Valcourt, Québec, May 16, 2012 – Can-Am® X-Team racers earned four 4×4 class overall wins at the inaugural Limestone 100 in the Can-Am / Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series event and also won both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at round five of the Texhoma Quad Racing Association (TQRA) series. Can-Am ATV and Commander® side-by-side racers also competed In the World Off-Road Championship Series in Southern California .

“Can-Am racers had a busy weekend with mixed results. We competed in three different racing series in three different states. Chris Bithell put in a good effort to finish fourth after he started the Pro class race at the back of the pack at the Limestone GNCC,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am 4×4 racers tamed the new course, as Bryan Buckhannon, Cliff Beasley and Forrest Whorton each posted convincing wins their classes. In the WORCS series, Dillon Zimmerman put in another top-five performance on his Can-Am DS 450 while Josh Frederick salvaged a top-10 finish and still sits second in the points chase. And in Texas , Hunter Miller had a great weekend in the TQRA series winning two classes and finishing third on the UTV Pro class podium.”

Can-Am / GNCC Racing

Round six of the Can-Am / GNCC series made its first stop to The Limestone 100 outside of Springville , Ind. Bryan Buckhannon edged Team UXC / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift to win the 4×4 Open class and finish second overall on the morning podium.

“It feels good to have a little more cushion in the points lead. I can’t say I’m going to relax though, because the competition is still really tough and I want to win as many rounds as I can,” said Buckhannon.

Cliff Beasley remained perfect on his Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade® 800R X® xc in 2012, winning the U2 class by more than three minutes. Tanner Bowles won his fifth in a row, taking the 4×4 Novice class victory. Forrest Whorton (Can-Am X-Team) earned his fifth victory in six rounds with a win in the 4×4 Senior 40+ class. Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450™ pro racer Chris Bithell took fourth in Indiana . After a slow start, Bithell fought his way through traffic and into sixth place. He caught a break late in the race and moved up to fourth. He’s currently fifth in the XC1 Pro class point standings.

WORCS

Racetown 395 in Adelanto , Calif. , hosted round five of the 2012 WORCS schedule. Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Dillon Zimmerman finished fifth in the Pro class. Zimmerman started the race in sixth and rode steady, to post another top-five finish in 2012. He’s currently fourth in the Pro class point standings.
 

“The track was rough in some areas and wet in others, but my quad held up great, even with it being so hot.” said Zimmerman.

Josh Frederick finished ninth after battling the heat, dust and a mechanical issue. Frederick, who worked his way up to second place and started to pull away from the third-place rider, battled fuel issues and lost several positions as his team corrected the matter. Frederick was at the back of the pack, but rode hard to notch a top-10 finish. He’s currently second in the Pro class points race after five rounds of racing.

TQRA

Hunter Miller raced his Can-Am DS 450 ATV to wins in both the Open Expert and Pro-Am classes at round five of the TQRA motocross series held at Village Creek MX in Ft. Worth , Texas . Miller outran his Louis Powersports / Can-Am teammate Cody Miller and the rest of the field during his 1-1 moto sweep in the Open Expert class. In Pro-Am class action, Hunter took the win in the second moto to give him the overall. The Miller brothers each piloted a Commander 1000 X to a podium finish in the UTV Open class, as Cody finished second and Hunter was third.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

This is our brand new Can Am Commander 1000 Limited. This thing is fully loaded but we just want more! For now we decided to focus on the comfort of the Commander. Riding for a long time creates heat in the cabin, to combat this we have added insulation from Thermo-Tec and a DEI exhaust wrap. Soon we’ll be installing 4-point harnesses and a Power Steering Conversion Kit. Check back for updates on this project.

Need help with what moves you?  Check out the kind folks at Perry Performance Group or simply call:  954-929-1636

]]> http://www.canamatv.net/2012/05/16/what-is-it-like-at-perry-performance-group/feed/ 0 http://www.canamatv.net/2012/05/09/more-ds-450-conquests-s-x-s-podium/ http://www.canamatv.net/2012/05/09/more-ds-450-conquests-s-x-s-podium/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 22:11:59 +0000 admin http://www.canamatv.net/?p=585 Can am press release:

Valcourt, Québec, May 8, 2012 – Joel Hetrick won round three of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship series held at Budds Creek Raceway in Maryland. The Motoworks / Can-Am® DS 450™ pro racer was joined on the podium by teammate John Natalie, who took third. In the Best in the Desert (BITD) Silver State 300 in Nevada, Josh Frederick and Collins Webster teamed up to win the ATV Pro class aboard their Motoworks-backed Can-Am DS 450. Also in Nevada, Team Desert Toyz / Can-Am piloted its Commander® 1000 X™ to a third-place finish in the UTV Pro class at the BITD event.

“We are thrilled to have both our Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racers Joel Hetrick and John Natalie reach the AMA Pro class podium. While Joel didn’t win either moto, he was the most consistent pro racer with two second-place rides, and earned the overall in only his third race aboard the Can-Am DS 450. Natalie’s moto-two victory was also another bright spot for our team and helped him secure third overall,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “I’m also pleased with our Best in the Desert series success. Having our Motoworks / Can-Am team of Josh Frederick and Collins Webster win the ATV Pro class and Cory Sappington’s Desert Toyz / Can-Am X-Team Commander 1000 X finish on the UTV Pro class podium is really a great accomplishment.”

AMA ATV MX – Budds Creek

The first Pro class moto saw two different results for Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 teammates Hetrick and Natalie. Hetrick, who finished second overall in moto one, posted the fastest lap during his pursuit of the race leader. Natalie came out of the gate in fifth was looking good before he briefly got stuck atop a berm after carrying too much speed into a corner. Natalie’s bobble dropped him to 13th and forced him to play catch up the remainder of the moto. The defending Pro class champion put in a valiant effort, passing seven riders on his way to sixth place in moto one.

Natalie wins Moto 2

Moto two started with Natalie in fifth and Hetrick tucked behind his teammate in sixth. As the race wore on, both riders continued to move up. Natalie quickly passed his way into second and then eventually took over the lead. Once out front, he set the pace and took what turned out to be a very popular moto-two victory with the fans. His 6-1 finishes were good for third overall and helped Natalie maintain his second-place spot in the Pro class standings. Hetrick put in another solid race, finishing second again in moto two. His 2-2 moto scores gave him the Pro class overall and his first win aboard the No. 88 Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450. He’s currently fourth in the Pro class points race.

“The track was gnarly. After I got into the second spot, I knew I had the overall win, so I settled down a bit. I’m really excited to get my first win of the season, especially at Budd’s Creek because it isn’t really my [kind of] track. I really have to thank Can-Am and Motoworks for helping me take the win today,” said Hetrick.

Chase Henry, DS 450 racer

Can-Am X-Team Pro-Am racer Chase Henry had a good weekend in Maryland, as he won the Production A class overall and also finished a career-best third overall in the Pro-Am Unlimited class. In the AMA amateur class ranks, Can-Am DS 450 racer and former GNC Pro class Champion Travis Spader dominated all four classes (Open A, 4-Stroke A, Junior 25+, Vet 30+) he entered.

BITD Silver State 300

The Best in the Desert Silver State 300 was a 298-mile point-to-point affair that took riders to varying elevations through Nevada’s high-desert terrain that were marked with Joshua trees and cacti, steep cliffs, whoops and several high-speed sections. The Motoworks / Can-Am ATV duo of Frederick and Webster were the last Pro ATV team to start the race. Webster filled in for teammate Dillon Zimmerman, who was absent to compete in Italy.

Starting three minutes behind the first team, Frederick was first up and rode to mile marker 72 before passing off to Webster. By the 175-mile mark of the race, Webster was only 26 seconds behind the leaders with adjusted time. Frederick took over for the final portion of the race. Although he did not take over the physical lead, Frederick, with the time adjustment due to the staggered start, took the Pro ATV class win with a time of 5:56.54.

“I gave as much abuse to the DS 450 as I possibly could this weekend and it just took everything I gave it. There were these super-fast sections where you were going full throttle for at least a half an hour and the quad never faltered in anyway,” said Frederick.

In side-by-side class action at the Silver State 300, Sappington and co-driver Jim Sharp (No.1904 Desert Toyz / Can-Am Commander 1000 X) finished with a time of 7:06:38.848 to finish third on the UTV Pro class podium. The third-place finish marked back-to-back podium finishes for Sappington’s squad. The Murray Motorsports / Can-Am Commander 1000 X followed up its Mint 400 victory with fourth overall in the Pro class at this round. The top-five finish maintained co-pilots Jason and Derek Murray’s BITD series UTV Pro class points lead. Sappington’s team is now second in points with three rounds remaining.

“Making the switch to the Can-Am Commander this year was the best thing we could have ever done. It is a night-and-day difference in handling and power compared to our old side-by-side,” said Sappington. “I can’t thank Can-Am enough for giving us the opportunity to race the Commander and I am going to do everything I can to put it on the podium in the Vegas-to-Reno race.” 

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

“A busy weekend of racing turned out well for the entire Can-Am racing team and our X-Team supported riders,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Josh Creamer started off his quest for the NEATV-MX Pro and Pro-am class titles in perfect fashion, winning all four motos he entered. I was very happy that Josh Frederick overcame an illness and put in an amazing ride to finish second and retain the Pro class points lead in the WORCS series. And our Can-Am / GNCC racers all had a good day at Big Buck in South Carolina. Our Can-Am 4×4 racers were dominate winning five class and I was also excited to see Chris Bithell reach the podium and move into the top three in the Pro class points race.”

Josh Creamer win Pro & Pro Am

NEATV-MX

Creamer won both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at the NEATV-MX series opener at Walden MX in Wallkill, N.Y. Creamer, who was second overall last year, started second in moto one, but charged to the front and won by more than 10 seconds. He grabbed the holeshot and never looked back in the second moto to secure his first win in 2012. In the Pro-Am class, Creamer was even better, taking both holeshots on his way to another dominant victory.

“I have to give thanks to Can-Am and BCS Performance for giving me the opportunity to race for them. I am going to do everything I can to give them a couple of championships,” said Creamer. “We are still doing some fine tuning, but this was the first race of the season and we still took the win in both classes, so it should get even better from here.”

Can-Am amateur racers — competing on the DS 450, Can-Am 4x4s and the Commander 1000 X side-by-side — also won 11 other classes at the series opener.

Josh Frederick fights flu, takes second.

WORCS

Round four of the WORCS schedule was held at Speed World MX in Surprise, Ariz. Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro Josh Frederick, who battled with flu-like symptoms prior to the race, fought hard for the win, but had to settle for second overall. He started in third, but took over the lead on lap seven. After pitting, he fell back one spot and could not regain the lead. The podium finish gave Frederick a four-point lead in the Pro class point standings.

“It was really slick out there today, but I was able to hang in there and get some traction and take it to the podium,” said Frederick. “I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, but I did the best I could and still came out on the podium.”

Motoworks / Can-Am pro Dillon Zimmerman followed up his round-three podium with a fourth-place finish in Arizona. He currently owns the fourth-place position in the Pro class standings. Can-Am X-Team racer Collins Webster finished second in the Pro-Am class to retain his class points lead heading into round five.

Chris Bithell

Can-Am / GNCC

The Can-Am / GNCC series moved on to the Big Buck course in South Carolina, and the ATV and side-by-side racers were greeted with dry-and-dusty conditions. Despite poor visibility, Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro racer Chris Bithell earned his second podium finish this year, taking third, and regained the third-place spot in the XC1 Pro class rankings.

In the morning classes, Cliff Beasley continued his U2 class domination aboard his 2012 Can-am Renegade® 800 X® xc. Beasley grabbed the holeshot and stretched his lead after each lap to win by more than three minutes. He has won all four races this year. In the 4×4 Lites class, Can-Am X-Team racer Kevin Trantham is also undefeated this season after yet another convincing win. He won by more than 10 minutes and also was fourth overall on the morning amateur podium.

“It was really dusty and there were a lot of tree stumps and other things you couldn’t see out there, but I had a good race and I was able to win,” said Beasley. “The new Renegade has been working awesome and has so much power. A lot of people have a hard time believing that we are running stock engines.”

Can-Am X-Team racer Bryan Buckhannon posted his third 4×4 Open class win of the season aboard his 2012 Outlander™ 800R. He was joined on the podium by fellow Can-Am-mounted racers Zac Zakowski and Michael Swift (Team UXC Racing).

Mike Penland

Can-Am X-Team racer Mike Penland notched the first 4×4 Senior class win of the season aboard his Outlander ATV and also finished sixth in his Commander™1000 X side-by-side vehicle in the XC2 Limited class. Tanner Bowles has now won three straight races on his Can-Am ATV after his victory in the 4×4 Novice class in S.C.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

Natalie takes 2nd at 2012 AMA Championship

MOTOWORKS / CAN-AM DS 450 RACERS JOHN NATALIE AND JOEL HETRICK EARN PRO CLASS PODIUM AT MUDDY CREEK

Can-Am X-Team Racers Post Victories In Regional Racing Series

Valcourt, Québec, April 24, 2012 – Team Motoworks / Can-Am® DS™ 450 racers John Natalie and Joel Hetrick finished second and third in the Pro class at round two of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series held at Muddy Creek in Blountville, Tenn. Can-Am X-Team ATV and side-by-side racers also had a successful weekend, winning several classes at races held in Texas and Iowa.

“We were excited to have both John and Joel reach the AMA Motocross Pro class podium at Muddy Creek,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Although we didn’t get the overall victory, both of our racers rode well, despite the slick conditions, put themselves in contention and ultimately earned a trip to the podium. John has led motos at both rounds and is currently second in the Pro class points race, while Joel has been the fastest qualifier twice, so they definitely have the speed and skills to win every race they enter.”

AMA ATV MX

In moto one, Natalie started the race in the top three and then led during the third lap. The reigning AMA ATV MX Champion then began pulling away from the competition. Then the rain fell hard during the final four laps and the conditions became very slick. On the final lap, Natalie slid too wide in a corner and was passed by the eventual moto winner. Natalie had to settle for second. Hetrick, who won the ATVriders.com Fastest Qualifier Award for the second time in two rounds, started in seventh place, but charged hard in to third after only a few laps. Once the rain hit, Hetrick chose to ride safely and smartly, rather than risk losing his moto position with an attempted charge at the leaders. He finished third.

Joel Hetrick takes 3rd.

“Qualifying was great, the track was dry. I was hoping the rain would hold off and it would stay that way, but it didn’t,” said Hetrick. “I learned a lot in the past year riding with all these guys and I just laid low and just tried to hold third place.”
 

Natalie came out of the second moto in the fourth spot, while Hetrick was in fifth. Both riders pushed forward and eventually battled for second place. After briefly swapping the second-place position with Hetrick, Natalie regained the spot and then aced ahead in attempt to catch the leader. He ran out of time and finished the day second overall. Hetrick’s 3-3 moto scores were good for third and his first Pro class podium with Motoworks / Can-Am.

“We got out where we wanted to be for moto one, but I didn’t get the start I wanted in moto two and then got tied up; I closed in and took second, so not too bad,” said Natalie.

In other AMA ATV MX series action, Can-Am X-Team racer Cole Henry took third overall in the Pro-Am Production class. Former Grand National ATV Champion Travis Spader rode his Can-Am DS 450 to three class wins, earning the top spot in the Veteran 30+ A, 4-Stroke A and Junior 25+ classes. Merrill Crose, who also competes on a Can-Am, won both the Open A and 450 A classes.

Other Can-Am Racing Updates

At the third round of the Texas Off Road Nationals (TORN), Cody Miller held off his brother Hunter to win the ATV Pro class and extend his class points lead aboard his Louis Powersports-prepped DS 450. Hunter later drove his Can-Am Commander™ 1000 X® to victory in the UTV Unlimited class and is the current points leader.

At the District 22 Series MX race in Iowa, rider Zach Harris won all four motos he entered aboard his CR21 / Hicklin Powersports-sponsored Can-Am DS 450 on his way to winning both the Quad A and Quad A Production classes.

Round five of the 2012 Can-Am / Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series is scheduled for April 28 at Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, KY.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.