Motoworks / Can-Am pro racer Josh Frederick suffered a serious back injury after crashing during the Pro ATV race Sunday at round three of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Medical crews were on the scene quickly and, after complaining of the loss of feeling to his legs, he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Further examination revealed that Frederick’s T-5 vertebrae was fractured during the violent crash. Frederick was then flown to a level-one trauma center in Las Vegas for additional examinations and surgery.

Frederick underwent surgery Sunday evening to remove the piece of bone lodged in his spine and his back was fused. The surgery was successful and Frederick is now resting comfortably at the hospital. He did not regain feeling to his legs after the surgery and due to the amount of swelling it is not currently possible to determine a time frame for potential recovery or paralysis. Josh has been fitted with a back brace and on Tuesday he will start therapy.

“Josh is such a wonderful person, a devoted father and husband and a dedicated professional racer. While it deeply saddens me to learn of the severity of this injury, I also know that Josh is an extremely hard worker, a fighter and a true champion, I pray that he will persevere and overcome this challenge,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Josh and his family are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone at BRP and the entire Can-Am racing family.”

Team Motoworks / Can-Am Pro Josh Frederick had a busy but successful weekend at the second round of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Primm, Nev. He piloted his Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs Side-by-Side to a third-place podium finish and his DS 450 ATV to second overall. Fellow SxS Pro Production side-by-side class and Can-Am Maverick racer Pablo Veglia finished fifth.

“We were very pleased with how round two turned out, having Josh Frederick reach both Pro class podiums with the Maverick and DS 450. I was definitely happy with how Josh raced and finished with the Maverick 1000R X rs in just his second WORCS event. Coming from the fifth row at the start, and as far back as 20th, to earn a top-three finish shows just how skilled both he and the Maverick are,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “To have two of the five Maverick side-by-side vehicles entered, finish in the top five of the highly competitive Pro Production 1000 class is great and definitely the momentum that we were looking for which we can build upon.”

For Frederick and the Maverick 1000R, round two, held at Buffalo Bill’s, just outside of Las Vegas, served as redemption for an unlucky series opener a few weeks prior when he failed to finish. In Primm, Frederick was determined to move forward from his fifth-row starting spot during the six-lap Pro race. After lap one, Frederick was in 15th, but on the move. One lap later he had picked off five racers and cracked the top 10. By the fourth lap, the Nevada resident had pushed his Maverick 1000R X rs to fourth overall. He cracked into the top three on lap five and held it all the way to the finish for the first-ever WORCS podium finish for the new Can-Am Maverick. Frederick had a similar climb in the Pro ATV class, as he came from eighth place to eventually put his Motoworks-tuned DS 450 on the podium.

James Hill rode his Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs to a sixth place finish in the SxS Pro Production class.

The opening round of the 2013 WORCS series at Canyon MX in Peoria, Ariz. marked the competitive debut of the Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs.

Dismal track conditions, which included deep mud, standing water and wet sand in additional to the normal desert obstacles, made for a challenging start to the 2013 season. Two Can-Am racers, James Hill and David Martinez, posted top 10 finishes in the SxS Pro Production class in their Maverick 1000R X rs vehicles.

Josh Frederick was sitting in the top five before a mechanical issue ended his race.

“Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the overall event became a real race for survival in the mud and deep, standing water. In its competition debut, the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle’s top finish was sixth, though we competed in the lead pack early on,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “We are very optimistic for the upcoming events, as all the drivers are thrilled with the performance and handling of the Maverick on the race course. We all realize that it is a long season and we are carrying a positive attitude about the eight rounds of WORCS racing that remain.”

Hill (IMG Racing) finished in sixth place out of 23 competitors in the side-by-side Pro ranks. He battled through the muck, coming from 19th after the first lap to find a spot in the top 10 by lap five. He picked up two more spot on the final lap. Martinez, of Del Amo Motorsports / Murray Motorsports, finished the day in 10th.

BRP has stepped up its off-road racing efforts for 2013 with a massive team racers set to pilot Can-Am ATVs and UTVs this year. BRP has added more racing circuits and expanded its UTV racing support to include the new Can-Am Maverick 1000R.

“We have a dedicated and talented group of racers and teams competing under the Can-Am banner for the 2013 racing season. I’m thrilled to have the all-new Can-Am Maverick 1000R in the mix and to have some of our experienced racers pilot the industry’s most invigorating side-by-side vehicle,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We will compete on Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicles across the U.S. and Canada and we’re fully determined to compete for championships in every racing series we enter.”

Josh Frederick, Jeremie Warnia, Collins Webster, and Jarrod McClure rode their Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 to victory in the grueling Baja 1000.

After a 27-hour battle with the most brutal racing terrain the Baja Peninsula of Mexico has to offer, the DS 450 team crossed the finish line ahead of 297 other starters and 1121 miles away from the start line of the Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Mexico.

“This team was prepared to deliver BRP its first Pro ATV-class victory in over a decade and the first for the DS 450 ATV,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Can-Am off-road race manager. “The dedication by the entire Motoworks team was evident from pre-running to the finish; I am proud that they are an important partner with BRP.”