Press Release –

Suzuki rider Chris Borich dominated the first round of the GNCC Championship series at the Kempfer Ranch in Melbourne, Florida. Known as “The Triton” this event is a tough test of man and machine.

Borich, from Sunbury PA, rode his Suzuki QuadRacer R450 to a commanding victory, pulling to a nearly two minute margin of victory at the checkers. The new track was a real challenge to all riders and Borich felt that his QuadRacer helped make the winning difference.

“The track was much rougher than in the past,” the 25 year old Borich said after the event. “Palmetto roots everywhere, heat, holes, trees, it was a tough one. I love this Suzuki. It’s my first race on it, but as soon as I got on the bike I was comfortable.”

The race went well for Borich. He was jostled a bit off the start then steadily picked off riders, and passed into the lead on lap two. “The early leaders got tired pretty quickly and I was able to get past them. Once I got into the lead – I just took off.”

Asked how he rated the overall performance of the Suzuki, seven year Pro-class veteran Borich said, “Awesome! The best bike I’ve been on. I’ve ridden other brands, but this thing just blows them away. The Suzuki has a really low center of gravity, is super fast and responsive, the front end is great… the whole package makes it easy to go fast on. Those other guys were getting beat up by the track. I had an advantage with the QuadRacer.”

Borich’s plan is to take the Championship one race at a time. Sunday’s result was obviously just part of the plan. The series continues next weekend in Washington, GA.

Press Release –

Chris Borich started the 2008 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series with a new team and new machine, but his performance looked quite similar to year’s past.

The new member of the Rockstar/Yoshimura Suzuki team won the Parts Unlimited Triton GNCC in convincing fashion, topping Team Excell Motorsports Honda’s Bryan Cook and factory Yamaha’s Bill Ballance.

“I came down here a few months ago to get ready, and I tried and tried to break this thing and I couldn’t,” said Borich of his new Suzuki LT-R450. “I got a midpack start, not the greatest, but the Yoshimura motor just pulled through. I caught up to these guys, I knew Bill (Ballance) was out front so I pushed to get up there and get the lead. Then I just tried to check out.”

Borich fought off KTM’s Taylor Kiser first, and then later cruised to the finish unchallenged. Cook kept pushing for second, while Ballance overcame mid-race crash to get third.

Cook, who collected just one podium all last season, was thrilled to take second. “I brought in a lot of new people this year, some of the people who I used to work with back in my amateur days,” said Cook. “I didn’t know how my conditioning would be. I was done. My hands were bad. I just had to dig deep. My hands were so torn up I could barely hold on to the bars.”

Ballance started the race by grabbing the ITP Holeshot award, and then battled at the front of the pack before crashing mid-way through the race. “I was trying to reserve some energy, but I think I was in reserve too long,” said Ballance. “Down here in Florida it’s always hard to guess how much to reserve, because it’s such tough terrain. I was running in second or third place, and I had a pretty good crash. I was laying on my back and had the wind knocked out of me. So I had to just start pushing as hard as I could and I was able to get this Yamaha up here on the podium.”

Kiser hung tough for fourth with his teammate Adam McGill fifth, a solid debut for the new KTM team.

The XC2 Pro-Am class featured a big battle between the next generation of GNCC stars. Brian Wolfe led early, but eventually GT Thunder Yamaha’s Don Ockerman took the lead and held off David Crane to take the win. Third went to Tyler Lenig.

In the two-hour morning race, Tom Clark Motorsports Honda’s Angel Atwell staked her claim to a big 2008 season by taking the Women’s class and the overall win.

Defending Women’s Champion Traci Cecco took second on her factory Yamaha after a crash, with Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Michael Swift turning in the top utility machine performance by finishing third overall and winning the 4×4 Limited class on an Outlander 800.

The 2008 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series continues with bike practice on Monday, March 3 rd and bike racing on Tuesday, March 4 th. David Knight will begin his GNCC title defense against the top GNCC bike pros, and Travis Pastrana will also challenge the Knighter. Pro racing starts at 1 p.m.

To get to the track, take I-95 to the Melbourne Exit at State Route 192.  Go west on Route 192 (12 mi) to Kempfer Road. Turn left on Kempfer Road and travel two miles to the event.  

Results: Parts Unlimited Triton GNCC, Melbourne, FL – March 2, 2008

ATV Top 20 Overall

1. CHRIS M BORICH SUNBURY, PA SUZ
2. BRYAN COOK CASAR, NC HON
3. BILL BALLANCE SMITHS GROVE, KY YAM
4. TAYLOR KISER ALVA, Fl KTM
5. ADAM K MCGILL WEST UNION, WV KTM
6. BRANDON SOMMERS MILLERSBURG, OH YAM
7. WILLIAM YOKLEY TOMPKINSVILLE, KY HON
8. DONALD OCKERMAN MARSHALL, IL YAM
9. MATTHEW SMILEY KUNKLETOWN, PA HON
10. JARROD MCCLURE KASKA, PA HON
11. CHRIS BITHELL IRWIN, PA CAN
12. DAVID CRANE GOLDEN, MS YAM
13. JEFFREY PICKENS UNIONTOWN, PA HON
14. RYAN LANE BICKNELL, IN HON
15. DUANE JOHNSON TRENTON, MO CAN
16. SHAWN HESS MUENSTER, TX HON
17. TYLER LENIG SHAMOKIN, PA HON
18. BRIAN WOLF MEDINA, OH HON
19. ANDRIS LAGZDINS BALTIMORE, MD HON
20. BRYAN BAKER KNOB NOSTER, MO POL

Press Release –

The debut of the KTM ATV GNCC Team went just as planned with Taylor Kiser and Adam McGill finishing 4th and 5th respectively on the challenging course at Round 1 of the ATV GNCC Series.

Kiser, hailing from Alva, FL, is a natural in the black sand, deep ruts and large rooted terrain that made up the course for the first round in Melbourne.

The temperature was in the high 70s and the sun was shining brightly on the riders as they lined the start straight for the launch of the race. Kiser got a great jump when the green flag dropped coming around the first turn in 3rd. McGill got pushed back and managed to come around mid-pack.

As the riders neared the dreaded swamp section about 15 minutes into the first lap Kiser was right on the rear end of the 1st place rider. They both opted to go around the swamp and came to a long sweeping turn where Kiser was able to pass for the lead.

Meanwhile, McGill had charged his way up to 11th and was steadily moving forward. “I longed for straight-aways today because it was the best place to pass. Once I gave it gas down a long straight nobody could catch me on my KTM,” claimed McGill after the race.

Kiser held the lead into the second lap until after the swamp section where he got block passed and forced into second. He fought back and recaptured the lead in the next turn.

He led for the remainder of the second lap feeling pressure from behind the entire time. On the third lap, Kiser eventually surrendered the lead but was excited that he had his KTM up front for the better part of the first half of the race. Kiser made his pit stop on the third lap; McGill pitted the lap before him.

McGill, who was clearly on the move had caught up as high as fourth position by the end of the third lap. “The power my KTM has is phenomenal allowing me to catch and pass riders quickly,” reported McGill. He held fourth until the second to last lap when defending ATV GNCC Champ Bill Balance got by.

Kiser would also challenge Ballance for third position on the last lap. “I tried to hold him off, but I was feeling tired. There were no good parts of the track but I was hoping for a long straight so I could power ahead of him, at the end he managed to get by,” commented Kiser.

When the checkered flag flew Kiser hung on for an impressive 4th place finish while teammate McGill was a few seconds back in 5th, thus giving KTM two top five finishes at the first round.

“This is a great way to start the season,” stated KTM ATV GNCC Team Manager Tim Farr. “It was nice to lead a few laps and then have both riders finish in the top five. We will continue to improve as a team and look forward to being on the podium soon.”

Next Event: ATV GNCC Round 2 – March 8, 2008 – The General, Washington, GA

Overall Results – Round 1:

1. Chris Borich
2. Bryan Cook
3. Bill Balance
4. Taylor Kiser – KTM
5. Adam McGill – KTM
6. Brandon Sommers
7. William Yokley
8. Donald Ockerman
9. Matthew Smiley
10. Jarrod McClure

Press Release –

The new Isovibe for the Can-Am DS 450 is now available from Epic Racing Products. The anti-vibe mount absorbs handlebar shock and vibration and allows the use of 1 1/8″ handlebars.

The Isovibe is better than standard anti-vibe steering stems that only absorb vibration. This new Isovibe absorbs vibration and shock in forward, rearward, vertical and side-to-side directions. The Isovibe is also less expensive than adding an anti-vibe steering stem.

The main function of the Isovibe is to absorb vibration and shock that would normally be transferred to a rider’s wrists, shoulders and arms when landing jumps or hitting hard bumps.

If you’ve ever landed a jump unevenly you’ve experienced side-to-side impact to your wrists, that can sometimes literally rip the bars out of your hands. The Isovibe SX will absorb this impact and keep you in control.

Adjustable handlebar deflection – simply add or remove shims between the bushings to increase or decrease the front-to-back deflection. Add or remove shims on the top and bottom sides of the bushings to increase or decrease the side-to-side deflection.

Two height options are designed into the Isovibe SX, to raise the bar mounting point by 1″ or 1 1/2″ over stock, depending on how it is mounted. Two bar offset options also. Same as stock or 1/2″ forward bar offset.

The Isovibe SX model is for 1 1/8″ bars.

Anti-vibe mount can be purchased online at shop.EpicRacingProducts.com. MSRP is $189.95

Press Release –

The best-handling utility tire on the market today just got better!

For 2008, ITP’s hugely successful TerraCross R/T tire line features all-new XD (Extreme Duty) construction — an extra sidewall ply and increased sidewall and tread rubber thickness for improved puncture protection.

The rubber compound itself is new, too, with an extended-wear formulation for much longer tread life.

Combine the TerraCross R/T’s proven performance with this new level of durability and reliability, and you won’t find a better ATV/UTV tire anywhere! The 14-inch sizes are UTV rated at an impressive 1000-pound maximum load capacity per tire at 12 psi, while all 12-inch sizes are now UTV rated as well.

The ITP TerraCross R/T utilizes radial construction for an ultra-smooth ride, significantly enhancing operator comfort and confidence on hard-pack surfaces.

And with its unique, interlocking tread pattern and wide footprint, the TerraCross R/T also delivers exceptional traction and flotation, making it ideal for mud, snow and sand.

Another TerraCross R/T highlight is its wrap-around shoulder lug design, which provides excellent sidewall protection and grip when navigating trails with large ruts or rocks.

And despite its super-tough 6-ply construction, the TerraCross R/T is surprisingly light in weight. It’s the best of all worlds: highly capable and reliable in loose and rugged conditions, yet smooth and sure-footed on smoother terrain!

The ITP TerraCross R/T is available in numerous 12- and 14-inch sizes, including new-for-2008 25x9R-14 and 25x10R-14 models (available late March).

ITP has even created a number of tire/wheel kits for many popular ATV and UTV applications using ITP’s attractive SS Alloy one-piece aluminum wheels.

Press Release –

Josh Frederick piloted his Team Motoworks / Can-AmTM DS 450, to the WORCS round two victory nearly three minutes ahead of second place.

This is his second victory in as many tries in the WORCS Pro ATV class this season and his third WORCS Pro ATV-class win on Can-Am’s DS 450 going back to last season.

Josh Frederick really stunned everyone during that memorable race, as he had to do an unscheduled pit stop which put him in the last spot. He only had one goal in mind and it was to prove that he and his Motoworks Can-Am DS 450 could regain the top spot.

Excitement could be felt in the crowd as he managed to do the impossible by becoming the leader of the pack in the 7th lap by chewing away a two-minute gap on the leader and cross the finish line in the top position with almost 1 minute ahead of YFZ-mounted Dustin Nelson.

“We are so excited to have these results this weekend,” said Johnny Leech, Team Motoworks / Can-Am owner. “Our pits were electrified when Josh (Fredreick) came across the line in first. Everyone feels confident right now and with continued hard work it will help us step toward giving Josh his second WORCS championship this year.”

In the Open Pro class, Frederick’s teammate, Brandon Smith, took the win by about three minutes aboard his Team Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 for the class win. In the amateur classes, Motoworks’ Dillon Zimmerman took the win in both the Pro-Am and Open A classes, also on a DS 450.