Press Release –

Florida’s Own Taylor Kiser Takes First-Ever Win at GNCC Opener Borich, McGill Overcome Mechanical Troubles to Land on Podium

Alva, Florida’s Taylor Kiser started the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross County Series in dream fashion by notching his first career win at the season opening River Ranch GNCC in Lake Wales, Florida.

Kiser, who finished the 2008 tour ranked sixth in the final standings, topped Rockstar Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Borich and FRE KTM’s Adam McGill on a rough, dry, sandy race track at the West Gate River Ranch Resort.

“This is like a dream to win it in front of all of these people,” said Kiser in front of his home state fans on the podium. “I saw Chris and Adam setting a good pace out front, and I wasn’t sure if I should go with them, because this course gets so rough and I knew it would be a long day. So I just played it smart and it paid off.”

Borich grabbed the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award and took off early. He and McGill traded the lead a bit before McGill came in contact with a lapped rider.

“Another rider had just pulled out of Chris’ way, and then he pulled back onto the track just as I was coming through. I flipped the thing and it broke the bolt on my front brake. That was some bad luck there.”

McGill took an extended pit stop, and Kiser went around to take second. Then Borich started struggling as his clutch started fading.

“I felt real good, real strong early,” said Borich. “I’ve been training a lot harder, hitting the gym real hard. We’re ready. I ride the clutch a lot through those sand whoops, but in this sugar sand it started to fade. I really had to change my riding style on the last lap just to get in to the finish. I think everyone probably had clutch problems out here.”

Kiser admitted his clutch started fading, too, but after he made the pass on Borich he kept his pace up and rolled to a win by just over a minute after two hours of racing.

Fourth went to DeRisi Racing veteran Bryan Cook, on an Honda, with last year’s XC2 Champion Don Ockerman grabbing fifth on his factory GT Thunder Yamaha. Sixth went to Brandon Ballance, on a Yamaha, with Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell in seventh.

Jeff Pickens, Jarrod McClure and Josh Kirkland rounded out the top ten overall, with Kirkland topping the XC2 Pro-Am Class on his FRE KTM.

“This is the way I was hoping it would go, but really, I was just hoping to get to the dirt races to get a win,” said Kirkland after a day in the sand.

Second in the class went to another KTM rider, David Crane, while third came an unheralded Kawasaki privateer from New York, Scott Rich. Yamaha rider Brian Wolf grabbed the $100 Rekluse XC2 Holeshot Award and finished fifth, behind Honda rider Eric Hoyland.

Defending GNCC Champion Bill Ballance struggled all day dealing with the effects of getting surgery on his ribs just three weeks ago – the result of an injury that lingered from last year. He finished 18th in the XC1 pro class after completing four of six laps.

Ballance and Bithell did, however, compete hard the night before the race as part of barrel racing at the River Ranch Rodeo. In the end, Ballance came up a second short of the fastest horse while riding his YFZ450R.

In the morning race, KTM’s Angel Atwell notched the $100 GT Thunder Morning Race Overall Award in her first GNCC on a KTM. Jennifer Albright notched second overall and second in the Women’s class, with Warnert Can-Am’s Michael Swift taking top 4×4 honors by notching third overall and winning the 4×4 Limited Class.

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues with bike racing from the Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC on Tuesday, March 3rd.

For more information and full results, visit www.gnccracing.com

Results:

Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC
Lake Wales, Florida
March 1, 2009
XC1 Class

1. Taylor Kiser (Yam)
2. Chris Borich (Suz)
3. Adam McGill (KTM)
4. Bryan Cook (Hon)
5. Don Ockerman (Yam)
6. Brandon Ballance (Yam)
7. Chris Bithell (Can)
8. Jeff Pickens (Yam)
9. Jarrod McClure (Yam)
10. Johnny Gallagher (Yam)

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

SNOWTRAX and DIRT TRAX Television Acquired by SUPERTRAX Publishing Group

Paul Massingberd, brother of the late John Massingberd, founder of SnowTrax and Dirt Trax Television, is pleased to announce the sale of both television properties to the Lester family, owners of Supertrax International Magazine, Go Snowmobiling Magazine and All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine.

Terms of the sale of SnowTrax, North America’s #1 snowmobile enthusiast television show and Dirt Trax Television, have been agreed upon and will be finalized in the next 30 days.

Paul Massingberd states: “My brother and the Lester family enjoyed a close and co-operative relationship over the 13 years John established these companies. It was John’s desire to see these businesses continue their role in both the snowmobile and ATV industry. I’m confident, with both SnowTrax and Dirt Trax owned by the Lesters, John’s legacy is in good hands and the television shows will continue to be powersport media leaders.”

Supertrax International Magazine is the largest international snowmobile enthusiast publication in the world and has the largest BPA/CCAB audited circulation in both the United States and Canada.

Go Snowmobiling Magazine is the Official Publication of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) circulated to over 85,000 Trail Permit holders. All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine is the largest circulated ATV publication in Canada and one of the largest circulation ATV enthusiast publications in the United States.

Supertrax Co-Publisher, Kent Lester, remembers John: “My brother, Mark and I, are pleased and humbled to bring SnowTrax and Dirt Trax under the Supertrax umbrella. John Massingberd was a very special and valued friend. We consider it an honor to ensure his hard work and success will continue. John’s passing has been tough for all of us. We’ve lost a good friend but John’s longstanding friendship with Supertrax serves as a constant reminder of the “Big Guy” who was always a man of his word.”

Further details of the transaction will be made available over the next few weeks. For both SnowTrax and Dirt Trax television, it will continue to be business as usual with exciting new shows coming soon.

Contact (705) 286-2135

Press Release –

More Classes And More Race Series Brings Total To $1.3 Million

Valcourt, Québec, February 24, 2009 – BRP is pleased to announce an increase in its already-extensive 2009 Can-Am™ ATV race contingency program.

This brings the total money available to pro and amateur Can-Am racers to more than $1.3 million USD making it the largest ATV-only contingency program in the history of ATV racing.

The latest race series to be added is the American Woods Racing Championship Series (AWRCS) with a total contingency amount of $58,000 across seven classes in all 10 rounds.

With contingency dollars already available in the GNCC, AMA ATV Motocross, CMRC, ITP Quadcross, WORCS, SCORE, Best in the Desert, NEATV-MX, PAMX and OMA, Can-Am covers every major national and regional ATV championship in North America.

“This reinforces our commitment to the sport and illustrates our effort to reward racers who commit to Can-Am,” says Del Bohlman, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “We made a concerted effort to cover all the major series across North America and cover every Can-Am product from Outlander™ to Renegade™ to DS 450™.”

In addition, Can-Am recently announced the 2009 Can-Am X-Team DS 450 Racer Support Program, which allows a racer to get unprecedented access to factory support.

To be eligible for the $3,000-plus in benefits, a racer much purchase a new or unused 2008 or 2009 Can-Am DS 450 EFI ATV within the program timeframe and apply through a participating Can-Am dealer. Full details of the program can be found in the contingency section of the Can-Am X-Team Web site.

For contingency forms and complete contingency schedules, please visit the Can-Am X-Team Web site at www.can-amxteam.com. There, racers will also find updated race news and photos from the 2009 race season.

Press Release –

Championship Teams Kickoff First Full Season on the All-New, Highly-Anticipated YFZ450R

Yamaha’s ATV race team is in final preparations for the 2009 race season and will enter a number of the top ATV racing series, including GNCC, QuadCross, WORCS and AMA MX, over the next two weekends. This is the first season that each Yamaha race team member will compete atop the all-new and highly-anticipated YFZ450R.

Many of Yamaha’s ATV race team members were introduced last fall, but there have been a few additions to the team that have not yet been formally announced. Members not yet announced include: Johnny Gallagher, a seasoned veteran who has spent years working with the Yamaha factory team on the GNCC circuit; Donnie Ockerman, the 2008 GNCC XC2 Pro-Am champion; Thomas Brown, the 2008 ATVA/AMA National Pro-Am Motocross champ; and Justin Noss, winner of the inaugural season of the 2008 QuadCross 250cc unlimited class on his Raptor 250.

Yamaha’s factory riders announced last fall include:

Bill Ballance, the nine-time consecutive Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) XC1 Pro series champion and widely considered the best ATV racer of all time. Ballance suffered a rib injury last year and had to undergo surgery in the off-season.

The injury and resulting surgery interrupted his pre-season training, but in true championship-fashion Ballance will be back to chase his 10th consecutive title at the GNCC opener in Florida this coming weekend. Ballance is from Smiths Grove, Ky., and runs the #1 plate.

Traci Cecco, the unprecedented seven-time GNCC womens’ title holder and veteran Yamaha race team member. Cecco, who lives in Shamokin, Penn., and runs #201, will return to try to break her own record in 2009.

Brandon Sommers, the 2007 GNCC XC2 class champion, placed fifth last year in his first go at the XC1 class. Sommers, #784, is back in XC1 for 2009 racing out of Millersburg, Ohio.

Pat Brown, 2008 Montreal Supercross champ and a top competitor for Yamaha in the AMA pro ATV motocross series. Brown is from Pittstown, N.J., and runs the #99 plate.

Dustin Nelson, two-time Yamaha/ITP Quadcross MX Pro Class champion. Nelson was the first Yamaha Team rider to race the YFZ450R at the end of last year when he took the holeshot and won a Quadcross moto at Glen Helen en route to his 2008 series title. Nelson lives in Ramona, Calif., and runs #94.

Yamaha race team bios are available at:http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/events/racinghome/home.aspx and more information on the new YFZ450R is available at: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modelhome/620/0/home.aspx

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 more than 4,000 dealers in the United States.

Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1977, YMUS 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. Team Sportech heads north to Hill City, MN and the always challenging track at Quadna Mountain Park for another round of ISOC Minnesota Regional competition, February 28-March.

Press Release –

American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) announced today that it has hired Rod Lopusnak as its new National Sales Manager.

Lopusnak will manage all sales functions, including the company’s four sales regions as well as dealer development and dealer relations. He begins his new role with ASMC immediately.

“Rod’s return to American Suzuki’s motorcycle and ATV division will certainly deliver rewards through his vast experience in the industry,” said Mac Kato, vice president of American Suzuki’s motorcycle/ATV division. “Rod brings a thorough understanding of the motorcycle industry and of our need to serve both Suzuki dealers and customers.”

With experience working in motorcycle dealers, as a Suzuki District Sales Manager, and at the ASMC headquarters in Brea, Calif., as ATV Operations Manager, Lopusnak brings valuable experience to his new role.

“I am thrilled and honored to be on the American Suzuki team,” said Lopusnak. “This is a dream position for me, I can remember being a dealer and dreaming about this. I consider Suzuki, each employee and the dealers as part of my family! I’m just excited to get started and to speak with the best dealers in the industry every day. This is a special day for me and my family.”

His duties as National Sales Manager will include management of all sales functions, including ASMC’s four sales regions as well as dealer development and dealer relations.

Lopusnak spent the last 14 months as Vice President of Business Development with Tucker Rocky Distributing, a national distributor of parts and accessories to the motorcycle and ATV industry.

Press Release –

Support Offers At Least $3,000 In Benefits, 75% Parts Discount, Factory Race Tips And More

Amateur racers who ride the Can-Am™ DS 450™ EFI ATV now have unprecedented access to factory racing support thanks to the 2009 Can-Am X-Team DS 450 Racer Support Program. No matter the race series and no matter the class, amateur DS 450 racers can apply through any authorized Can-Am dealer and receive factory support upon racer approval.

“This is just one of the ways Can-Am is standing behind its racers,” says Bernard Guy, Director of Marketing, Can-Am ATVs. “We proved last season the DS 450 is competitive at the professional level and now we want to extend support to everyone who chooses to race a DS 450. We feel if someone who is considering a race ATV brand, this program makes it an easy decision; race a DS 450 and you will have the factory standing behind you.”

A racer who is approved, and purchases a DS 450 in the program timeframe, will receive a one-year Can-Am X-Team Membership card with unique racer ID giving access to a $1,000 racer discount on any new or unused 2008 DS 450 or a $500 on any new or unused 2009 model and a $1,000 X-Team Racer parts account.

The approved racer will also receive a FREE X-Team Stage 1 Racing kit (up to a $1,000 value). This kit (Racing Engine Control Module, Motoworks SR4 aluminum slip-on silencer, and other factory-developed racing items) brings the crank horsepower of the DS 450 to 50 hp – an improvement of 11 percent on stock – while considerably increasing low end torque.

Approved racers will also receive a significant discount on specific Can-Am X-Team Performance Packages. Four performance packages are available to further customize the DS 450 (other than X mx and X xc models) to specific racing applications, and they are offered at an unbelievable 75 percent off MSRP to approved racers.

From KYB shock packages to 50-inch widening kits; these performance packages have been race-tested with winning results:

MX 50″

This kit contains +2″ MX (motocross) racing A-arms, caster and camber adjustable by 1° increments, with extended tie-rods and brake lines, as well as a racing-specific hollow rear axle adjustable from 46″ to 50″ by 1″ increments. ($1,400 retail value; $349.98 racer price)

MX 50″ KYB Shock

Consists of a pair of KYB HPG C40 aluminum piggyback front shocks and one KYB HPG C46 aluminum remote reservoir rear shock. Shocks are Kashima-coated for lower friction, with dual-speed compression, rebound and preload adjustments and come complete with racing spring set-up. Mated with the MX 50″ package, this kit provides 10.7″ of travel and an optimal 7″ ride height for MX racing. ($2,300 retail value; $574.98 racer price)

XC 46″ KYB Shock

Package consists of a pair of KYB HPG C36 aluminum piggyback front shocks and one KYB HPG C40 aluminum piggyback rear shock. Shocks come with dual-speed compression, rebound and preload adjustments and complete with racing spring set-up. Mated with the standard DS 46″ width, this kit provides 9.6″ of front travel, 10.5″ of rear travel and an optimal 7.5″ ride height for XC (cross-country) racing. ($1,500 retail value; $374.98 racer price)

Steering stem and handlebars

Package includes an extra-strength extended 1″ steering stem with anti-vibe mounts and an aluminum 6061-T6 taper-profile handlebars with square pad. This package is recommended for racing with all 2008 and 2009 DS 450 standard and 2008 DS 450 X package models. ($300 retail value; $74.98 racer price)

Moreover, racers will not only have access to more than 1 million dollars in race contingency in 11 national and regional racing series, but approved X-Team racers winning a class championship will be featured on advertising in the pages of ATV Insider magazine and on many racing websites. This can launch a career and get sponsors to notice!

Last but not least, X-Team racers will be notified by the Can-Am Racing department if important racing tips become available during the 2009 season.

Full details of the program and more race information can be found at www.can-am.brp.com or www.can-amxteam.com.

Press Release –

Can-Am Offers Over $355,000 in ATV Contingency, the Largest ATV Program in the 2009 GNCC Racing Series

Grand National Cross County Series Title Sponsor Can-Am returns for the GNCC Series with a new, larger contingency program, as their 2009 GNCC payout for ATVs totals $355,800.

The Can-Am program features the largest ATV payout in the GNCC Series.

The Can-Am program offers contingency from GNCC Youth and Utility classes all the way up to the pro ranks.

Can-Am awards the XC1 Pro class race winner a prize of $2,500, followed by $1,000 for second, and $750 for third.

“We stepped up our contingency program in 2009 to help support the ATV racers out there dedicated to Can-Am ATVs,” said Del Bohlman, Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “We want to see as many yellow Can-Am ATVs out on the GNCC course as possible and will continue to support the GNCC series and ATV racing as a whole. We can’t wait for the season to begin.”

Click here for more information and scroll through all of the 2009 GNCC contingency postings.

The 2009 AMA/ATVA Grand National Cross Country Series begins with The Parts Unlimited River Ranch in River Ranch, FL on February 28- March 3.