Press Release –

Richard Letissier from Dallas is Awarded New 2009 Yamaha Grizzly 550 FI EPS

Yamaha Outdoors continues to support National Hunting and Fishing Day (NHF Day) and is pleased to announce the winner of the 2009 Yamaha-NHF Day sweepstakes.

Determined by random drawing, Yamaha congratulates Richard Letissier from Dallas who has won a new 2009 Yamaha Grizzly 550 FI ATV with Electric Power Steering (EPS).

Yamaha, through its relationships with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, Buckmasters, National Wild Turkey Federation and NHF Day, is a continued supporter of conservation efforts for outdoor recreational enthusiasts.

During its second year partnering with NHF Day, Yamaha was able to help make the 2009 celebration a great success – with registered events taking place across more than 40 states.

“Conservation efforts for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities are very important to Yamaha, and through our partnerships with awareness programs such as NHF Day we can expand our own efforts to support safe, responsible enjoyment of these activities,” said Steve Nessl, marketing manager for Yamaha’s ATV/SxS group. “Congratulations to Mr. Letissier, and we hope he enjoys his new Yamaha Grizzly 550 ATV with electric power steering and the most off-road capability in its class – a perfect ATV for outdoorsmen.”

Scheduled annually on the fourth Saturday of September, this year’s celebration of hunting, fishing and conservation took place on September 26, 2009.

NHF Day was formalized by Congress as a public reminder that hunters, anglers and shooters are America’s premier conservation supporters who generate $100,000 every 30 minutes for fish, wildlife and habitat programs.

The annual events provide an opportunity to share that message and introduce new participants to outdoor recreational activities while showing the nation what a positive impact these activities have on conservation efforts.

In addition to sponsoring outdoors conservation groups, Yamaha launched its OHV Access Initiative in January of 2008, and has since approved more than $1 million in GRANTs across the country supporting its mission of safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable trails.

Through its partnership with Outdoor Life’s Save a Stream program, Yamaha is helping promote this responsible message to all outdoorsmen and women.

Press Release –

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 Racer Jeremie Warnia Wins Quadcross Open Pro Title

Team Motoworks / Can-Am is celebrating another Can-Am DS 450 championship after Jeremie Warnia raced to the ITP Quadcross Open Pro championship last weekend at Glen Helen Raceway near San Bernardino, CA.

By winning the second moto of the Open Pro class, Warnia secured the overall for the weekend and his class championship.

His teammate, Dillion Zimmerman, clinched the 450 Production Expert class championship, too. This is Zimmerman’s second championship for Team Motoworks / Can-Am on his DS 450.

“Jeremie Warnia showed how tough of a racer he was by battling the rough conditions to win the Open Pro championship at Glen Helen,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “We are excited he will be racing the AMA Pro ATV Nationals next year for Motoworks and look forward to seeing him build upon his success in the ITP Quadcross series this season.”

Warnia was close to making it a sweep of both Quadcross Pro-class championships this season as he led the points race in the Pro 450 Production class heading into the final race.

In the first Pro 450 moto, a bad start forced him to work through traffic where he finished fourth. In the second moto, however, he didn’t get the finish he needed to hold onto the points lead and finished second in the championship by only a handful of points.

Chad Wienen raced in the Pro 450 Production class and went 3-1 in the two motos to finish second overall on his Motoworks-prepped DS 450.

Teammate, Josh Fredericks finished sixth overall in the Pro 450 Production class for the weekend on his DS 450. Local rider, Lance Hancock rode his DS 450 to convincing overall wins in both the Open Production Beginner class and the 450 Production Beginner classes.

For more information on Can-Am racing, our 2009 contingency program and amateur DS 450 support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Press Release –

Yamaha Factory Rider Dustin Nelson captured his third QuadCross Series title aboard his YFZ450R this past weekend at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. This is Nelson’s second consecutive Yamaha/ITP QuadCross championship and his first full year of competition on the YFZ450R.

Nelson posted first and second place finishes in respective motos during the final QuadCross event, which earned him the overall victory for the day and enough points for the series championship. Also riding Yamaha YFZ450Rs this season, racers Justin Noss and Jason Dunkleberger finished in third and fourth place respectively, putting three Yamaha’s in the overall top five for the year.

“I’m really happy and excited that all of our hard work paid off in another championship for Yamaha,” Nelson said. “On today’s rough high-speed track, the YFZ450R’s handling and power just shone through.”

“Yamaha congratulates Dustin on another outstanding race season, and we’re excited to see him bring home a third championship aboard a YFZ,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV group marketing manager. “Yamaha is proud to support Nelson and the entire QuadCross series. As a co-title sponsor, we believe the series is an excellent proving ground for the high-performance YFZ450R.”

Nelson has had a long relationship with Yamaha as a test rider and Factory Racer, and assisted in the development of the YFZ450R before it was introduced last fall. He was the first to race the YFZ450R at last year’s QuadCross Finale when he captured the 2008 championship. This year he took four top spots throughout the nine month series, including a win at this weekend’s Glen Helen finale, to close out his championship season.

Nelson’s 2009 season sponsors included Yamaha, Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing (GYTR®) and Yamalube. His 2009 championship winning race quad ran GYTR accessories, made especially for racing and performance enthusiasts, including the cylinder head, performance camshafts, piston kit, fuel controller, high flow air filter, adaptor plate, nerf bars, skid plates, sport front bumper and clutch components.

Press Release –

KTM Motorsports will extend its relationship with Farr Racing Enterprises (FRE) and its three-rider ATV GNCC Team for the 2010 season. The FRE/KTM ATV GNCC Team will consist of defending XC2 champion Josh Kirkland, defending Women’s Champion Angel Atwell and the newest member signing on to compete in the XC1 class Bryan Cook.

The FRE/KTM Team will be led by multi-time ATV champion Tim Farr. “Tim’s experience and expertise racing ATVs led to the development of the current KTM ATV and has helped KTM ATV Team riders win many races, including two championships last year,” remarked KTM Off-Road Team Manager Antti Kallonen. “Needless to say, we are very happy to extend our relationship with such a well decorated and knowledgeable team leader and look forward to a successful year with Tim and his FRE/KTM team for 2010.”

While Josh Kirkland and Angel Atwell will return to the team for their second year on the orange brand, the biggest news comes with the addition of former privateer rider, hailing from North Carolina, Bryan Cook.

The top privateer award winner of 2009 joins the FRE/KTM Team to compete in the highly competitive XC1 class. “I am grateful for this opportunity and excited that my racing has finally paid off and I will have a great machine and team structure for the 2010 season,” stated Cook.

“We have been looking at Bryan for quite some time,” commented Farr. “He is a talented rider that has placed consistently within the top five. Since he has been on his own budget as a privateer for some time, we know with the KTM product and the support of a team behind him his results will improve on the track. We expect to see many podiums from Bryan this next season.”