Can-Am Race Report: May 4-5

Michael Swift won the morning overall at the Mammoth GNCC.

Competing in four different series across the U.S. and Canada, Can-Am ATV and Side-by-Side racers had a busy and successful weekend.

The weekend was highlighted by Team UXC Racing / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift’s morning overall and U2 class win. Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers won five morning classes at a soggy round five of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country held in Kentucky. Team Hendershot Performance won the Pro SxS race at round three of the American Woods Racing Championship Series in Pennsylvania. Maverick 1000R side-by-side team Murray Motorsports finished third in the SxS Pro class at the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 in Nevada. In the Courses VTT series in Canada, a Maverick pilot earned a podium position while three Can-Am DS 450 racers swept the ATV Pro class.

“Can-Am 4×4 racers dominated the murky Mammoth GNCC event, winning five classes. I was pleased to see Can-Am Renegade racer Michael Swift win his class, the morning overall and prove that sportsmanship is alive and well in our sport,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R racers continue to make strides in the new side-by-side vehicle, winning two events and earning podium finishes in others.”

Kevin Trantham topped the 4×4 Lites class.

Round five of the 2013 GNCC series was held at an extremely muddy Park Mammoth Resort in Park City, Ky. The morning session belonged to Swift and Can-Am 4x4s. The Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer overcame a crash, mud holes, bottlenecks and another delay to help a fellow competitor recover after a crash to win the morning overall and capture his third consecutive U2 class victory. Swift beat fellow Can-Am racer Robert Smith, who currently holds the U2 class points lead. Can-Am X-Team racer Kevin Trantham, who won the 4×4 Lites class over Can-Am racer Andrew Langston, took the runner-up spot on the morning podium on his Outlander 500. Swift, Trantham and Smith comprised the all-Can-Am 4×4 overall podium.

Bryan Buckhannon stayed perfect in the 4×4 Open class.

Reigning 4×4 Open class champion Bryan Buckhannon stayed perfect in 2013, edging fellow Can-Am Outlander ATV racers Bo Jones and Samuel Williams for the class win. Mississippi’s Scott Wheeler took the victory in the 4×4 Senior class and was joined on the podium by class points leader Forrest Whorton (Team UXC Racing) and Mike Penland. Ryan Smith expanded his 4×4 Novice class points lead with his second win of the year. Can-Am racers Brent Tindall and Jeff Cromer rounded out the class podium. Jason Gautier also grabbed third in the 35+ C class riding Can-Am.

In afternoon action, JB Racing / Can-Am DS 450 Pro Jarrod McClure finished eighth in the XC1 Pro class at the Mammoth GNCC. After being bumped over a muddy berm on lap one, McClure patiently picked off six racers over the next three laps to earn another top 10 finish.

Coming off its recent victory with the Can-Am Maverick 1000R at the inaugural UTV / SxS Grand Prix in Ohio, Team Hendershot / Can-Am took another overall win, this time in the AWRCS series. The team drove its Maverick to the UTV Open class overall at round three of AWRCS in New Bethlehem, Pa. Team Triumph of Windber took second in a Can-Am.

Round one of the Courses VTT Quadcross Series saw a trio of Can-Am DS 450 racers reach the Pro class podium and a Maverick 1000R racer take second in Saint-Pie, Quebec, Canada. Keven Vachon went 1-2 in the ATV Pro class motos to earn the victory. Mathieu Deroy’s 5-1 finishes were good for second. Bobby Desjardins earned the final podium spot. Can-Am X-Team member Charles-Antoine Villeneuve earned third in moto one of the SxS 900-1000 class and then took second in moto two for second overall in his debut race.

Charles-Antoine Villeneuve finished third in his first race behind the wheel of a Can-Am Maverick.

“I did my first race with the Can-Am Maverick this weekend. The machine performed extremely well. I was really impressed with the power,” says Villeneuve.

Team Del Amo Motorsports / Murray Motorsports / Can-Am raced its Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs to a third-place finish in the BITD Silver State 300 outside Las Vegas. It was the second straight podium finish for brothers Derek and Jason Murray.