GBC Motorsports’ Travis Moore braved the muddy moto one conditions at Sunday Creek to claim a top ten finish overall in the Pro Production class, while pro-am racer Nicholas Moser finished on the podium in the Pro-Am Unlimited class at round number eight of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships.

The weather at Millfield, OH was not in the mood to cooperate, as heavy rain created slick and muddy conditions for racers as they left the gate for the first pro moto of the day.

GBC Motorsports’ Travis Moore made the best of the inclement weather, and came off the line in the top ten. Moore was able to work his way into the number seven spot, but the muddy conditions would cause vision problems for Moore, and he would drop back to round out the top ten for the first moto.

The skies cleared and the track dried out a bit for the second moto, which helped Moore charge from the back of the pack on the start. Moore missed a shift off the start and found himself in the number fourteen spot, but he put the hammer down and made an impressive run, picking off riders one by one as he reached the top ten.

Moore then went on to battle it out with veteran racer Joe Byrd, but Moore’s perseverance allowed him to get ahead and finish in the number eight spot, giving him a respectable seventh place overall for the day.

“We’ve had a bit of bad luck, but we are hoping to break that at Unadilla,” said Moore. “I still have to thank everyone at GBC Motorsports for helping me be out here every weekend and living the dream. We are still working hard, and I think it’s going to pay off at the next round.”

In the Pro-Am ranks, Nicholas Moser was looking good as he charged off the line just outside of the top five in the first Pro-Am Unlimited moto.

Moser put his head down and made his way into the number three spot before reaching the checkered flag. In the second moto, Moser was again outside of the top five off the start, but worked his way up for a fourth place finish. Moser’s consistent 3-4 finishes allowed his to claim the final spot on the Pro-am Unlimited podium.

Moser also had a good showing in the Pro-Am Production class. Moser came out of the gate in seventh in the first moto, and climbed to the number five position before reaching the checkers.

In moto two, Moser was running strong and looked as if he would again claim a podium position, but a mid-moto battle sent him off the track and ended his day on the seventh lap. Moser’s strong performance was enough to earn him a respectable sixth overall.

The GBC Motorsports team will be heading to Unadilla in New Berlin, NY on July 16th – 17th where Travis Moore and Nicholas Moser will be charging hard as they go for the podium in each of their classes.

After 8 rounds of racing, the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series Championship is beginning to take shape as the points margin has closed to a mere seven point difference between the leaders, the tightest margin yet this season.

The Wiseco John Penton is historically known for its unpredictable weather conditions and inevitably variable course conditions. Offering up a little bit of everything, the Millfield course presents racers with a motocross section, plenty of trails through the woods and of course, mud and hill climbs.

Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Adam McGill prevailed in tough conditions just two weeks ago at Snowshoe, capturing his second win of the season and closing the points gap on current points leader Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich.

Borich, also last year’s Wiseco John Penton winner, experienced tough luck at Snowshoe, finishing a disappointing twelfth place after bike issues set him back.

Don’t forget Yamaha Racing’s youngest rider Walker Fowler, who has had a perfect season so far in the XC2 class on top of capturing an overall win already this year. Ballance Racing’s Fowler is never far from the front and the Ohio native is looking to contest the win this weekend in his home state.

This weekend’s Wiseco John Penton will host round one of a three-race 50cc bike series, co-sanctioned with our friends at the AMA Northeast Hare Scrambles (NEHS).

The 50cc bike race will take place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, following the afternoon ATV race. Transponders are required and racers may sign up at the event.

Spectator passes run $15 for the full weekend, with pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge. On Saturday, ATV youth riders race at 8 a.m., beginner riders race at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and the pros race at 1 p.m.

To get to the track, take 33 West 1.5 miles to 13 North (Chauncey exit). Go 3 miles into Chauncey. Turn right staying on Route 13 North. Continue for 10 miles to Jacksonville. Go right on Sixth St. for 2 miles, and then turn left.

For more information, check out the official series website at www.GNCCRacing.com or call 304-284-0084.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., donated a Grizzly 700 ATV to the Wish I Could of Northeast Louisiana, Inc. (WIC) foundation helping raise $9,230 for the charity at the annual Marengo Swamp Run in Hebert, La., on June 4.

The annual event, which raises money mainly through entry fees and private donations, helps fund the WIC mission of granting wishes of terminally ill children in Northeast Louisiana.

Yamaha has donated an ATV each of the past eight years helping to raise more than $50,000 – money that pays for the WIC annual kids’ Christmas party. The WIC Foundation has in total raised more than $400,000 in the same time to help make kids’ wishes come true.

“Yamaha is proud to support Wish I Could and its cause of helping terminally ill children,” said Mike Martinez, general manager of Yamaha’s ATV & SxS vehicle group. “Yamaha also congratulates Ricky Rollins for winning the Grizzly 700 ATV and thanks everyone who purchased a $5 raffle ticket. That money goes directly to WIC and the kids.”

“The ATV raffle is the sole fundraiser for the Wish I Could annual Christmas Party,” said Wayne Moore, WIC president. “Each year the surviving children are given a gift of their choice from Santa because of the support we receive from Yamaha. We are proud to partner with and receive support from this wonderful corporation.”

More information about the WIC organization and the Marengo Swamp run is available here: www.wishicould.org/donate.html

Can-Am X-Team racer Chase Snapp finished with a career-best second overall aboard his privateer Can-Am DS 450 at round eight of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championship series held at Sunday Creek in Millfield, Ohio.

Motoworks/ Can-Am racer John Natalie, recovering from a broken arm, finished 10th overall to move into the points lead in the race for the AMA ATV MX National Championship title.

“We sure missed having Chad Wienen out there, but rookie Chase Snapp really stepped up his game this weekend, winning his first career moto and earning second overall,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “John Natalie is just an animal and definitely lived up to his ‘Ironman’ nickname this weekend. For him to be able to finish in the top 10 with a broken arm is amazing. He now has the points lead and will thankfully have another couple weeks of healing before our next race in New York.”

Snapp won the first Pro class moto, the first of his career, in wet, muddy conditions. He came off the line in second place and took over the lead on the opening lap when the race leader made a mistake.

From there, Snapp stayed out front and rode his DS 450 across the finish line for his first professional moto victory. He finished fourth in the second moto to earn his second Pro class podium in the last three rounds.

“I got a good start and knew I had to with the rain coming down. I just put my head down and kept going and when he [race leader] went off the track and I got out front,” said Snapp. “I can’t thank my mechanic Darrin enough. He has been working hard to get me more power and it really paid off today.”

Natalie, who had a broken radius bone in his forearm surgically repaired last week, made the decision to race in an effort to score points. He started strong in the first moto and even worked his way up to the fourth-place position, before he eventually slowed his pace when his quad was suspected of ingesting water.

The second moto went much better for the former champion. Despite a slow start, Natalie charged ahead and passed several riders on his way to a sixth-place finish. His 16-6 moto finishes were good for 10th overall and also moved him into the Pro class points lead. He leads the second-place rider by seven points heading into round nine.

Natalie was pleased that he salvaged points and captured the points lead considering his condition. “My arm was pretty sore out there, but I really want to take that championship this year and I’m not going to let an injury stop me,” he added. “I’ve got two weeks to heal up before New York and I am going there to take the win!”

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer and current World Off-Road Championship Series Pro class points leader Jeremie Warnia also entered the Ohio race.

After earning the fastest qualifier award early in the day and jumping out to a top-five start in moto one, a mechanical issue resulting from suspected water ingestion forced Warnia to pull off the track on the eighth lap and settle for 17th. He rebounded in the second moto, finishing seventh. His 17-7 combined score was good for 14th overall.

Wienen, who is recovering from surgery to his broken back, suffered while practicing on his home track, will unfortunately be forced to miss the remainder of the season. He has been released from the hospital and is walking around, is in good spirits and is feeling better every day on his road to recovery and is determined to come back stronger than ever next season.

“I had a good points lead and I am disappointed that I can’t race, but I am thankful that I will be able to make a return,” said Wienen. “I’m feeling better every day. I know it isn’t going to be easy, but I’ll be back out there as soon as I can.”

Can-Am X-Team racer Cole Henry finished fifth overall in the Pro-Am Unlimited class and fourth overall in the Pro-Am Production ranks aboard his DS 450 ATV.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2011 schedule, the 2011 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Josh Creamer won the second Pro-class moto and took the overall win in the Pro-Am class at round five of the New England ATV Motocross Series held at MX 207 in Lyman, Maine. BCS Performance / Can-Am racer Cody Miller earned a Pro-Am class podium as well.

“Josh proved he had the speed to win both classes at MX 207, but unfortunately, he was nursing a sore knee and came up a little short in the Pro class,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manger, Can-Am. “Josh’s will to persevere and race despite his injury was impressive and he really took care of business by winning the second moto in both classes and earning himself the Pro-Am class overall win.”

In the first Pro moto, Creamer came out of the gate in fourth. He was unable to make up any ground on the leaders and finished fourth due to the narrow 207 MX track’s tight passing conditions. Creamer grabbed the holeshot in the second moto and held it all the way to the finish line. His 4-1 score was good for second place.

“I was going to just go out there to salvage points, but I got tired of eating dirt and just rode like I normally would in the final two motos and ended up taking a couple of moto wins,” said Creamer. “I really want to take the championship this season and I couldn’t just let the leader run away with the points lead, so I chose to race even with a sore knee.”

Miller, who went 3-4 in the Pro class, showed some determination coming from behind in both motos and finding a way to pass five racers on his way to fourth place in the second pro moto.

The Pro-Am class was better for Miller as he finished third in each moto, which earned him third place and the third position on the podium.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2011 schedule, the 2011 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.