Three Can-Am DS 450 Pro ATV racers either won or finished on their class podium in recent motocross action.

BCS Performance / Can-Am racer Josh Creamer was a perfect 8-for-8 in motos and posted four overall wins in two separate rounds in the New England ATV Motocross series.

At round four of the AMA ATV Motocross series in Illinois, Motoworks / Can-Am teammates John Natalie and Joel Hetrick finished second and third overall.

“I can’t say enough about the consistency and overall effort put in by DS 450 Pro Josh Creamer. It’s not easy to win eight Pro-level motos, but he made it look simple and is determined to win both the Pro and Pro-Am NEATV-MX titles,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “In the AMA series, John Natalie put in a great charge to finish second overall in Illinois. Having both John and Joel Hetrick put their DS 450 ATVs on the Pro class podium is always good. We’re still very much in the race for the AMA championship and will continue to push for overall wins at the remaining five rounds.”

NEATV-MX

Josh Creamer is determined to win the NEATV-MX ATV Pro Championship on his Can-Am DS 450 in 2012. His dominating performances at round three and four extended his points leads in both the Pro and Pro-Am classes.

Lyman, Maine’s MX 207 hosted round three of the series. Creamer won the first Pro class moto and followed that up by winning moto two by more than a minute. The Pro-Am races were similar as Creamer walked away with both motos aboard his Can-Am DS 450.

At round four at Hurricane Hills in Clifford, Pa., Creamer was even more dominant aboard his BCS Performance-backed Can-Am DS 450. He posted two wire-to-wire victories in the Pro class motos and also earned two resounding wins in the Pro-Am class in Pennsylvania.

“I am going to be racing at the AMA MX Nationals in about a month, so I really needed to push it here and get in shape so I can be on the podium,” said Creamer.

AMA ATV MX

A recently redesigned Sunset Ridge MX Park in Illinois, hosted round four of the AMA ATV MX series. Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pros John Natalie and Joel Hetrick finished second and third overall.

In moto one, Natalie was bumped early at the start and had to battle back from the 10th position. He charged his way through the pack and up into third place before the first moto ended.

Hetrick, who grabbed the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier award, finished second in the first moto thanks to a top-five start and consistent riding.

In the second Pro class moto, Natalie had the lead after just one lap of racing. He later dropped to third after a slight bobble in a turn and gave away the lead. Natalie moved back into second place and was soon on the rear bumper of the leader, searching for a passing line at the end of the moto.

Natalie ended up in second and his 3-2 score was good for second overall, which maintained his second spot in the Pro Class point standings. Hetrick started the second moto in eighth place, but battled his way into fourth by the midway point of the race and held it the rest of the way to the finish line. His 2-4 score was good for third overall and kept him in third place in the Pro class rankings.

“It was a really close race, and I gave it my all, but I just couldn’t get around the leader at the finish. The track was good and rough and I really couldn’t have asked for any better,” said Natalie.

Amateur Can-Am racer Travis Spader won three classes (Open A, Junior 25+, Veteran 30+) aboard his BCS Performance-backed DS 450 ATV.

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

Anticipation was high coming into this weekend’s Inaugural running of the Can-Am Mountaineer Run GNCC, Round 7 of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series as the series headed back to its racing roots in West Virginia.

Despite some of the highest temperatures so far this season, there was no doubt a six-man battle to the finish for the XC1 class win.

Maxxis/Yoshimura’s Chris Borich bested the Ballance Racing Yamaha duo of Taylor Kiser and Walker Fowler for his sixth win in seven races, and padded his series points lead just a bit more.

Precision Motorsports/Lonestar Racing/Moto X Perts’ Adam Mcgill grabbed the $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award and set sail with the early lead.

The first Llap was a virtual free-for-all with the top ten riders swapping spots every few corners on the rocky, technical “old school” circuit. McGill experienced mechanical issues early in lap two, which would ultimately end his day and leave six riders to fight to get to the front.

Borich pulled the trigger a bit earlier than normal on his now patented last lap pass, making the move on Kiser just prior to receiving the white flag.

Kiser continued to pressure for the lead all the way to the checkers, even attempting a few maneuvers of his own in the final turns, but the Florida native came up just a few inches short.

Walker Fowler had an up and down day with troubles and crashes early on, but was able to mount a last lap charge to secure the final podium position.

Motoworks/Can-Am rider Chris Bithell Finished a solid fourth after running inside the top three throughout much of the two-hour event.

Rounding out the top five was JG Offroad/FRE/American Honda’s Brian Wolf. Many expected Wolf to excel in the rough West Virginia terrain, but he was hampered by a few mistakes in the latter stages of the race. Bowers/Coastal National Guard/Yokley Racing’s Jarrod McClure took home sixth place.

BNR’s Kevin Yoho put in a solid seventh place ride, once again battling Waynesburg Yamaha’s Jeff Pickens who came in eighth. DeRisi Racing’s Bryan Cook was ninth, just ahead of GBC/Cernics/HMF/Yamaha’s Johnny Gallagher in tenth.

Tireballs backed rider Pat McGuire returned to the top step of the Pro Am podium for the first time since Round 1 in Florida, regaining the points lead in the process. Greg’s ATV & Cycle’s Matt Hanna continued his impressive streak with a second place finish.

Pennsylvania privateer Blake Kramer has been a GNCC regular for nearly a decade and made his first trip to the podium with his third place finish.

Tough luck for Waynesburg Yamaha’s Gabe Phillips, who broke down on the opening lap of the race. DeRisi Racing’s Braden Henthorn also had a rough day, causing him to lose the points lead to McGuire after a sixteenth place finish.

New York’s Roman Brown made the move to the XC2 division this weekend, leaving fellow College A competitor Brycen Neal to garner the coveted Top Amateur Award for the second time in 2012.

GT Thunder’s Dave Simmons earned his fifth AM overall of the season, also keeping his perfect season in the Super Senior (45+) class in tact. 4×4 Lites points leader Kevin Trantham returned to the AM podium with a second overall after a mechanical issue held him back last round.

Yamaha racing’s Traci Cecco grabbed the third overall spot, while also besting her toughest opponent Angel Atwell in the highly contested Women’s class. Cecco now holds four class wins to Atwell’s three in the championship chase.

Can-Am X-Team’s Bryan Buckhannon bested the 4×4 Open class and also finished second on the 4×4 overall podium behind Trantham. UXC Racing’s Clif Beasley landed the third spot on the 4×4 podium and continued his perfect season in the U2 class.

Defending Youth champ Hunter Hart took the Youth Overall win after bouncing back from a leg injury that kept him out of a couple rounds this year.

Hart took his first win since Round 2 in Georgia in the 90 Open (12-15) class, ahead of South Carolina’s Zachary Jones and Kentucky’s Kalab Hagan.

Knowledge of the local terrain paid off for Morgantown’s own Team Barron Eastgate Racing as they topped the UTV race action ahead of fellow locals Team Coastal National Guard, who came through in second.

William Yokley piloted his Polaris National Guard machine to a thirdplace finish, tightening an already heated season points chase.

Round eight of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series heads to Snowshoe, W. Va. June 26 and 27 for the Motosport.com Snowshoe GNCC. For more information, go to www.gnccracing.com.

Chad Wienen came into round four of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship with heavy momentum as the series returned to his hometown track at Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois.

Wienen once again swept both motos of the day, marking seven of the eight moto wins this season and further extended his lead in the championship point standings.

Motoworks/Can-Am’s Joel Hetrick once again proved that he could lay down the fastest lap time as he grabbed the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award to kick off the day at Sunset Ridge. It was Lonestar/SSi Decals/Get Dirty MX’s Nick DeNoble who captured both SSi Decals Holeshot Awards but the Wisconsin native ran into issues all day, keeping him from finishing both motos.

Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Race Craft/Yamaha’s Chad Wienen picked up right where he left off last round. Wienen got out front early in Moto 1 and battled with Motoworks/Can-Am’s Joel Hetrick throughout the fifteen-lap race. Hetrick kept Wienen in his sights all day but despite all efforts to take the win, Hetrick wasn’t able to make the pass on Wienen.

Motoworks/Can-Am’s John Natalie began Moto 1 with a back of the pack start, but the defending champ moved his way inside the top three as the moto wore on. Natalie settled into third and chased the battle of Hetrick and Wienen throughout the moto. TBROWN Yamaha Racing/Moto-X-Perts rider Thomas Brown got tangled up with another rider at the beginning of Moto 1 and was forced to pass through the pack, eventually making his way up to a seventh place finish.

In Moto 2, the leaders mixed it up but it was Wienen who once again came out on top, securing both moto wins at his home track. Natalie, Hetrick and Brown didn’t make it easy for Wienen to walk away with it though, as the trio contested the leader harder than ever in Moto 2. Brown got out front early on and led for about five laps before Wienen inherited the lead around lap 10.

Natalie and Brown battled Wienen to the very end and the top three came through the checkers less than three seconds apart. Wienen and Natalie had yet another photo finish for the win, crossing the finish less than one second apart. Wienen swept both motos for the overall win, while Natalie went 2-3 for second place and Hetrick took third with a 2-4 score. Thomas Brown put together fourth overall with 7-3 finishes, putting him in fifth place in the championship standings.

Baldwin Motorports/PEP’s Josh Upperman battled with the lead pack all day and his 4-5 score earned him fifth overall. Upperman still holds the fourth place spot in the overall standings. Michigan’s Harold Goodman put in a season-best performance to capture seventh overall with a 5-7 score. Goodman now sits in eight place in the championship standings.

Derek Swartfager (HON) finished sixth overall, just ahead of Harold Goodman and Adam Clark (HON), Jeffrey Rastrelli (SUZ) and Jesse Barnes (YAM) rounded out the top ten.

The 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship heads to Ballance MX in Oakland, Ky., for round five of the ten-race circuit. For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.

ITP has been a dedicated supporter of ATV racing since, well, almost as long as ATV racing has been around.

ITP is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012, has been fully committed to backing racers and events of all types throughout those past three decades.

Such was the case with round four of the 2012 ATV MX National Championship Series, held in Walnut, Illinois. ITP was the presenting sponsor of the Sunset Ridge MX, an event that drew hundreds of pro and amateur riders to this idyllic Midwestern track’s rolling hills. The real challenge for most competitors at this venue this weekend was probably the high heat and humidity.

But our talented Team ITP riders gave it their all once again and at the end of the day many enjoyed the scenic view from the podium.

One of the most frequent visitors there was Haedyn Mickelson of Root River Racing. This fleet teen scored three second-place overall finishes for the weekend, winning two motos along the way.

These runner-up performances came in Schoolboy Sr. (14-17), Schoolboy Jr. (13-15) and Super-Mini (13-15). In the season point standings in each class he now holds first, second and fifth, respectively.

Samuel Rowe was another of ITP’s tough kids, putting his Janssen Motorsports-powered Root River Racing Honda on the top step of the Schoolboy Sr. (14-17) class and into fifth in the Schoolboy Jr. (13-15) division. He won the second motos of both classes, obviously keeping his cool in the tropical conditions. This Wisconsin native currently enjoys second and third in points for those two classes.

And how about the even younger Maci Devenport, who was triumphant in both the Girls (12-15) class and the 90 Production (8-15) field. With this race in the books, Maci sits second and first in series points, respectively.

In the big-boy classes, Cody Janssen had a good day in the intense Pro Am Unlimited division, going 1-2 in the motos for second overall on his Janssen Motorsports/Roberts Racing Outlaws Honda. He stands fourth in points.

Root River’s Sean Taylor stood next to Janssen on the Pro Am Unlimited podium with third overall, and added a very competitive fourth overall finish in Pro Am Production as well. This competitor from Iowa holds third and fourth in the class standings, respectively.

Finally we have Chloe Buerster, who is not a guy but rides like one against them, and who didn’t make a top-three podium this time but came very close. The Janssen Motorsports/Roberts Racing Outlaws athlete went 4-5 for fourth overall in the Women’s class (and is third in class points), as well as 2-7 in the 4-Stroke B class (to hold fourth in the standings).

The ten-event series now moves to Ballance MX in Oakland, Kentucky, June-2-3, for some rare night racing.