to hear everyone when I was out there battling it out. I wanted to come out here and get on the box this weekend and I did that so I can’t complain.”

Natalie put in a spirited ride in New York. After battling back from a horrible start in the first moto, Natalie picked off several racers until he moved into third place at the finish.

He paired his third-place run with a hard-fought second-place ride in moto two to earn third overall and keep alive his shot at another national championship.

“There was some great racing today. I had to spend a lot of energy in the first moto trying to work up. And for moto two, I just gave it everything I had,” said Natalie. “I always want to win, but I still finished on the podium and salvaged some points. There’s still four motos left in the season and anything can happen so things could get real interesting at Loretta’s.”

Hetrick, who posted the quickest time in the second timed qualifying session, was in third at the start of moto one, but got bumped back to sixth on the first lap.

Hetrick recovered to eventually retake third place. However, he lost one more spot at the end of the moto when his teammate Natalie got by in the closing laps of the moto. Hetrick would finish in fourth. Hetrick also finished fourth in moto two to finish fourth overall.

However, his fourth-place ride cushioned his lead for third place in the overall Pro class point standings. The fourth Can-Am racer in the top 10 was Pelchat, who usually competes in the Courses VTT series in Canada. He posted 7-6 finishes in the motos to earn seventh overall aboard his DS 450.

Two rounds of the AMA ATV MX series remain. Red Bud Raceway in Buchannon, Mich., will host round nine on July 28. The series finale is slated for August 11, at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

An ATV engine for Honda’s TRX500 Foreman Rubicon model recently rolled off the dyno at the Honda of South Carolina (HSC) manufacturing plant, and marked a milestone: It was the two millionth engine produced at Honda’s Timmonsville, SC, factory.

HSC is a 536,150-square-foot facility that sits on 625 acres, and it is dedicated solely to the production of Honda ATVs.

Opened in 1998, the assembly plant added engine production in the year 2000. HSC is one of 9 major plants in the U.S., and has the ability to produce 266,000 ATVs and 310,000 engines annually. Since 1998, HSC has manufactured more than two million Honda ATVs.

“I would like to thank all of our associates for helping us achieve this major milestone,” said Brian Newman, President HSC. “This facility is unique among all Honda plants in the U.S. as it is dedicated solely to the production of Honda ATVs that are sold not only here in the U.S. but also around the world. This is American manufacturing at the highest Honda quality level, and we take great pride in this milestone.”

About Honda – American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and MUVs in the U.S. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing, and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers.

For more information on Honda products, go to www.powersports.honda.com.

Team Travalena won the XC2 UTV class in its Can-Am Commander 1000 X and Motoworks / Can-Am Commander racer Kyle Chaney finished a close second in the XC1 UTV class at round nine of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series held in Millfield, Ohio.

Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers Bryan Buchannon (4×4 Open), Clifton Beasley (U2), Kevin Trantham (4×4 Lites) and Forest Whorton (4×4 Senior) also won their class at The John Penton GNCC race.

“All of our the riders and teams fought hard and overcame the excessive heat in Ohio. Motoworks / Can-Am Commander 1000 X driver Kyle Chaney led most of the XC1 UTV race. Unfortunately, a lapped racer caused Chaney to crash on the final lap. Thankfully, he recovered to finish a very close second and reach the class podium,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Team Travalena also had great ride, winning the XC2 UTV class. I was proud of the way all our guys raced in the brutally humid conditions, especially our Can-Am 4×4 racers, who earned four class overalls.”

In side-by-side racing action, pilot Kyle Chaney put his Motoworks-backed Can-Am Commander in the top five at the start of the XC1 UTV class race. By the second lap, he grabbed the lead and held it until the final loop.

While overtaking a lapped vehicle, Chaney lost control of his vehicle and lost the lead. The team recovered quickly and ended up with a hard-fought second-place finish.

In the UTV XC2 class, Team Travelena worked its way up from a top five start and took the class win by over 30 seconds. The team’s impressive charge in their Commander 1000 X also allowed them to finish in ninth overall for the day.

In the XC1 Pro class, Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Chris Bithell made a great come-from-behind ride to claim a top five finish. A roosted rock thrown by another ATV at the start of the XC1 class, derailed the chain on Bithell’s ATV and put him 40-seconds behind the race leaders. However, by lap two, Bithell had moved into fourth place. He ended the day in fifth place.

Defending 4×4 Open class champion and current points leader Bryan Buckhannon and Michael Swift again had a fantastic duel aboard their Can-Am Outlander 800R ATVs.

Buckhannon came off the starting line in third, while Swift got hung up with another racer. However, by the midpoint of the lap two, Swift had caught Buckhannon and the two diced for the lead for the next couple laps.

Buckhannon eventually found some breathing room and notched his seventh overall of the year, while Swift took second.

“I had a good race but the heat got to me after it was all over, so I am just really glad everything went well,” said Buckhannon, who also competed in the UTV racing in Ohio. “I’m going to be doing a few local races over the break and doing some fine tuning on my Commander, so when we come back I can hopefully be on the podium.”

Kevin Trantham led the 4×4 Lites class from start to finish aboard is 2012 Outlander 500, winning by more than 13 minutes. He also finished second overall for the morning race. UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade racer Cliff Beasley got back to his winning ways in the U2 class after missing the podium at the previous round.

Beasley finished with a time of 01:40:08, putting him in third overall for the morning classes. Defending 4×4 Senior class champion, Forrest Whorton notched another win aboard his Outlander 800R.

After losing his ignition key on the starting line and starting more than three minutes behind the rest of his class, Whorton put in an incredible ride on his way to victory.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.