Buckhannon Pilots Renegade to Loretta Lynn's GNCC 4×4 Win

Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer Bryan Buckhannon posted his first 4×4 Pro class win of the season and finished second overall on the 10 a.m. session podium at round six of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Can-Am racers also competed at round two of the New England ATV Motocross series in New York.

“It was a very competitive weekend at Loretta’s, but we were extremely pleased by Bryan Buckhannon’s 4×4 Pro Class win and second overall finish during the morning session,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “The class points race is tight between Buckhannon and current class leader Kevin Trantham. After the six rounds of racing action, it’s exciting that four different Renegade 800R X xc racers having won at least one round.”

The sixth round of the 2014 GNCC series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, was held at the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch outside of Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Despite a call for rain, the weather held off for Saturday’s ATV action and instead racers had to battle the hot, dry conditions and hilly course. Bryan Buckhannon (ATV Parts Plus / Can-Am) battled out front with the 4×4 Pro class leaders all day and eventually posted his first class victory of the year. The multi-time GNCC utility ATV champion climbed to within three points of class points leader and fellow Can-Am Renegade racer Kevin Trantham, who took fifth. Buckhannon, who earned second overall in the 10 a.m. session, has been consistent all year, making the podium at five of six rounds.

“It feels great to win the 4×4 Pro class. I have been waiting six rounds to do it and I am happy to get the monkey off of my back,” said Buckhannon. “I was third off the start, but was able to grab the lead by mile marker one. I got into a battle with Kevin (Trantham), although he had some bad luck. After Kevin, Rob (Smith) and I started to battle. We had a blast. We passed each other back and forth. It was a good clean race.”

Smith (BNR / Can-Am) earned his second straight 4×4 Pro class podium finish after slugging it out with Buckhannon in Tennessee. Smith, who has one win this year, currently sits third in the class point standings 10 points out of second place. Jordan Phillips finished fourth.

Another class victory went to Can-Am racer Tanner Bowles in the 4×4 A/B class. The Loretta’s win marked the fifth victory in a row for Bowles, who leads the class by 19 points heading into round seven. In his third race of the year in the 4×4 C class, Can-Am racer Matt Ewart posted his first class victory, winning by more than six minutes. Brian Foltz also scored a podium finish aboard a DS 450 in the Senior A/B (38+) class Saturday afternoon.

Can-Am racers won three classes and tallied 10 total podiums at round two of the NEATV-MX series at AK Farms in Modena, N.Y. The New York race featured both traditional motocross and a few hare scramble events, too. In motocross, Can-Am racer Travis Moore, despite a nagging shoulder injury, went 4-1 in the Pro class and 3-2 in the Pro-Am class to earn to second-place finishes in each.

“My BCS Performance / Whitcher Racing Can-Am DS450 worked great for me today. The track was pretty rough, but also fast in some spots, with some big uphill jumps and whoops sections which really beat me up, but the DS handled it without a problem,” says Moore.

Can-Am DS 450 racer Jake Bradway won the College Boy and Open A classes with 1-1 moto sweeps. Wayne Chamberland also won the SxS Production Open class – a special side-by-side event – behind the steering wheel of a Can-Am.