#WalkerFowler

Typically the season finale, this year’s Ironman landed two weeks before the final round of 2011 coming up at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, which was rescheduled to Nov. 5. Traci Cecco took her eighth win of the year in the Women’s class adding to her record eighth series championship which she secured even before the Ironman. Ballance Racing’s Walker Fowler, who has also already locked in his series championship, took his twelfth straight XC2 Pro Am win – a series record. In XC1 Pro competition, Ballance Racing’s Taylor Kiser finished second – his fifth podium of the season – which moved him to third in overall series points.

Yamaha’s ATV Race Teams have been claiming podiums this season at the nation’s top racing series from East to West. With returning champions and strong challengers on blue, Yamaha riders have seen success in Grand National Cross Country (GNCC), QuadX and AMA ATV Motocross Championship racing and are poised to capture titles in motocross and cross country action.

“We have a great group of racers who are doing spectacular things on the tracks and trails aboard their YFZ450Rs and YFZ450Xs,” says Donnie Luce, Yamaha ATV/Off-Road racing coordinator. “While there are fewer factory programs this year, the competition is still extremely tough – our racers are showing their talents and stamina pushing harder and faster. Yamaha is deeply ingrained in ATV racing, and we’re excited to see how the rest of the 2011 season plays out.”

Here’s a look at Yamaha’s 2011 ATV team through mid-August:

Thomas Brown battled with some of the world’s top motocross racers in the AMA ATV Motocross Championship series finishing a personal best fourth place overall for the year. After a rough start, Brown rose in the ranks capturing three second place podium finishes.

“Thomas has risen through the AMA ATV ranks, and he’s proved he is a rider to be reckoned with in this series,” Luce said.

The 4th Annual Heartland Challenge presented by GBC Motorsports took Carlisle, Iowa by storm this year. Great weather and great track conditions made this year’s event a fun and exciting weekend full of racing for all in attendance.

Andy Kyner and his IATVHSS (Iowa ATV Hare Scramble Series) team did a fantastic job with all aspects of the event, receiving rave reviews from riders and spectators alike. The course itself offered up a variety of terrain, including tight technical sections with frequent elevation changes, long and fast straight-aways through the heartland’s farm fields, and motocross-style whoops and jumps. The “Heartland Challenge” section is of course the defining feature of this event, in which competitors must negotiate a variety of obstacles.

GBC Motorsports was out in full force for the event, with its full line of ATV and UTV products on display. GBC showcased its new Kanati truck tire throughout the weekend. There was an impressive roster on vendor’s row, including PIAA lighting, which provided an array of products to help with the nighttime portion of the event, as well as C&D ATV.

The first event of the weekend was Friday night’s UTV challenge. The four-hour endurance race saw Team Elias narrowly beat out Team Coastal/Yokely Racing, with Team Extreme rounding out the podium. The Open UTV class podium was comprised of Team Coastal/Yokely Racing, Team Extreme and Team Donkey. The 850 Mod class saw overall winners Team Elias on top, followed by Team Galloping Zebra and Team LM1. Team I Love Hooters, Team D&S Racing and Team A-Team were the top three finishers in the 850 limited class.

Proving once again that endurance racing is not just for adults, Saturday morning’s three-hour youth challenge gave teams of young riders the opportunity to compete on much of the same terrain as their older and more experienced counterparts. When the checkered flag flew it was Team Dirtworks taking the overall win, with Team NA in second and Team Extreme in third.

Later on Saturday, 54 teams finished their preparations and lined up for a Le Mans style start, in which riders dashed 20 yards before firing up their quads and heading out on the course. After 10 hours of racing, defending champions Team Ballance Racing Yamaha (Kiser, Fowler and Brown) once again claimed the $6,000 top prize, putting on an impressive display of riding in the process. Team Woodhead (Wolf, Ockerman and Henthorn) finished second overall for the second consecutive year while Team Sweet Home Alabama (Pickens, Gallagher and Cecco) rounded out the podium in third.