BRP’s Can-Am ATV and side-by-side teams reached their respective class podiums in the 34th edition of the most famous rally in the world, the Dakar Rally.

This year’s edition, noted by some as “the most challenging Dakar thus far,” kicked off in Mar del Plata-Argentina, leading 30 hopeful ATV racers through approximately 9,000 kilometers (5,592 miles) of unparalleled terrains across Argentina, Chile, and finally, Peru. Only 11 teams crossed the coveted finish line, among them BRP racers Daniel Mazzucco, Barry Cruces and Petar Cenkov (Team Rally Raid / Can-Am), who finished first, second and third in the 4×4 Quad category.

“Out of my three Dakar participations, this was without a doubt the toughest,” Argentinean pilot Mazzucco (Team AGO-MD / Can-Am) declared upon receiving his first-place trophy. “The ATV performed extremely well and the Renegades filled the podium on the 4×4, which was a great result! I also must commend my technical support team for providing excellent support and assistance.”

Cruces, runner-up in the 4×4 Quad class for Team Nextel by Can-Am and Dakar newcomer, agreed, stating, “The Renegade did not give me any issues, and our technical team was absolutely great. Being the novice at this event, I raced at my own pace with only one goal in mind: finish the race. On many occasions, I was ready to give up, but people back home, my teammates, and their support kept me going … and I did it!”

The 2012 Dakar will forever leave its mark on side-by-side racing segment. Ten side-by-side vehicles attempted to conquer the Dakar, but only three reached the finish line in Peru.

Team Nextel by Can-Am racers, and Dakar side-by-side racing pioneers, Claudio Hidalgo and Claudio Troncoso, second and third respectively, tested their off-road racing skills in the gruelling terrain in Can-Am Commander side-by-side vehicles.

“People were surprised to see this little ‘car’ complete the Dakar,” stated second-place co-pilot Sebastian Palma. “At times we felt we were not going to make it. It was really brutal! They nicknamed us the ‘Rats of the Desert’ because we were impossible to put down. Coming in second and third was a great testament for the Commander side-by-side… a great accomplishment by the team considering this is was our first Dakar appearance ever.”

Looking to build upon its unprecedented racing success in 2011 – a season that saw two Pro-class championships, two manufacturer’s cup titles, several amateur-class titles and a successful debut with the Commander side-by-side racing efforts – BRP will again field a team of Can-Am racers on both ATVs and side-by-sides in off-road racing series in the U.S. and Canada in 2012.

“I’m very excited to see the start a new season and feel very confident that our riders and teams will be very well prepared to do battle aboard their Can-Am machines, including an AMA No. 1 plate on John Natalie’s DS 450,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Overall, I feel we have assembled a race team with talented, determined and dedicated pilots and team personnel; I’m proud to have them competing aboard our Can-Am products.”

Team Motoworks / Can-Am

Team Motoworks / Can-Am and owner Johnny Leach begin their defense of the AMA ATV Motocross title with the Can-Am DS 450, offering factory support for reigning AMA ATV Pro Champion John Natalie.

The 2011 Pro Rookie of the Year Joel Hetrick, who finished fifth overall and had won two overalls, was also added for the 2012 season.

Motoworks / Can-Am will also support Can-Am Grand National Cross Country XC1 Pro class racer Chris Bithell, who finished fourth in 2011 and is looking for his first GNCC ATV championship.

This will be Bithell’s fourth season racing under the Can-Am banner and first with Motoworks / Can-Am. Kyle Chaney will compete in all the GNCC side-by-side vehicle races for Team Motoworks / Can-Am. He will pilot the Commander 1000 X in the UTV XC1 Modified class.

In the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS), former champion and 2011 Pro class runner-up Josh Frederick looks to regain the No. 1 plate on his DS 450 in the ATV Pro class.

He finished two points behind teammate and 2011 WORCS ATV Champion Jeremie Warnia, who will compete solely in Europe in 2012. Frederick will also expand his role with Motoworks / Can-Am by competing in a Commander side-by-side vehicle in UTV Class 1 at WORCS and also the UTV Pro class at selected races in both the Best in the Desert and SCORE series.

Fellow Motoworks / Can-Am Pro class racer Dillon Zimmerman, who was sixth last year in the Pro class, will also compete full-time aboard the DS 450 in the WORCS series.

Team BCS Performance / Can-Am

Headlining Team BCS Performance / Can-Am is 2011 New England ATV Motocross Pro class runner-up Josh Creamer. The former AMA ATV MX Champion will compete aboard a Can-Am DS 450 in both the NEATV-MX series and at select AMA ATV Motocross series events.

Creamer, who won five NEATV-MX Pro class events in 2011 and had the points lead going into the final race, finished just 15 points out of first place.

Team Gorilla Axle

BRP will once again support the Gorilla Axle Mud-Racing team this year. Racing the Can-Am Outlander 800R X mr, Renegade 800R ATVs and Commander 1000 side-by-side, the team will attend selected mud races and represent BRP.

Team UXC / Can-Am

Can-Am GNCC 4×4 ATV racers, Michael Swift and Cliff Beasley will represent Team UXC / Can-Am in the morning events aboard Outlander and Renegade ATVs, respectively. Swift won five rounds and finished runner-up in the 4×4 Open class. Beasley, who at one time posted 30 consecutive GNCC class victories, won the U2 class winning all but one round. This tandem also teamed with another rider to win the 2011 Heartland Challenge Pro Utility class aboard a Can-Am ATV.

X-Team

In addition to its full factory racing partnership teams, BRP offers amateur racers the ability to compete with factory Can-Am X-Team support.

In the Can-Am GNCC series, 2011 4×4 Open Class Champion Bryan Buckhannon returns as a Can-am X-Team member. Buckhannon won six class overalls on his way to capturing the title.

Other Can-Am X-Team members who will race in the GNCC series are 2011 4×4 Lites Champion Kevin Trantham, 2011 4×4 Senior Champion Forrest Whorton, 2011 UTV Limited Champion Team Travalena and GNCC fan-favorite and longtime Can-Am racer Mike Penland.

In the Courses VTT series in Quebec, Canada, Richard Pelchat will compete in both the MX Pro and UTV class as an X-Team member.

Dave Larochelle is the other MX Pro X-Team member in the series. Another Canadian racer, DS 450 racer Eric Lamontagne, is on the X-Team and will compete in the Pro-Am ranks in the FMSQ series.

Brothers Cole and Chase Henry will each compete with Can-Am X-Team support in the AMA ATV Motocross series. Cole will run the Pro-Am Production and Pro-Am Unlimted classes aboard a DS 450. Chase also will compete in the Pro-Am Unlimited as well as the Production A class.

Another set of brothers, Cody and Hunter Miller, also will race for the Can-Am X-Team, but they will focus on two racing series (TQRA and TORN) in their home state of Texas. They will compete on the DS 450 in the Pro / Expert classes and together in a Commander side-by-side vehicle in both series.

Collins Webster, who won the 2011 WORCS Pro-Am class title, will again compete on a DS 450 in the same series for the Can-Am X-Team. Cam Reimers will race a DS 450 in the Expert class in both AMA District 22 (Iowa) and 23 (Minnesota) as a member of the Can-Am X-Team.

Three other racers earned Can-Am X-Team support for both the BITD and SCORE series in a Commander side-by-side. They are, Murray Motorsports, Michael Lansky and Cory Sappington.

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

GBC Motorsports rider Dylan Dixon competed in the opening round of the 2012 WORCS Series at Glen Helen Raceway this weekend.

The Pro-Am ATV racer from Murrieta, CA put GBC’s popular Race Rex tires to the test in the first round of the WORCS season.

Saturday morning rain had left the WORCS course at Glen Helen a muddy challenge by the time the Sunday afternoon races rolled around.

Dixon overcame a bad gate pick to come out of the start in 4th place. Officials rerouted the riders partway through the race to avoid the messier pro section, but Dylan fought through the conditions to finish in 5th place.

“We are happy to be supporting Dylan this year as he is a great up-and-coming rider with a lot of heart and talent on the track,” said GBC Motorsports representative Kory Ellis.

The next round of the 2012 WORCS ATV Series is scheduled for February 11-12 at Buffalo Bills in Primm, Nevada.

To learn more about GBC’s Race Rex tires, as well as a full selection of ATV tires for all occasions, visit www.gbcmotorsports.com

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.’s, OHV Access Initiative today announced the fourth quarter 2011 awards totaling more than $96,000 for seven projects supporting safe, responsible OHV riding and open, sustainable OHV access to trails and riding areas across the country.

Since 2008, Yamaha has awarded more than 160 GRANTs in 33 states securing its place as the clear industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs).

The OHV Access Initiative requires a Yamaha dealer endorsement for each application, facilitating interaction between dealers and OHV groups as well as encouraging dealer involvement in important projects across the country.

“Yamaha remains committed to the preservation and creation of responsible OHV areas, and we are eager to work with riders, riding groups and land managers to continue uncovering and supporting these opportunities,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Yamaha is proud of our ability to support the OHV community from a corporate level, but it is our dealer partners who have made this program grow to what it is today. Given the amount of projects we have supported – even in a relatively short time – the OHV Access Initiative has transformed from a promising support program to an established asset and necessary component of our sport’s future.”

The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative is uniquely structured to channel the highest percentage of raised funds directly back onto the trail.

By keeping overhead low and committing all OHV funds to the exclusive use of the OHV GRANT program, Yamaha has maximized the contributions to deserving projects.

In the fourth quarter 2011 alone, seven organizations were awarded GRANTs totaling more than $96,000 including:

– Northern Wayne Outdoor Recreation Club – Lakewood, Pa.
– Ouachita ATV Club – Mena, Ark.
– City of Earlington – Kentucky
– Keweenaw ATV Club – Upper Peninsula, Mich.
– Rio Grande National Forest, Divide Ranger District – Del Norte, Colo.
– Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation
– Vermont ATV Sportman’s Association

Yamaha is actively seeking qualified projects at local, state and federal levels.

The deadline to submit an application for consideration in the first quarter GRANT funding cycle for 2012 is March 31, 2012.

The complete quarterly review calendar for 2012 is as follows:

Submission Schedule (Approval Deadline)

– December 1, 2011 – March 31, 2012 (May 4, 2012)
– April 1 – June 30, 2012 (July 31, 2012)
– July 1 – September 29, 2012 (October 31, 2012)
– October 1 – November 30, 2012 (January 11, 2013)

The current OHV Access Initiative GRANT application form and guidelines are available at www.Yamaha-Motor.com/OHVAccess

Kolpin Outdoors, Inc. is pleased to announce that as of December 31, 2011 it has closed on the transaction to purchase the ATV Accessories product line fromCycle Country Accessories Corporation, of Spencer, IA. 

Kolpin is purchasing only the ATV Accessories product line, and not any other operating entity of Cycle Country, nor its manufacturing operations, real estate, machinery and equipment.

Cycle Country will continue to manufacture the ATV Accessories products for Kolpin through March of 2012.
 
In order to ensure a seamless transition and continuity for Cycle Country’s distribution partners, Kolpin has also announced that it will hire certain Cycle Country employees in the sales, customer service and product development/engineering areas and will maintain a physical office and R&D center location in Spencer, IA.
 
“We are very pleased to be able to bring Cycle Country into the Kolpin Powersport family of brands,” stated Tom Lutes, President/CEO of Kolpin. “We have spent many years developing the culture, brand, product and distribution strategies that have brought Kolpin to the forefront of the industry. As the new steward of the Cycle Country brand, we fully intend to apply those same principles in projecting it to the next level. Job #1 is to build a strong foundation to ensure we are serving our Powersport distribution and dealer partners in a timely, efficient and quality manner. Once we are confident the foundation is solid and in in place, we will begin driving innovative product development and more aggressive brand marketing at both the trade and consumer level.”
 
Cycle Country will be managed as an independent product brand under the Kolpin Powersports family and will remain as an exclusive brand of products to the Powersport distribution/dealer channel.

Certain elements of the brand activity will be integrated into Kolpin, but dedicated resources for sales, customer service and engineering will be maintained for the Cycle Country brand.
 
Mike Stone, Executive Vice President of Kolpin was quoted, “We are taking the reins of Cycle Country well into this year’s snow season, thus we will have minimal ability to impact the supply for this season. However, we are hard at work at putting in place a world class supply chain, both domestically and off-shore. Our mantra, in fact our guarantee, is that we will have adequate supply of product on the shelves well before the snow starts flying in the upcoming season. As we speak, our supply chain partners are already tooling up and producing product for the 2012/13 season.”
 
About Kolpin Outdoors Inc: Kolpin Outdoors Inc. is a growth-oriented marketer and manufacturer of innovative ATV accessories and UTV accessories. As The Leader in All-Terrain Innovation, Kolpin sets the standard for quality, innovation and design. Kolpin ATV products and UTV products are designed for recreational ATV and UTV riders,hunters & outdoorsmen, and landowners. Kolpin continues to redefine theindustry with patented innovations such as our world-renowned Kolpin Expansion System (KXP), Gun Boot cases and brackets, Stealth Exhaust, DirtWorks System and a large assortment of ATV and UTV accessories. To learn about the latest products, news and topics follow us on www.kolpin.com

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has launched a first-of-its-kind promotion with GoPro, the world’s most versatile camera, to give away free HD HERO2 Motorsports Edition cameras to Yamaha ATV customers in the first half of 2012.
 
Through the unique promotion, anyone who buys a 400cc and above Yamaha ATV* by the end of May will receive a free GoPro HD HERO2 (a $299 value) from Yamaha.
 
“Yamaha is excited to offer a free HD HERO2 camera to ATV customers in 2012 through this new promotion with GoPro,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV/SxS group marketing manager.  “We’ve used the HERO cameras on motocross tracks, on trail rides, in the sand dunes and even when out hunting.  It’s a great camera, and we expect this will be an exciting offer for motorsports and outdoor enthusiasts alike.”
 
The HD HERO2 camera can be worn or mounted on just about anything utilizing GoPro’s numerous mounts and accessories.

This versatility matches well with Yamaha’s wide ranging ATVs, from the highest-performance sports ATVs to the most durable and off-road capable utility 4×4 models.
 
Yamaha’s Dustin Nelson wore a GoPro camera while racing his YFZ450R to a record fifth championship in the 2011 motocross season and Yamaha’s Whitetail Diaries hunting show on NBC Sports mounts the cameras to the best selling** big bore utility Grizzly 700 with EPS to capture dramatic action in the field.

“The versatility of the HERO cameras, and the quality that the GoPro brand represents, make this a great fit for Yamaha’s ATV customers,” Nessl said.  “Yamaha produces the most high-performance, toughest and off-road capable vehicles, and is an avid supporter of the many lifestyles in which our products are used.  This new GoPro promotion is another example of how Yamaha is supporting our customers’ lifestyles and exceeding their expectations.”
 
The HD HERO2 shoots high quality HD 1080p video and has numerous still image settings to capture 11 megapixel photographs that are magazine-spread quality.  GoPro also produces a premier line of accessories including the LCD BacPac, the award-winning 3D HERO System and the upcoming Wi-Fi BacPac / Remote Control Combo kit and GoPro App for mobile devices.
 
*Eligible models: All new, unused and previously unregistered 2008-2012 Yamaha ATV models 400cc and greater. Customer must purchase eligible model between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2012. Offer good in the United States excluding Hawaii.
 
About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. – Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS) a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States. 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.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has confirmed its 2012 ATV race team with top-level Yamaha supported racers scheduled to compete in the country’s best motocross and cross country series.

Yamaha is also expanding its national trackside assistance program with support at all AMA ATV MX National Championship series events.

“No one can match Yamaha’s support of the sport combining a top racing program, event and track-side support programs and the most comprehensive line of sport ATVs,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV/SxS group marketing manager. “This is an exciting time for Yamaha racing as we look forward to the 2012 season with a stellar team and the most high-performance and consistent race quad in the YFZ450R.”

Yamaha’s Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) team will again be led by ATV racing legend Bill Ballance as team owner and manager of Ballance Racing.

Taylor Kiser, who took third overall in the 2011 XC-1 Pro class, is back on blue again for 2012 and looking to build momentum.

Walker Fowler, the 2011 AMA ATV Racer of the Year and XC-2 Pro Am champ, will move up to join Kiser in the XC-1 Pro class for 2012.

Eight-time Women’s champ Traci Cecco, who recaptured the #1 plate in 2011, will also return to GNCC competition and continue her run as the most successful women in all of ATV racing while battling for a record ninth overall championship.

Returning to the Yamaha QuadX Series is five-time and reigning Pro champion Dustin Nelson. Nelson had a perfect season in 2011 winning every stop in the Western motocross series.

He will also compete in the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) again, hoping to build on his fourth place overall finish from 2011.

In the AMA ATV Motocross series, Thomas Brown is returning to Yamaha after finishing fifth in 2011. For 2012, Brown will be joined in the AMA ATV series by Chad Wienen and his Wienen Motorsports YFZ450R.

“Yamaha focused its efforts in the off-season to further strengthen our team and trackside support programs,” said Donnie Luce, Yamaha ATV/Off-Road racing coordinator. “2011 was a great year of ATV championships and record seasons, and we expect 2012 is going to be another exciting season for Yamaha’s ATV racing programs.”

Yamaha is expanding its ATV trackside support program working with Layne Barnes and Pro Motorsports from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, to now include all AMA ATV national events.

Barnes is a longtime ATV enthusiast, and he and his staff will offer support for Yamaha riders by stocking replacement parts and providing technical assistance on race days.

Yamaha will also continue to support the QuadX Series with help from Roy Bloodworth and his Big Kid Racing team who will continue providing parts, service, technical assistance and race information to competitors throughout the season.

“Yamaha embraces the excitement and family atmosphere of ATV racing,” Luce said. “The sport is in the company’s heritage and fuels our passion for the races and racers. On the track and on the trails, we expect big things from team blue next year and look forward to Yamaha riders competing for championships in the many series we support.”

About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. – Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS) a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States. 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