Can-Am Race Report: GNCC, NEATV-MX, BITD

Can-Am ATV and UTV racers picked up podium finishes in a variety of series this past weekend. At the Ironman GNCC, Cliff Beasley rode his Can-Am Renegade to victory in the U2 class and finished second overall in the morning session, while Tanner Bowles rode his Can-Am Outlander to a win in the 4×4 Open class and Can-Am DS 450 racer Chris Bithell finished third in the XC1 Pro ATV class.

At the final round of the New England ATV Motocross series in New York, 2012 Pro and Pro-Am class champion Josh Creamer earned two more podium finishes. In desert racing, Cory Sappington’s Desert Toyz / Can-Am team recently took a second place finish at the Best in the Desert Bluewater Desert Challenge in Parker, Ariz.

“Can-Am racers recently earned important victories and podium finishes in several events across the country. Cory Sappington’s second-place finish in the Parker, Ariz., was impressive. Josh Creamer battled through horrible mud in New York, to cap a perfect season in the NEATV Pro class,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “I was proud of the way our racers overcame the mud at the Ironman GNCC. Cliff Beasley was amazing in his U2 class win. It was also great to see 17-year-old Tanner Bowles win the 4×4 Open class.”

Ironman GNCC

Beasley, who was the top finishing Can-Am racer in the morning, piloted his Renegade ATV to the U2 class win at a rain-soaked Ironman in Crawfordsville, Ind. Beasley’s 10th win of the year also earned him second on the morning overall podium and first on the 4×4 podium. Can-Am racer Jordan Phillips took second in the U2 division and fifth overall in the morning.

The 4×4 Open class came down to the final lap. Can-Am Outlander ATV racers Bryan Buckhannon and Michael Swift, who had swapped the lead on the final lap, ran into trouble and left the door open for another racer. Bowles, who moved up from the 4×4 Novice class after round 10, took full advantage as he notched his first 4×4 Open class victory of 2012. Buckhannon ended up second, while Swift was third.

In XC1 Pro class action, Bithell got stuck twice on the final lap, but still earned a hard-fought third-place finish. The Motoworks / Can-Am racer is fourth in the Pro class rankings.

“I couldn’t have done it with out these Indiana fans,” says Bithell. “It was one those days when it was easier to follow, then lead, just let the guys in front of you make the mistakes.”

Forrest Whorton won the 4×4 Senior class and fellow Can-Am racer Chad Morret won the 4×4 Novice class. In side-by-side racing, Team Travalena, with GNCC PR rep Jen Kenyon as co-pilot, earned second in the UTV XC2 limited class in a Can-Am Commander. Brent Tindall (4×4 Sr.) and Joshua Trafelet (4×4 Novice) also earned second in their respective classes. Can-Am racers who earned third place in their class were: Kevin Trantham (4×4 Lites), Steve Cunningham (College B 16-21), Scott Day (U2), Jeff Leonard (4×4 Sr.) and Forrest Burkitt (4×4 Novice).

BITD Bluewater Desert Challenge

Team Desert Toyz / Can-Am recently finished second at the two-day, 150-mile Best in the Desert Bluewater Desert Challenge in Parker, Ariz. Sappington’s team piloted its Desert Toyz / Can-Am Commander 1000 X to a fourth-place finish on day one. Sappington finished the 25-mile, three-lap course in third place on day two. His 4-3 score was good enough for second overall.

The Murray Motorsports / Can-Am Commander 1000 X team of Jason and Derek Murray tallied 5-4 scores to finish fifth. More importantly, the top-five finish means the Murray brothers carry the class points lead into the final round of the season in December.

NEATV-MX Finale

Creamer took home the Pro win and finished second in the Pro-Am class at Twister Valley in Fort Plain, N.Y. Creamer, who won every Pro class moto he entered, won the first moto and the class overall without racing moto two due to poor weather conditions.