Press Release –

GNCC Pro Chris Bithell Gives the DS 450 ATV its First GNCC Win; WORCS Championship for Josh Frederick

This past weekend was a remarkably successful weekend of racing for all Can-Am X-Team racers. At the Unadilla GNCC, BRP Can-Am swept the overall wins for both the morning and afternoon sessions, in the process giving the DS 450 EFI ATV its first XC1 Pro-class win.

And out west, the DS 450 also was crowned the overall champion in the WORCS racing series. In the northeast, the Can-Am Outlander 800R EFI ATV was awarded the Rock Maple Racing Quad Terrain Open West championship and to the south, the DS 450 X model took home the Virginia A-Class state championship.

“This has easily been the most successful weekend of racing our Can-Am X-Team has ever had,” said Del Bohlman, Product, Media Relations and Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “To date we have at least six championships on Can-Am ATVs and aiming for? more. The wins at the Unadilla GNCC and at the Honey Lake WORCS race were a special part of this weekend of success on the track.”

Team Warnert Racing / Can-Am racer Chris Bithell pulled off a hard-fought victory on his DS 450 in the XC1 Pro class. Starting from dead last after the start, Bithell rode a strong race and worked himself into the lead after three laps.

For the next two laps he remained at the front despite hard challenges from the fastest woods racers in the world. Bithell’s win gives the Can-Am DS 450 its first GNCC win and overall. That win, combined with X-team racer Bryan Buckhannon’s overall aboard his Outlander 800R ATV in the morning race session, marked a clean sweep of the Unadilla GNCC overalls.

Team Motoworks / Can-Am rider Josh Frederick won his second WORCS Pro-class championship by winning the Honey Lake WORCS race. Frederick piloted his DS 450 to the holeshot and never looked back. His teammate, Brandon Smith finished behind him and in the Pro-Am class, teammate Dillion Zimmerman took the win. It was a great weekend of racing for the Motoworks team.

Amateur racer Cole Henry has been tearing up the track at both the local and national level all season aboard his DS 450 X.

This weekend he took the Virginia A-class State Championship at Birchcreek Raceway near Danville, VA. Henry recently moved to the A class and has been undefeated ever since.

And finally, in the Rock Maple Racing series, Jamie Bougher was recently crowned the RMR Quad Terrain Open West champion for his wins on the Outlander 800R ATV. What an amazing weekend of racing for the Can-Am racers.

Chris Bithell

“It feels great to win. I knew we could do it! Everyone was cheering. It was great to have that kind of support.”

The next GNCC race is the Powerline Park GNCC near St. Clairsville, Ohio on October 11. While the next and final WORCS race is October 24 to 26 near Taft, CA. Visit www.canamxteam.com for more details and race results.

Press Release –

FRE/KTMs Taylor Kiser finished 2nd overall at the eleventh round of the ATV GNCC Series at the Unadilla Valley Raceway over the weekend.

The rain in the days leading up to the race and the steady rainfall on race day made for quite a few muddy sections on the race course. However, Kiser explained the course in a different manner, “The course was strange. It was muddy in sections because of the rain, but because that was the first rainfall in quite some time, there were other sections of the track that were dry and dusty. The variation in the track conditions made the track very rough and challenging – just how I like it!”

Kiser’s teammate, Adam McGill, was out front early with a great start, while Kiser described his start in one word, “Horrible!” Kiser had been pushed back toward the end of the pack and then spun out and crashed together with competitor Chris Borich in the third turn. Fortunately, the two quickly recovered and began their charge forward.

Meanwhile, out front, McGill and the rest of the top five took a wrong turn a couple miles into the course which caused them to back track about one mile, allowing many riders to get by. “The front pack taking a wrong turn and my advantage of walking the first mile and a half of the course earlier in the day helped me to pass quite a few riders on the first lap,” commented Kiser who came around in 3rd place after lap one. McGill would check in at 19th on lap one after struggling to make up time from his earlier detour.

Kiser continued to ride a strong and smooth race through to the finish. He was holding on to 3rd on the last lap when Bill Ballance wrecked in front of him while trying to pass for the lead. Kiser capitalized on his mistake and finished in second position just 25 seconds back from the winner Chris Bithell. McGill, who rode a great race, despite his first lap bad luck, would catch back up to 11th before the checkered flag flew.

On the podium, Kiser mentioned, “I am so happy with my performance today. My bike ran great and I had a mistake free race. I hope to finish in the same way the last two rounds.”

Next Event: Round 12 – St. Clairsville, OH – October 11-12, 2008

Overall Results:

1) Chris Bithell
2) Taylor Kiser – KTM
3) Bryan Cook
4) Chris Borich
5) Bill Ballance
6) Brandon Sommers
7) Matthew Smiley
8) Jeffrey Pickens
9) Jarrod McClure
10) Ryan Lane
11) Adam McGill – KTM

Overall Class Points:

1) Bill Ballance – 232
2) Adam McGill – 200
3) Bryan Cook – 195
4) Chris Borich – 191
5) Brandon Sommers – 190
6) Taylor Kiser – 164
7) Matthew Smiley – 152
8) William Yokley – 151
9) Jarrod McClure – 146
10) Ryan Lane – 136

Overall Points:

1) Bill Ballance – 232
2) Chris Borich – 190
3) Brandon Sommers – 188
4) Adam McGill – 186
5) Bryan Cook – 182
6) Taylor Kiser – 150
7) Matthew Smiley – 147
8) William Yokley – 140
9) Jarrod McClure – 129
10) Ryan Lane – 122

Press Release –

In dramatic fashion, Chris Bithell ended a string of disappointing results by taking the win at the Can-Am Unadilla GNCC.

The Pennsylvanian’s first win of the 2008 Grand National Cross Country Season marks the first XC1 Overall win ever for the Warnert Racing Can-Am team and the Can-Am DS450.

FRE KTM’s Taylor Kiser took second ahead of Team Excell Motorsports Bryan Cook, with Rockstar Yoshimura Suzuki’s Chris Bithell and Yamaha’s Bill Ballance rounding out the top five.

“I started running low on gas,” said Bithell. “It started sputtering, and Bill was right behind me. He bumped me from behind and that actually got me going again, and then I heard he had problems.”

Indeed Ballance’s chain came off in the last turn, cracking his engine case. With his wheels locked, Ballance and his crew pushed his machine to the finish line, and then Ballance had to push through the finish by himself. He could barely get the machine to move as he lifted it uphill, and Kiser, Cook and Borich managed to pass him while he pushed.

“The chain came off and the cases broke, so the wheels were locked up,” said Ballance. “I pushed it with everything I had. I don’t feel too bad now, and with (Adam) McGill so far back, I think we still gained some points.”

McGill, second in the points coming into the race, took the wrong route on the first lap. He was able to fight his way back to a 11th place finish in the XC1 Class.

GT Thunder Yamaha’s Brandon Sommers took the ITP Holeshot Award in the XC1 Class and finished seventh.

In the XC2 Pro-Am Class, GT Thunder Yamaha’s Don Ockerman took the race victory, the Rekluse Holeshot Award, and, most importantly, the 2008 XC2 Class Championship.

“It feels good to do it,” said Ockerman. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next, though. I had a chance to run with some of the pros today, but those guys, they’re crazy.”

XCBob.com Yamaha’s Tyler Lenig finished second and The National Guard’s Mark Nottman was third.

In the XC1 Class, Kiser was proud of his second-place overall finish. “I knew my speed was good, but I was pretty down on myself after a few bad races,” said the Florida rider. “I want to get up here at the last two races and get one of those glass cups (first place trophy).”

Cook also suffered through two tough races before this return to the podium. “The last two, I made a few bad decisions and didn’t look before I leaped,” said Cook. “I knew we could be back here if we just rode smart.”

Thanks to McGill’s misfortune, Ballance still enjoys a solid points lead and is in position to wrap up his record ninth-straight GNCC Title at the next race, the ITP Power Line Park GNCC in St. Clairsville, Ohio, on October 11.

In the two-hour ATV Morning Race, LTERacing.com Can-Am Rider Bryan Buckhannon took the ATVRiders.com Morning Race Overall Victory, and also won the Open 4×4 Class. Yamaha’s Traci Cecco finished second overall and won the Women’s class over Stefanie Verkade. Cecco made the move on the last lap by picking a line around Tom Clark Motorsports’ Angel Atwell, who got stuck in a bottleneck.

Josh Merritt won the Youth ATV Race over JD Welch and Ryan Ratliff.

Racing continues tomorrow with the motorcycle portion of the event. Full ATV results are posted at www.gnccracing.com.

Press Release –

Ontario Drive & Gear Limited, (ODG), is pleased to announce an upgraded 2009 ARGO model line-up to give ARGO drivers the best in navigation, control and ride comfort.

The NEW 2009 world-renowned amphibious, all-season, multi-purpose, multi-passenger 6×6 and 8×8 ARGO vehicles ride and handle better than ever, even in extreme conditions.

The NEW LCD Digital Gauge Cluster is mounted on the handlebar and makes it easier to monitor performance. In addition to speed and distance, the NEW LCD Digital Gauge Cluster includes volt meter, low oil pressure light, parking brake reminder light as well as engine coolant temperature and check engine light for liquid cooled models.

All 2009 ARGO’s come with an upgraded thickly padded front bench seat for increased ride comfort.

What else is NEW for all 2009 ARGO models?

• NEW Cool Air Intake Screen with a hinged access door for easy cleaning and debris removal.
• New Tie-down Brackets for easy securing of vehicle during transport (standard for all vehicles with axle bearing extensions)

New 2009 Accessories

• 3000 lbs. WARN® Winch with rear receiver option. Convenient ‘quick remove’ bracket allows winch to be removed or locked to the vehicle for added security.
• New Brush Guard design with mounting tabs for the optional fog lights for extra visibility

This versatile all-season workhorse can also be adapted to suit a remarkable variety of custom applications through the availability of a wide range of accessories.
The ARGO product line is designed for recreational and light commercial use, including hunting and fishing, family fun, utility construction and maintenance, resource exploration, agriculture, forestry, as well as firefighting and search and rescue operations.

The 6×6 Frontier 480 starts at $ 8,995.00. All models are available in a range of attractive colours: tundra, blue, yellow, red, and black, as well as Mossy Oak Shadow Branch Camo®.

Every ARGO is backed by decades of experience in the design and manufacture (or production) of off-road vehicles. Ontario Drive & Gear introduced the world-famous amphibious ARGO in 1967. Since then, ODG has produced more lightweight amphibious vehicles than any other manufacturer in the world.

For more information, visit www.argoatv.com.

Press Release –

Kentuckian Bill Ballance is looking to make Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) history this Saturday as the GNCC Series heads to New York’s Unadilla Valley Sports Center. Ballance can clinch his ninth XC1 Pro ATV title this weekend at the 11th round of the 13-race GNCC season.

Spectator passes are $15 for the full weekend, with Pro pit access and Pro autographs included at no additional charge. On both Saturday and Sunday, Youth riders race at 8 a.m., Amateur riders race at 10 a.m., and the Pro and Pro Am Classes compete at 1 p.m. For more information on the racing series, check out the official series web site at www.GNCCRacing.com.

Huge Turnout Expected

More than 1,500 competitors are expected to compete this weekend in both Amateur and Pro classes. Riders from all over the world compete in the GNCC Series, bringing international intrigue at all levels.

In addition to the on-track action, this weekend’s event will also feature an expansive midway, as well as demo rides of new Can-Am ATVs. Also, Yamaha will unveil its all-new 2009 YFZ450R racing ATV with a display on Saturday. On-track, Unadilla offers some of the best vistas on the tour from which to watch the action. The track includes Unadilla’s motocross track, as well as mud, rocks, hills and trails through the woods surrounding the venue.

“The Unadilla track is unique on the tour as it offers our fans some of the best viewing opportunities of the racing action,” said GNCC Trail Boss Jeff Russell. “In addition, the Pro pit areas will be accessible to those attending, allowing them to get an up-close view of the racers and their highly tuned machines.

“The use of the motocross track also injects another level of competition into the Unadilla race,” added Russell. “The tight, high-speed turns, as well as big-air jumps are certain to make for an exciting show.”

Four-Wheeled Frenzy

Ballance, riding a Yamaha, has dominated this season, earning three wins, as well as three runner-up efforts. Heading into Unadilla, however, Ballance is still recovering from broken ribs sustained in a practice crash several weeks ago.

Adam McGill, who won the most recent GNCC in runaway fashion, is well on his way toward beating back a midseason slump. Sitting second in points, McGill is just 26 markers behind Ballance. McGill has four wins this season, the most of any ATV competitor, as well as a single runner-up finish.

Rookie pro Brandon Sommers is hungry for his first ever GNCC victory. Consistency has placed the Yamaha rider third in points. With four top-three finishes, it will only be a matter of time before the Millersburg, Ohio rider gets to tread to the top step of the podium.

Brian Cook (Honda) and defending Unadilla winner Chris Borich (Rockstar Suzuki) sit fourth and fifth in the title chase and will definitely be in contention here. National Guard Honda’s William Yokley, Taylor Kiser (KTM), Matthew Smiley (Honda), Jarrod McClure (Honda) and Ryan Lane (Honda), as well as many others are expected to compete on Saturday.

The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series is the largest off-road racing series in the United States. The top Pro racers make a lucrative living in the sport, reigning in six-figure salaries and endorsements, as well as a share of a $130,000 in prize purse and more than $3 million in contingency and bonus monies.

GNCC events also offer classes for amateur riders of all skill and experience levels. Four-wheeled ATVs will compete throughout the day on Saturday, September 27, and dirt bikes will race on Sunday, September 28. Riders can sign up at the track. The amateur racer entry fee is $40.

This weekend’s race is also a full points-paying event for the WNYOA Series. Also, WNYOA will be arranging peewee racing for 50cc bikes and ATVs on a separate course.

The race is also being co-sanctioned by the Atlantic Grand Prix (AGP).

Press Release –

Pat Brown won the ATV portion of the Montreal Supercross last Saturday at Olympic Stadium. The ITP Tires/Moose Racing Pro AMA/ATVA National Championship regular beat out an 18-quad field to win the special event.

Brown (No. 199 Factory Yamaha) took the top qualifying spot and came out of the gate third for the final. Muscling his way through the field, Brown took the lead on the first lap and fought off Canadian Greg Gee (No. 10 Team Epic Can-Am) for the victory. Harold Goodman (No. 708 American Honda/Houser Racing Honda) finished third.

Brown said he hopes the victory will lead to positive results as he heads to the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race this weekend at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New York.

“I really like Supercross racing,” said Brown. “I knew we could win all year in the ATV Motocross Series, but we had a lot of bad luck. This win definitely helps. I’m going to the Unadilla GNCC this weekend, so hopefully we can carry the momentum into there.”

Brown, one of seven Americans in the field, was pleased to bring the honor back the United States.

“It’s great,” said Brown. “The guys up there really wanted it. It was really the only time they got to race the top ATV riders in the world in front of their home crowd. Then again, everyone wants to win every race.”

Final Results (showing finishing position, rider, hometown, and country):

Pat Brown, Pittstown, N.J., United States.
Greg Gee, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada.
Harold Goodman, Romulus, Mich., United States.
Richard Pelchat, St-Romuald, Quebec, Canada.
Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, United States.
Jasmin Plante, Notre Dame, Quebec, Canada.
Sage Baker, Shasta Lake, Calif., United States.
Michale Ouellette, Tingwick, Quebec, Canada.
Bobby Desjardins, Ferme-Neuve, Quebec, Canada.
James Bank, Ethel, Ontario, Canada.
Jimmy Morin, Cap St-Ignace, Quebec, Canada.
Maxime Piche, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, Canada.
Keith Bokla, Delphi, Ontario, Canada.
Dave LaRochelle, St-Prosper, Quebec, Canada.
Jeff Larente, Ferme-Neuve, Quebec, Canada.
Cody Miller, Greenville, Texas, United States.
Hunter Miller, Greenville, Texas, United States.
John Natalie, Jr., Houtzdale, Pa., United States.

Press Release –

The hot Arizona temperatures and Doug Eichner both soared at Round 7 of the ITP QuadCross Series held Saturday, September 20, 2008.

The temperatures at Arizona’s Speedworld were more than 100 degrees during the day which made for grueling practice sessions. The Main Events, however, were held under the beautiful night sky making a perfect backdrop for Eichner and his impressive Outlaw 525 S.

The spectator stands were filled as Eichner cleared every challenge Speedworld offered. Eichner chose to equip his Polaris Outlaw with enhanced power and exhaust from Yoshimura R&D of America Inc., Lonestar Racing’s A-Arms, Axle, Steering Stem and Hubs, Maxxis Tires, FOX Racing Shox Suspension, and the one-of-a-kind GPR Stabilizer among other top aftermarket products.

With nearly a full gate of pros, Eichner launched his Polaris Outlaw 525 S out of the starting gate grabbing the holeshot in both Motos, and never looked back. With Eichner’s smooth riding style, the performance looked effortless as Eichner brought his Outlaw 525 S in for the checkered flag win in both Motos claiming the Open Pro win with a commanding lead for the Polaris/Lonestar/Eichner Racing Team.

Eichner currently holds the points lead in this division with two more rounds remaining in the ITP QuadCross Series.

Official Sponsors of the Polaris / Lonestar / Eichner Racing Team:

Polaris Industries, Inc.
Lonestar Racing
Eichner Racing
MAXXIS Tires
Yoshimura R&D of America, Inc.
Rage ‘ n Luxury Toy Haulers
FOX Racing Shox
Douglas Wheel Technologies, Inc.
IMS / PowerMadd
GPR Stabilizer
O ‘ Neal Racing
TAG Metals
WISECO Performance Products
ARC Racing – MX240V Boots/Corona Boots
Tireballs
TRAXXAS – Remote Control Cars
Performance Carbon Products
Rath Racing
ONE Industries
Fullbore Innovations
MasterCraft
iTi Performance Motorsports
Smith Optics
Velocity Filters
MotoX Nutrition
Hinson Racing
Motion Pro
Updog Industries
Golden West Cycle