Press Release –

Multi-time off-road champion Terry Cunningham plans of giving ATV racing a shot after an extremely successful career on dirt bikes.

Cunningham hails from the state of Ohio and is choosing the famed John Penton GNCC near Millfield, Ohio as the race to test his off-road skills with an extra two wheels.

He will line up this Saturday with a Can-Am DS 450™ X xc against some of the best amateur off-road racing competition in the world.

“To have a legend like Terry Cunningham decide to come over to the ATV side is an event in itself, but to have him do it on a DS 450 X xc is terrific news,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “The combination of Cunningham’s off-road skill and the DS 450 X xc should prove to be a formidable one out on the course Saturday.”

The multi-time International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) gold medalist and four-time national enduro champion will make his ATV debut in the Senior A class.

He will put his 41-years of racing experience to the test as he has only a handful of hours experience racing ATVs. According to Cunningham, he is looking forward to the challenge.

“God has blessed me with an opportunity to chase another adventure and take on a brand new challenge as I plan to race the John Penton GNCC event this weekend,” says Cunningham. “ATV racing is one part of the off-road industry I haven’t competed in and I’m thrilled that Can-Am has provided me this opportunity to compete in this event aboard the new Can-Am DS 450 X xc. This weekend’s race in Ohio could be real entertaining for everyone to watch an old dog learn some new tricks!”

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 –

Yoshimura-sponsored rider Chris Borich secured the win at a nail-biting round of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series this weekend in Millfield, Ohio.

The Pennsylvania native made up for a sluggish start by the second lap and spent a lot of the 12-mile race on the heels of Adam McGill.

Unfortunately for the leader, a mechanical failure stopped him short and Borich raced to the checkers ahead of second place Kiser.

Borich has held the top podium spot for five of the eight rounds raced so far in this 13-round series and is currently holding onto a 23 point lead.

Press Release –

BRP is pleased to announce the appointment of Jimmie O’Dell as manager of the Can-Am™ ATV Racing Program.

O’Dell’s new duties will include developing a vision for the Can-Am program and carrying it out in partnership with the race teams, staff and racers themselves.

He will work closely with BRP’s marketing, technical and engineering departments to deliver top-flight performance results aimed at promoting and benefiting the Can-Am ATV brand. He will be based in Valcourt, Québec.

“We are very excited to have Jimmie come on board to the Can-Am ATV race program,” said Denis Morin Vice President Product Development Ski-Doo and Sea-Doo. “He brings a large amount of passion for racing and has a long history of off-road experience both as a racer and employee. Jimmie is a perfect fit for us and he brings a great personal perspective to our race program.”

Jimmie began working for BRP in 2001 as a district sales manager in the southeastern United States. In 2007 he was appointed as manager of the BRP call center and also oversaw the technical publications department for all brands at BRP, Inc.

“This is a great fit for me both personally and professionally,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “I’m extremely excited I get back to my passion – my love for racing, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and immersing myself into the world of Can-Am ATV racing. I’ve already attended a few races and have been very impressed by the heart and dedication our racers and race teams bring with them to the track each weekend. I accept the responsibility of feeding that enthusiasm and making sure everyone involved in Can-Am ATV racing is equipped with the proper resources to continue our success. I like to win and I’m very optimistic that we will continue to learn and build off our successes, and I predict there will be many more victories in our future.”

O’Dell is an accomplished 3rd generation professional motorcycle racer and brings over 35 years of off-road racing experience to BRP.

O’Dell played an integral part in Can-Am ATV’s involvement in GNCC racer sponsorship in 2005 and in 2006 he competed in a several GNCCs races aboard a Can-Am ATV, as well as finishing 2nd in ATV Sportsman class in the 2006 BAJA 1000 as a member of the Mike Penland team.

Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and sport boats, Evinrude and Johnson outboard engines, direct injection technologies such as E-TEC, Can-Am all-terrain vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax engines and karts. With manufacturing facilities on three continents, BRP products are distributed in more than 80 countries.

Press Release –

KYMCO USA has announced that it will offer a sales training program to all KYMCO dealers, with incentives including a free scooter for the first 25 dealers who have two salespeople successfully complete the course.

“It is well known that companies willing to invest during tough times usually come back even stronger when the economy improves,” said Steve Lazoff, Director of Sales for KYMCO USA. “Offering this quality training course, with financial incentives for completion, is one more way we are going the extra mile to support our dealers.”

The training package was developed by The Glenn Roller Institute in Scottsdale, AZ. Roller developed his comprehensive sales training package after videotaping and studying motorsports sales people as they interacted with customers. The research alone took 8 months.

The program is targeted directly at the person on the dealer floor. No travel is required. Students complete online exercises for review and with an investment of only 30-40 minutes per day, they can graduate in about 6 weeks. Glenn Roller’s book, The Seven Evolutionary Levels to Profound Selling, serves as the foundation of the course.

“Consumers are more price conscious than ever,” Roller says. “Older methods of selling aren’t working these days. Our goal is to help the KYMCO sales person shift to the new buying pattern that consumers are presenting.”

About KYMCO

KYMCO’s roots in the motorsports industry go back to its founding in 1963, as the Kwang Yang Motor Company, Ltd., with headquarters in Taiwan. Long a leader in quality, fuel economy, and versatility, today KYMCO manufactures motor scooters, motorcycles, and ATVs at five plants in Asia, including the main facility in the city of Kaohsiung.

The company’s partner in the United States is KYMCO USA, with headquarters, marketing and distribution centered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. KYMCO USA is dedicated to building the brand’s reputation and market share through superior value, frequent new product introductions, strategic industry partnerships, and excellence in dealer network support. KYMCO USA has a reputation and expertise gained through over 30 years in the U.S. motorsports industry.

Press Release –

Just in time for the summer riding season, Hatfield-McCoy Trails has added 15 miles of new trails on two of its six systems

“We’ve opened 10 miles on the Buffalo Mountain system, including five miles exclusively for motorcycles,” said John Fekete, Hatfield-McCoy’s deputy executive director. “Buffalo Mountain now has a total of 15 miles of single track trails, more than any other system.”

Buffalo Mountain also added five miles of trails for ATVs and UTVs. The 76.4-mile system, located between Williamson, Delbarton and Matewan, is the most historic of the six systems and has three community connectors.

The Pinnacle Creek system, near Pineville, received a new five-mile stretch of “Extreme Difficult” trails, Fekete said. This trail system is known for its breathtaking scenic views and is located less than one hour from world class whitewater rafting.

“Extreme Difficult” trails, designated by black and red markers, combine the aspects of the “Most Difficult” trails, along with stipulations barring riders under 18, machines under 200cc’s, and two-wheel drive machine. (“Most Difficult” trails can be extremely steep, with larger rocks and more obstacles on the sometimes overgrown paths.)

“Folks shouldn’t have any trouble negotiating these new trails,” Fekete said. “We have one of the best and easiest trail mapping and signage systems in the country. Our maps are easy to understand for just about anyone and our signage – including specifying difficulty level – is such that people can easily get around without getting lost.”

Additional trails are scheduled to be opened during the remainder of the year, including a one connecting the Fountain Place area near Logan.

The Hatfield-McCoy Trial System was created by the West Virginia Legislature to generate economic development through tourism in nine southern West Virginia counties. It currently operates six systems with more than 500 miles of trails. Each system is open 365 days a year to ATVs, dirt bikes, select utility vehicles (UTVs), mountain bikes, horses, and hikers. Many of the trail systems also offer community connecting trails that allow visitors to access “ATV-friendly towns” to experience the charm of southern West Virginia.

Press Release –

University of Florida Chapter and Two Purdue Students Receive Inaugural Yamaha Awards

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has named the recipients of its inaugural Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program. The University of Florida Chapter of the National Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) will receive the chapter award, and Whitney Siegfried and Katherine Kuykendall, both ACT members from Purdue University, earned the individual scholarships. As recipients of the individual scholarships, both Siegfried and Kuykendall will also have the opportunity to serve as interns for Yamaha during the 2009 Ag Media Summit.

Yamaha’s new scholarship program was launched this year to provide financial assistance to members of the ACT, a national college student association with 354 registered members located on 17 college and university campuses across the country. ACT’s mission of fostering professional development is at the core of the new Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program.

As part of the application process, students were asked to incorporate important ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) safety messages into practical communications pieces such as a feature story, brochure or press release. This part of the application was meant to show an example of the students’ quality of work, and also to seed safety messages that they can carry throughout their careers as professional communicators.

“Yamaha congratulates each of the recipients of our 2009 Yamaha-ACT Scholarship program, and we are proud to assist them in their pursuit of a career in agricultural communications,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV and SxS group marketing manager. “We hope that our application process allowed these ACT students to learn new lessons about safe, responsible off-road vehicle use. This is valuable information they can use throughout the professional and personal lives.”

“ACT is about providing students with practical opportunities to grow as future professional communicators, and Yamaha’s scholarship program fits right in with that purpose. To win, the students have to apply their communications skills—writing, design, and public relations. This year’s winners really showed some skill and talent, ” said Jeff Miller, professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas and national adviser of ACT.

The Yamaha-ACT Scholarship Program is broken out into two individual student scholarships and one chapter scholarship. All three scholarships are aimed at helping students attend the annual Agricultural Media Summit (AMS). As the largest gathering of crop and livestock media professionals in the country hosted by the Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and the Livestock Publications Council (LPC), the AMS is the ACT’s primary career development networking opportunity for these students each year.

Applicants were judged based on merit, need and quality of submission materials by a review committee consisting of Yamaha employees; ACT faculty adviser and Associate Professor for Agricultural Communications at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Jefferson D. Miller; AAEA President Elect and Director of Communications at Iowa Soybean Association, Karen Simon; and Livestock Publications Council President and Senior Director at The American Quarter Horse Journal, Jim Bret Campbell.

Press Release –

Yoshimura equipped rider Harold Goodman has begun his 2009 bid for the Extreme Dirt Track ATVA Nationals Championship title.

By sweeping up the first round of the six round series at the Ozark Mountain Raceway in Ava, Missouri, Goodman has a good start to shoot for a Triple Crown – 2007, 2008 and 2009 Championships.

The Romulus, Michigan native took the holeshot and held onto the lead throughout the race.

Although challenged from behind, Goodman never let up until he crossed the finish.

“It’s great to get this win,” Goodman said. “I feel confident that this is going to be another great series. We’ve got a full schedule this year with Baja, AMA MX Pro and this. We’ve finally got my bike going really great and I’m ready to go out and win some races.”

Goodman also secured the win in the Pro Lites class as well. Next up in the Extreme Dirt Track Series is June 20th at the Tri City Speedway in Franklin, PA.