Press Release –

As the end of the 2008 season draws near, Warnert Racing’s John Natalie once again has proved why he is the “Ironman”.

Even after flipping his quad in moto number two of round nine of the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals, the #13 Can-Am laid down the fastest lap time of the weekend with a blistering 01:45.496 lap at Pleasure Valley Raceway.

In moto number one, John came off the line in 4th place and was applying pressure to take over 3rd, but a flat tire caused by a rock forced Natalie to slow his charge.

Despite his tire difficulties, John was holding fast to 4th place, but in lap eleven John encountered a mechanical issue that ended things a little early for him.

In the second moto, John came off the line looking strong, but soon ran into problems. “I hit a rut and flipped my bike. That put me back to last place, but I made up for it.

I got the fastest lap time of the race in the next lap and moved all the way up to 10th,” John stated.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided that she was going to rain on everyone’s parade and let loose with a torrential downpour that caused many racers, including Natalie, to toss their goggles aside when visibility became too poor.

“I couldn’t see anything because off all the mud, so I took off my goggles,” said Natalie, who dropped back to 12th due to the deteriorating conditions. John ended his day in 14th place overall but remains optimistic that things will be different at the next round at Red Bud. “We’ve been doing a lot of work to the bike and it is running great. We’re really getting things dialed in and I’m looking forward to Red Bud. I think we have a good shot at a 1-1 finish,” he concluded confidently.

Warnert teammate Cody Miller is currently tied for 11th place in the points race after round nine, which is quite an accomplishment after not being able to compete in the season opener.

Miller was at the back of the pack off the gate in moto one, but Miller’s determination allowed him to soon make quick work of Cale Downen and Sage Baker and work his way into the tenth spot, where he would finish in the first moto. “The bike ran great and the power was right there. I didn’t have any problems,” said Cody.

In moto number two, Miller came off the line in 14th place and was doing well until lap six. Miller lost traction in a turn and spun out, which sent him to the back of the pack. Cody didn’t let his mishap get the best of him as kept focused and began to move back up through traffic until the rain began to fall.

The intensity of the sudden downpour caught many racers by surprise, including Miller. “It was raining so hard and it got really muddy. I couldn’t see anything so I threw my goggles,” he said.

Despite the rain and mud, Cody still managed to overtake Yamaha’s Pat Brown before the finish line, which landed him in 17th and gave him a 13th place finish overall.

The Warnert team will be heading to Red Bud in Buchanan, MI for round ten on July 26th-27th, where John Natalie could possibly break into the top five in the points race if his prediction of a 1-1 finish comes to pass.

Press Release –

Michkaël Revoy of France steered his Outlaw 450 MXR to Polaris France’s first French title in the Quad Cross National Class.

Revoy raced his 450 MXR almost stock and won the title in his rookie year which promoted him to the official French Team.

Revoy will tackle the famed Pont de Vaux in August.

Photo courtesy of DGT Editions D Thomas.

Press Release –

With the WORCS racing season on break, Angela Butler packed up her Outlaw 450 MXR traveled east for the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals race, at Pleasure Valley Raceway, in Johnstown, Penn.

She made the trip worth her while hitting the podium with a third place finish in the Pro-Am Womens class.

Butler continues to be successful for Polaris and Eichner Racing on her race-proven Polaris Outlaw 450 MXR.

Butler’s Sponsors are:

Polaris Industries, Inc.
Eichner Racing
Lone Star Racing
MAXXIS Tires
FOX Racing Shox
Yoshimura R&D of America, Inc.
Rage’n Luxury Toy Haulers
Douglas Wheel Technologies, Inc.
IMS / PowerMadd
GPR Stabilizer
TireBalls
Fly Racing
TAG Metals
ARC Racing – MX240V Boots/Corona Boots
Rath Racing
ONE Industries
Fullbore Innovations
MasterCraft
Smith Optics
Updog Industries
Golden West Cycle

Press Release –

Team Epic’s Jeremy Lawson took 2nd in Moto 2 and 4th overall at Pleasure Valley in Armagh, PA. The #10 of Greg Gee took his best finish of the season with a 6th overall.

The #49 of Sage Baker took another top 10 finish with a 9th overall. Lawson’s finish moved him into the top 5 in points.

Team Epic started off the weekend with all three riders qualifying into the main event on Sunday.

The track was dry and dusty on Saturday but weather forecasts predicted thunderstorms on Sunday.
 
After heavy rain Saturday night the track starting coming in for the first Pro Moto at Pleasure Valley. 

Team Epic had their Can-Am DS 450 machines prepared and it showed. The #10 of Greg Gee rode to a 5th place finish in Moto 1 giving him his best finish of the season. 

The #16 of Jeremy Lawson finished in 6th place after moving through the field of riders. The #49 of Sage Baker had a solid ride bringing home his Team Epic DS 450 in 12th place.
 
Weather conditions remained good when the Pro riders headed for the gate for Moto 2 but about half way through the moto Mother Nature let loose and drenched the track, riders, and spectators.  

This did not deter the Team Epic riders as the #16 of Jeremy Lawson rode to a 2nd place finish. Sage Baker was also moving through the pack of riders and moved his Can-Am DS 450 into 7th place.

Team Epic’s Greg Gee rode across the finish line in 9th place putting all Team Epic riders in the top 10.

Overall finishes for the weekend were Lawson 4th, Gee 6th, and Baker in 9th.  Lawson’s finish moved him into 5th place in the point standing.
 
Team Epic is back to the shop in Illinois preparing for Round 10 of the ATVA National series, to be held in Buchanan, MI on July 26-27, 2008
 
2008 Team Epic Sponsors: Can-Am, Epic, BRP, FMF, Menards, Fox Shox, Maxxis, Douglas Wheel, Dasa, Spectro, DG, Tag, Velocity, Quad Tech, Precision, RPM,  Tsubaki, WebCams, CP Pistons, Rotax, Falicon, Fortin, TLD, Dragon Alliance, Racer X Motorsports, Pro Design, Works Connection, Cycra.

Press Release –

Sets Quick Time in Inaugural Johnstown Pro ATV Race

Dustin Wimmer once again took the top spot in qualifying Saturday for tomorrow’s American Suzuki Summer National Southern at Pleasure Valley Raceway.

The event is Round 9 of the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National Motocross Championship.

Wimmer (No. 191 Team MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki) turned in the top time of one minute, 44.590 seconds during the final session to beat out Pat Brown (No. 199 Team Yamaha) and Josh Upperman (No. 20 American Honda/Baldwin Motorsports).

“The track is pretty fun and I found some lines I can use to pass tomorrow,” said Wimmer. “It’s going to take a good start as always, but my Suzuki is running better than ever and I’m ready for the race.”

Upperman’s third-place run created a lot of talk in the pits. The Ohio Factory Honda rider has been riding well for the past several rounds and could be a dark horse contender for the win if he starts well tomorrow.

“I felt really good today,” said Upperman. “My practice track is exactly like this place, so I felt comfortable as soon as I hit the dirt.

Cale Downen (No. 727 K&K ATV), Harold Goodman (No. 708 Honda), Russell Shumaker (No. 68 Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Hunter Miller (No. 90 Golden West Cycles Honda) qualified for tomorrow’s finals through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).

Trent Kandel, Brandon Smith, Michael Brown, Brock Lyons, and Brian Ace didn’t qualifying for the 20-quad field.

The American Suzuki Summer National continues tomorrow with Pro finals scheduled at noon and at 3 p.m., as well as a full program of Pro-Am, Amateur, Youth, and Women’s racing.

Press Release –

Beasley and Buckhannon Continue Unbeaten Streak

With a sweep of the morning 4×4 classes, Can-AmTM OutlanderTM ATVs wrapped up two championships and have one more within grasp.

At the Mountain Ridge GNCC, Team Warnert Racing / Can-Am’s Clifton Beasley won his ninth race in a row on his Outlander 500 ATV and remained unbeaten in the class to win the 4×4 Lites championship.

In the same race session, Can-Am X-Team racer Bryan Buckhannon also continued his perfect record by winning 4×4 Open class on his Outlander 800 ATV and also wrapped up a class championship.

Buckhannon finished in front of Team Warnert / Can-Am Outlander 800 ATV racer Scott Kilby. In the 4×4 Limited class, Michael Swift of Team Warnert Racing / Can Am won the class by more than six minutes and needs one more win to wrap up the 4×4 Limited class championship.

“Our congratulations go out to Cliff, Bryan and their entire teams” said Del Bohlman, Product, Media Relation and Racing Manager for Can-Am ATVs at BRP. “When we plan out our season, our goal is the same for every class we enter: championships. Cliff and Bryan have amazed us with their consistent winning and their reward is a championship with four rounds to go.”

During the XC 1 Pro-class race, two DS 450 riders finished in the top 10 of the premier class on a course that saw many failures due to the rocky terrain.

Team Warnert Racing / Can-Am teammates Chris Jenks and Chris Bithell both raced to top-10 finishes aboard their race-prepped ATVs.

Clifton Beasley

“Today was a big day! I may have the championship wrapped up, but I’d still like to go out there and win all the races.”

Bryan Buckhannon

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to wrap up a championship with four rounds to go and also before the break. I will return ready to keep my streak of wins going.”

The summer break is now upon the racers; round ten will take the racers to the Snowshoe GNCC near Snowshoe, W.V. The race will take place on September 13 and BRP will be offering free demo rides of its Can-Am ATVs on site.

Visit www.can-amxteam.com for more details and race results.

Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorized 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 Evinrude E TEC®, Can Am™ all-terrain vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax® engines and karts.

Press Release –

Yoshimura R&D of America has developed a new slip-on system for the 2008 Polaris Outlaw The system uses an aluminum RS2 sleeve and features a stainless steel tailpipe that bolts onto the stock header.

Available at your local dealer.

Stainless steel slip-on: # 2535703 (Mini RS-2) $295.00 USD.