Press Release –

The fourth round of the AMA Pro ATV MX Championship at Danville, Virginia’s Birch Creek Motorsports facility found Dustin Wimmer at the front of the pack yet again.

The 2008 Champion reminded his competitors why he has the big Number One on the front of his Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki QuadRacer R450.

This event marked Wimmer’s 3rd overall win of the young season and, in addition, further stretched out his points lead.

The first moto started with Wimmer in third position, but by the 6th lap he was on leader Chad Wienen’s tail.

Dustin was running consistent lap times in the 2:02 range while his competition averaged about four tenths slower.

Catching and passing are sometimes two different things, but as the technical Birch Creek track is notorious for having few passing zones, Wimmer was kept at bay and Wienen was first at the checkers.

In the second moto, Wimmer was strong out of the gate but got hung up in the first turn. Now in 7th position, Wimmer fought his way through traffic trying to catch up to the lead. Finally, in lap eight, he got around both first and second and pulled away for the win. Wimmer’s 2-1 finish gave him his 3rd overall win of the season.

“I knew I had to train hard for this round,” Wimmer said. “In the second moto, I had the confidence to get through the pack and win, so I rode really aggressively to get to where I wanted to be – in the lead.”

Teammate Doug Gust rode like the legend he is, coming back from 12th place after the first turn all the way up to sixth place. Gust’s sixth and tenth place finishes resulting in seventh overall. In the series points, Gust is in eighth place and Wimmer now has a nice six point cushion after only four races.

“The team and the bike are really awesome this year,” Team Manager Kory Ellis explained. “We’re working hard towards getting another championship. We gained 5 points this weekend and that’s in the right direction.”

Catch this week’s motosode on ATVision on quad.transworld.net. Next up in the series is May 2nd/3rd at Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, IL.

Press Release –

Arctic Cat revolutionized mud riding when the Mud Pro 700H1 was introduced as a 2009 model. Not only is it the first stock ATV designed with snorkels and 28” mud tires that can tackle muddy stuff out of the box, it is the first to have its own mud racing class.

Arctic Cat will be the official sponsor of the Mud Pro Class 2. Both Arctic Cat and Championship Mud Racing (CMR) feel like this is a perfect fit for the 2009 Arctic Cat Mud Pro.

“We want to show the world of mud riding enthusiasts that the Mud Pro 700 can be competitive off the showroom floor. That’s why we’re going to back up the class with a larger factory contingency”, said Ted Bettin, Team Arctic ATV Race Coordinator.

For more information on the 2009 Mud Pro 700, please log on to www.arcticcat.com. To learn more about the CMR Series, please visit www.championshipmudracing.com.

Press Release –

ATV enthusiasts from across the US, Canada and even from as far away as Sweden came together for the weeklong experience known as The High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals.

For the seventh straight year, riders came to spend a week of mud riding, mud racing and catching up with old friends at Mud Creek Off-Road Park, near Jacksonville, Texas.

The 2009 event offered a variety of ATV related goods and services from over 70 Vendors for the riders to utilize.

Some vendors had participated before, but some new, nationally recognized companies came out for the first time this year in full force.

The Texas Ford Dealers attended and graciously hosted two of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders to sign autographs, while Monster Energy kept everyone’s thirst quenched by passing out full-sized samples all week.

The guys from Warn Industries were a huge help in offering their services to winch out riders stuck in the thick, Texas mud as well as assisting during the competitions with getting competitiors out of the mud pit when things weren’t going their way.

At the K&N Filters Awards Ceremony Saturday night, winners received a collective total of more than $30,000, which is one of, if not THE, largest payouts paid in a single mud racing event.

The event had five different competitions scheduled and a total of 907 registered competitors.

Riders had the opportunity to compete for cash and prizes in various events throughout the week that displayed some of the most impressive ATV racing machines and riders in the world.

Other events included a Children’s Helmet Drive sponsored by Yamaha Motor Corporation, Akraix Freestyle Exhibition sponsored by Can Am/BRP and the Polaris Fireworks Show as the finale of the weeklong festival.

Press Release –

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is contributing more than $175,000 in cash and equipment this first quarter of 2009 to ATV riding clubs, national forests, law enforcement support groups and other off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related organizations across the country.

This initial effort for 2009 is a continuation of Yamaha’s OHV Access Initiative, which has poured more than $875,000 into the OHV community since the beginning of last year supporting its mission of promoting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas.

In this first quarter funding cycle, Yamaha GRANTs (Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails) were awarded to 15 applicants with compelling projects designed to improve OHV experience locally, regionally and nationally.

Awardees include:
· Ashland Resource Area, Oregon
· ATV Off-road Club of Michigan
· Balsam Trailblazers ATV Club, Minnesota
· Burnett County Law Enforcement Citizens Auxiliary, Wisconsin
· Colorado OHV Coalition Foundation
· Coalition of Recreational Trail Users, Minnesota
· Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
· Harlan County Ridge Runner ATV, Kentucky
· Knott County Trail Riders, Kentucky
· Leatherwood Fire & Rescue, Kentucky
· National OHV Conservation Council
· Northern Traxx ATV Club, Minnesota
· Oswego Valley ATV Club, New York
· Ride Safe Virginia
· Rock Run Recreation Area, Pennsylvania

“The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative has become a vital resource for OHV communities that are performing the on-the-ground work needed to create and maintain safe and responsible riding areas,” said Mike Martinez, Yamaha’s general manager of ATV and Side-by-Side Operations. “Yamaha has put more than $875,000 back into the OHV community through the OHV Access Initiative over the past 15 months. Particularly in this economic climate, these grass roots organizations need help, and Yamaha is proud to continue our support of the industry and enthusiasts through these GRANTS.”

The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative funds OHV access-related projects that include, but are not limited to:
· Trail development, restoration and maintenance
· Trail signage, mapping and map production
· Staging area construction, renovation and maintenance
· Responsible OHV riding education and outreach
· Land stewardship and education
· Legislative lobbying efforts

Press Release –

Casey Folks, Director of Best in the Desert, announced Arctic Cat has been named as the “Official UTV” of the Best in the Desert.

Folks made the announcement, leading up to this weekends popular Terrible’s 250 at Primm, April 17-19, 2009.

Folks said, “I am excited to announce this new sponsorship with Arctic Cat. The Best in the Desert Series is an ideal venue for them to showcase their line of durable Prowler UTVs and take advantage of the opportunities our series offers.”

Ted Bettin, Team Arctic’s ATV Race Coordinator, commented, “We know the connection between Arctic Cat and off-road racing is a perfect fit. What better place to show our Prowler’s high performance capabilities than in U.S. deserts featuring hard-charging, off road racing in this unique class of vehicle.”

Bettin goes on to say, “For over 40 years Arctic Cat has had a strong racing heritage; most recently being the first stock Prowler to complete, and sweep 1st and 2nd place in the Baja 1000.We are looking forward to our new association with Best in the Desert, the premier U.S. off-road desert racing organization.”

Folks continued, “We welcome Arctic Cat on-board to join our other elite official sponsors, and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Press Release –

Borich, McGill and Kiser Command GNCC Points Lead Going Into Round Five of the 2009 Can-AM Grand National Cross Country Series

Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Borich was the first repeat winner on the ATV side of the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series, taking the lead in the points race and perhaps locking down a bright championship future going into round five, the Acerbis Loretta Lynn GNCC. That is, if FRE KTM’s Adam McGill and Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser don’t catch up to him.

McGill is fast behind with only eight points separating him from Borich and Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser behind McGill by just three points. The three have been trading in and out of the lead during the course of the season.

Houser Racing’s Bryan Cook is fourth in points and with defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance recovering from an injury, the door is open to any of the four top riders as they prepare for round five at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch this weekend.

The soil of the track is sandy, so the track gets whooped out. Some sections are covered in small, shale rock, probably not tire-cutting stuff, but enough to ruin traction. The whoops and the heat and humidity indigenous to this area can sap a rider’s strength. That, combined with the trio’s command of the points race, makes it hard for any rider to move up and become a viable contender.

Ballance struggled at the first two rounds of the season but made it up to the podium at Steele Creek and Big Buck, putting him fifth in the series, behind Cook, who won the Steele Creek race. Cook is now fourth in points, 21 points behind Kiser. Yamaha’s Donald Ockerman and Brandon Sommers are behind Ballance in points, but have yet to make it onto the podium this year.