Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. prides itself on its role in supporting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas by GRANTing nearly $2 million through its OHV Access Initiative since 2008. This financial support has proven critical in areas such as building bridges over fish-baring streams, improving thousands of miles of trails, and renovating staging areas.

In addition to financial support from the OHV Access Initiative, Yamaha employees out of the company’s Cypress, Calif., headquarters have taken on a personal obligation to support this mission as well.

Earlier this October, more than 60 employees, family members and friends convened in the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) volunteering more than 200 work hours and kicking off a long-term restoration project at the popular Cactus Flats staging area near Big Bear Lake. Volunteers reached some initial restoration goals through weeding, grubbing, seed collecting, planting native shrubs, watering and other important clean-up projects.

“It’s exciting to see so many Yamaha employees volunteer their weekend and get their hands dirty in support of our local mountains and OHV areas,” says Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS group marketing manager, who participated in the volunteer project and helps spearhead the OHV Access Initiative. “The San Bernardino National Forest Association has a model OHV program that garners thousands of volunteer hours every year. We’re happy to do our small part for our local trails, and we encourage OHV enthusiasts across the country to continue to keep their riding areas safe and sustainable, as well as look to our OHV program for support.”

MX Sports Pro Racing and ATVPG have announced the 2012 schedule for the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT. The series kicks off March 24 and 25 at Millcreek Raceway in Pell City, Ala. and wraps up August 11 and 12 at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

The series moves to a ten-race format in 2012 and will be returning to many of the ATV racing community’s favorite venues such as High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pa. and Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tenn.

“The ATV promoters are excited to release the National ATVMX schedule for 2012,” says ATVPG Director Sam Gammon. “We have put a lot of consideration into creating a schedule that best accommodates riders and families, while still creating an exciting series that is worthy of its national status.”

We in the off-road media are fortunate to get to ride the latest and greatest ATVs and UTVs as soon as they come out. As hard as we try to tell you about our experiences, the best way to get a feel for a machine is to ride it and Arctic Cat is giving you that opportunity with its new Wildcat Demo Tour.

Inspired by the unforgiving terrain of the Baja 1000, engineered to attack the gnarliest obstacles with precision and control, and crafted in America by a company dedicated to performance and quality, Arctic Cat says the all-new Wildcat V-Twin 1000 is the most potent pure-sport recreational off-road vehicle ever built. And now you can take a personal test drive from 9am-5pm at all demo ride locations.

Check out the complete Demo Tour Schedule below the jump. Also, be sure to visit the Wildcat Forum and check out our preview article on the big cat.

Chris Borich made a thrilling, last-lap pass on Brian Wolf to take an exciting, come-from-behind victory at the ITP Powerline Park GNCC, round 12 of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

The win marked the seventh time this year the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider has graced the top step of the podium and it increased his already hefty lead in the series standings to a massive 36 points over Adam McGill with two rounds remaining on the schedule.

Dustin Canipe got the ball rolling by grabbing the holeshot at the start of the two-hour race, and by doing so, the Honda rider claimed the $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award. It wasn’t long, however, before Wolf put his GT Thunder-backed Honda into the lead, eventually stretching his advantage to 40 seconds by the end of the opening lap.

For those who don’t know, TerraCross sees both ATV and UTV racers challenged like almost never before with gnarly rock crossings, nasty log sections, deep mud and just about anything else you can think of.

A series of teaser videos is being released for an upcoming TV test pilot based on TerraCross racing and we’ve got two of them for you to see right here.

Brian Wolf took advantage of a late race mistake by Adam McGill to take a thrilling win at the VP Racing Fuels Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pennsylvania – round 11 of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series.

For most of the two-hour race, no less than five riders were in contention for the overall victory. However, it was McGill who led the most laps, taking the early lead after making first-lap passes on Wolf and $250 Motosport.com Holeshot Award winner Taylor Kiser. McGill’s Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am teammate Chris Bithell was among the front-runners, along with Kiser on the Ballance Racing Yamaha, Wolf on a GT Thunder-backed Honda and series points leader Chris Borich on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki, as McGill led the pack through one of the toughest courses of the year.

There’s nothing like spending a Labor Day weekend with 5,000 of your closest friends! ITP did just that at the 2011 SxS & ATV Roundup, held for the third time at Brimstone Recreation near Huntsville, Tenn.

The desert-like conditions experienced this year (hot and dry) did little to dampen the fun and excitement this event always presents. Activities included guided trail rides for riders of all ability levels, a “Show and Shine,” a drive-in movie, a Kid Zone, and a concert by Tracy Lawrence. A vendor/demo area drew plenty of attention, and ITP was there. ITP also held a raffle drawing for a set of Mayhem tires.

Chris Borich came out on top of a hard-fought battle with Chris Bithell and Adam McGill to top the XC1 division at this year’s Can-Am Unadilla GNCC in New Berlin, New York. However, it was XC2 rider Walker Fowler who claimed the overall victory, edging Borich on adjusted time by just over six seconds at the end of the two-hour race.

After getting off to a mid-pack start Borich moved into the lead midway into the race, the Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider hooking up with GT Thunder-backed Brian Wolf at the front as the two riders pulled away from the rest of the pack. However, due to the relatively short length of the course, it wasn’t long before the two front-runners ran into lappers, allowing Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am teammates Bithell and McGill to catch up. For the next few laps, the four front-runners took turns leading the race.

This year’s AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series presented by DWT has been an array of ups, downs, career-firsts and even season enders; it’s been chalked full of excitement as well as disappointment as the fastest ATV racers in the nation have put everything on the line to compete for the coveted AMA Pro Racing ATV Motocross Championship title. However, amidst all the hard work and emotion, only two riders were actually in contention this weekend to take home the championship title, and those riders were Motoworks Can-Am‘s John Natalie and Baldwin Motorsports PEP Racing’s Josh Upperman – who came into the final round of racing at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch only ten points apart.

Rewinding back to June, Motoworks Can-Am’s Chad Wienen had swept four of the first seven rounds of racing – giving himself a padded points lead heading into the second half of the schedule until a season-ending practice crash put a halt to his championship sights in 2011. Like the true champion that he is though, Wienen attended this weekend’s season-finale race to support his Can-Am teammate as well as his friends and fellow racers. To keep his mind in the game, Chad even co-announced both pro motos alongside ATVMX announcer Rodney Tomblin, adding his on-track experience and expertise for the fans at Loretta Lynn’s.

Editor’s Note: Since originally publishing this feature on the Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000i, we’ve had a chance to spend a day riding it. You can check out our full review and video by clicking here.

Rolling halfway into the year 2011 there is yet another two-passenger off-road ride to choose from that seems to speak to an almost exact demographic – the Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000. The designers at Arctic Cat obviously had an “all out desert racing” mindset for engineering a plan to get in the game of massive displacement and industry-leading suspension travel.

When looking at the Wildcat 1000 what stands out the most are the crazy trophy truck or desert racing type suspension components that hang from the seemingly thin and nimble looking passenger compartment. As well, the 951cc liquid cooled V-Twin will deliver power for the thrashing and with fuel injection this should be a responsive trail feline.

As the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT winds down, the action only seems to heighten. Ballance Racing’s Thomas Brown captured his first moto win of the season Saturday at Red Bud MX in Buchanan, Mich., becoming the seventh unique rider to win a moto in this year’s Pro ATV class. Motoworks Can-Am‘s John Natalie answered back with a moto two win, claiming the overall and extending his lead in the championship point standings.

As the gate dropped for moto one, it was the Honda of Josh Upperman that grabbed the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award. “A huge thanks to Mark [Baldwin] for giving me such a good motor to pull holeshots out there,” says Upperman. Walsh Race Craft Suzuki‘s Jeremy Lawson and Hetrick Motorsports Honda rider Joel Hetrick got tangled up early in the moto, causing both riders to go down pretty hard. Tough luck for Lawson, who posted the fastest lap times in the qualifying sessions and for Hetrick who swept both motos at Unadilla just two weeks ago.

Motoworks Can-Am’s John Natalie put in the fastest lap of the race on the second lap, making his way past Baldwin Motorsports PEP Honda’s Upperman for second place and quickly finding his way around the leader Brown soon after.

“Natalie ran me down – he had a few better lines than me and passed me, but I found his lines and tracked him for a few laps and I was able to make the pass,” says Brown. Brown got back around Natalie through the whoops and laid down a smooth race to the checkers.

Upperman settled into a comfortable pace behind Natalie, keeping an almost thirty-second distance over Can-Am’s Chase Snapp by the end of the moto. “I definitely want to be on the podium every week, but I know staying consistent will keep me in the championship contention,” says Upperman. “The track was pretty brutal and with the big amount of sand, it got really whooped out. I got pretty beat up through the whoops, but I think everyone else did too.”

Mushin Racing/KG Clutch Factory/GBC Bomb Squad’s Travis Moore battled with Snapp at the beginning of the race, eventually settling into the fifth spot behind the rookie. “I’ve been working really hard this year and I think it’s finally starting to pay off,” says Moore. “I’m finally starting to feel comfortable out there and I’m excited for an even better year next year.”

Upperman grabbed the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award in the second moto, leading the race for the first few laps until Natalie made his move to the lead. Brown got a top five start and diced with Upperman and Hetrick before finally passing Upperman to take over the second place spot. As soon as Brown got around Upperman, he set his sights on the leader Natalie, who was doing everything in his power to hold Brown off for the lead.

“I tried to cruise and save my energy for the end of the race but I think I slowed down a little too much and let Thomas catch up,” says Natalie. “He kind of got beside me going through the whoops a little bit and I held him off and then I pulled a little bit of a gap the last lap.”

Natalie took the overall win with a (2-1) finish, while Brown went (1-2) for the second overall. Upperman cruised on to take the third overall with a consistent (3-3) on the day.

“I want to go to Loretta’s, do well in both motos and get the overall. I wish John and Jeremy the best of luck, there’s still a lot a that could happen in two motos,” says Upperman.

After qualifying first in practice, only to go down hard in moto one, Jeremy Lawson now sits a whopping fifty-three points back from the leader. Brown and Chad Wienen wrap up the top five in points, while Chase Snapp is looking to break into the top five after Loretta’s. Can-Am now leads the Manufacturer’s Cup by forty-nine points over Honda and Suzuki.

The AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series heads to Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., August 13 and 14.

It was only a matter of time before this year’s determined rookies topped the podium amongst a deep field of veterans in the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT. Pro class rookie Chase Snapp took his first-ever moto win two weeks ago in Ohio, while Makson Construction JB Racing’s Joel Hetrick swept Saturday’s Unadilla event, giving the rookie a career-best overall win.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures graced the Unadilla Valley Sports Center for round nine of the eleven-stop circuit. The habitually rough Unadilla racetrack was sleek and fast, an additional variable to the already exciting championship points battle. The points margin is closer than it’s ever been this season and with only two rounds remaining on the 2011 schedule, every moto counts.

After suffering a disappointing mechanical failure at the previous round in West Virginia, Chris Borich got back on top of the podium with a spectacular win at the Wiseco John Penton GNCC, round nine of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series in Millfield, Ohio.

Borich battled race-long with Ballance Racing Yamaha‘s Taylor Kiser, Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell and GT Thunder-backed Brian Wolf before putting his Rockstar Makita Suzuki into the lead on the final lap to claim his fifth victory of the season and extend his lead in the series standings to an impressive 27 points heading into the summer break.

“That race at Snowshoe was kind of a bummer, it was just a freak deal and I thought we had at least a top two,” says Borich. “You just can’t control things like that sometimes, but it’s good to come back strong here and get the win.”

The ATV safety community recently marked the enactment of “Chandler’s Law,” which is aimed at protecting South Carolina’s young ATV riders through rider training, parental supervision, the use of proper safety gear, and prohibitions on children riding adult-sized models.

The event in the state capitol included South Carolina native Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Senator Brad Hutto of South Carolina, representatives from the ATV Safety Institute and Pam and Steve Saylor, whose son Chandler died in an ATV crash in 2003. Signed in May by Gov. Nikki Haley, the new law officially took effect on July 1, 2011.

“At the CPSC, we know that an experienced rider is often a safe rider,” says Tenenbaum. “This is why the new training requirements in Chandler’s Law – the training courses conducted by ASI – are so important.”

Chandler’s Law is based on Model State ATV Safety Legislation, created by the not-for-profit Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA). This model legislation has been promoted and proposed to South Carolina and states throughout America by the SVIA for more than two decades.

“We truly hope that ATV enthusiasts throughout South Carolina, and even across the country, abide by Chandler’s Law, not only to honor his memory, but to dramatically increase their own safety,” says Pam Saylor. “It’s absolutely critical that ATV riders under 16 receive hands-on training by licensed trainers, ride the right size ATV and wear safety gear while operating these vehicles.”

There was a noticeable absence at this weekend’s Suzuki Summer ATV National at Sunday Creek Raceway as Motoworks Can-Am‘s Chad Wienen missed his first race of this season after undergoing surgery just last week. Although Wienen will not be racing again this season, the ATV Motocross family will continue to follow and support Wienen in his recovery efforts.

Round 8 of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT took over the grounds of Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio, for the first time ever in the history of the series. A small rain took place in the early afternoon, creating an interesting dynamic for the first set of motos, but as soon as the rain stopped and the sun came out, it was a perfect day for ATV racing.

Motoworks Can-Am’s Jeremie Warnia was the fastest qualifier after taking advantage of the dry track conditions during the morning practice sessions.

“The track was awesome for practice, I prefer when it’s dry definitely. My Can-Am was running really good and I just found smooth lines out there,” says Warnia.

Adam McGill pocketed a cool $5,000 and moved within striking distance of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series points lead by taking a spectacular win at the Motosport.com Snowshoe GNCC, round eight of the series at Snowshoe Mountain Resort in Snowshoe, WV.

With the win, his second of the year, McGill moved to within seven points of series points leader Chris Borich, who finished a disappointing 12th after mud clogged his radiator and caused the engine on his Rockstar Makita Suzuki to overheat.

McGill’s Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am teammate Chris Bithell finished second after leading much of the race, while FRE Racing KTM’s Bryan Cook claimed his first podium finish of the year with a third.

As you may have heard, Arctic Cat is pulling out all the stops for its 50th Anniversary Celebration this summer. Up until now we’ve only been teased with details, but Arctic Cat has finally unveiled its full schedule of events for what is sure to be the biggest snowmobile and ATV celebration of the summer.

Arctic Cat Factory Tours
Friday, July 29th, 8am-5pm
Saturday, July 30th, 9am-3pm

For 50 years Arctic Cat has been a potent source of ideas that originated from the many talented, passionate, people who have filled the Factory walls in Thief River Falls. Walk the same yellow lines they have on and in-depth tour.

Friday Kick-Off Events at Pennington County Fairgrounds

Start Arctic Cat’s 50th Celebration on Friday, July 29th at the Pennington County Fairgrounds where the Vintage and Product Displays will be open from 11am-9pm in the REA and Huck Arenas; don’t forget to take a demo ride on a 2012 Arctic Cat ATV or Prowler from 11am-3pm. Get transported back in time with a special fashion show starting with mid 1960’s Arctic Cat garments at 4pm. Cap off the day with a special 50th Souvenir from the Curling Club store location and then settle in for the official Kick-Off ceremony starting at 5pm followed by a killer performance from Americana legends, The WoodPicks, followed by high-energy Eagle Creek at 8pm-11pm singing all your country, foot-stomping’ favorites. All your favorite food and beverages will be available for purchase from a multitude of on-site vendors. All displays, concerts and parking are free of charge.

On June 4th over 250 entries started at the 43nd annual Tecate SCORE Baja 500 with the expectations to finish the race and hopefully cross the finish line first. The Matlock Racing team once again covered the rough and boulder strewn course with the fastest time in class 25 for the fourth year in a row.

Less than a month before heading south to Baja, team leader Wayne Matlock had a mountain biking accident that ended with a torn ACL in his knee. A week before the race, the Matlock Racing team headed south of the border to Ensenada and began pre-running. With his injury, Matlock was unable to ride a quad until he began pre-running, however this did not hold him back and his knee seemed to be holding up during the week of riding. After a week of pre-running each team member was prepared to take on the course at race speeds.

The #1A Honda TRX700XX with Wayne Matlock aboard would start in the No. 3 position just one minute behind the #2A quad. On race day the early morning clouds laid low over the town of Ensenada, these would hold in the silty dust turned up by the motorcycles that would start before the Pro quad class. Matlock took the start and worked hard to make the pass on the #2A & #3A quads early in the race.

Warm temperatures and sunny blue skies surrounded round 7 of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT, as the series headed to Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minn. this weekend. Challenging track conditions made for an exciting day of racing as the top ATV racers in the country battled for the overall win.

Joel Hetrick shot off the start to grab the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award in moto one, barely edging out Jannsen Motorsports rider Nick DeNoble. Motoworks Can-Am pilot Chad Wienen, the fastest qualifier of the day, got a mid-pack start, forcing him to work his way through the pack early on. Hetrick held John Natalie off for about five laps until the rookie appeared to get a little winded. Natalie took over the lead and for the remainder of the race focused on holding his teammate Wienen off. Wienen had Millville’s famous “whoop monster” whoop section down, gaining time each lap.

The 536,150-square-foot facility that is Honda of South Carolina (HSC) sits on 625 acres of fertile soil in Timmonsville, SC. Not only does the manufacturing facility employ close to 600 full-time workers, but it also has another 143 with contracts and works with seven suppliers within the state. HSC has become an institution rather than just another plant. In fact, it has been supplying the off-road industry with enjoyment for more than a decade. Since 1998, HSC has manufactured more than 2 million all-terrain vehicles.

As part of the 2012 Honda Foreman 500 4×4 launch (read here), we got a chance to visit HSC, take part in a special “Line Off” ceremony for the revised FourTrax Foreman and explore almost every nook and cranny of the impressive facility. Honda has facilities in 30 countries and 150 facilities worldwide. And HSC is one of 12 major factories Honda has around the United States. However, this one’s special, as it’s designated as an ATV manufacturing plant and has the ability to crank out 266,000 ATVs and 310,000 engines annually.

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Round six of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT traveled to Steel City Raceway for yet another exciting weekend of racing. Saturday’s podium celebration saw fresh faces as American Honda’s Joe Byrd claimed his first overall win of the season, while Ballance Racing’s Thomas Brown took a season-best second and Motoworks Can-Am’s rookie Chase Snapp finished an impressive third overall – marking his first ever podium finish in the Pro class.

Current points leader Chad Wienen captured his very first SSi Decal Holeshot Award of the season in moto one. John Natalie tucked in behind his Can-Am teammate right away, launching what appeared to be the beginning of another classic Can-Am battle to the finish.

Brian Wolf got his first-ever premier-class win at the inaugural running of the Indy 100 GNCC, round six of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series in Gosport, Ind.

The XC1 rookie put his GT Thunder-backed Honda ahead of Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich and Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Adam McGill at the end of the four-lap race, taking the checkered flag in a virtual downpour as a driving rainstorm moved overhead at the three-lap mark, turning the red Indiana farmland into slime.

“It’s unbelievable,” says Wolf. “I couldn’t believe things panned out like they did. I was just hoping to get on the box but I ended up in the middle of it.”

The chase for the championship tightened up this weekend at round five of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT. Only four points separate the current points leader from second place, the closest margin yet this season. At almost halfway through the season, the veteran riders are beginning to mark their territory while several Rookie riders are showing flashes of brilliance.

Although Motoworks Can-Am’s Wienen lined up at his home track, all holeshot advantages were pushed aside as Sunset Ridge debuted a brand new starting structure this weekend. Makson Construction/JB Racing/Maximum RPM/Hetrick Racing’s Joel Hetrick had no problem adjusting to the changes as he shot out of the hydraulic-powered gates to capture the SSi Decals Holeshot Award. It didn’t take long for Wienen to put the move on Hetrick as the duo went side-by-side over the finish line jump on lap two.

The National Guard Polaris Coastal Drilling Yokley Racing Team hauler traveled to Louisville Kentucky for the annual Thunder over Louisville on April 16. This one day event features the largest annual fireworks show in the country, kicking off the festivities leading up to the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

Unusually volatile spring weather in the region made less than perfect weather conditions for the event. Intermittent rain, cool temps and windy conditions kept the attendance less than normal. However, 300,000 people attended and witnessed a great air show featuring 90 military and other aircraft, including the latest $150 million F-22 Raptor fighter jet. As well, 58,000 shells were exploded for the grand finale 30 minute fireworks display.

This is the place to learn about some of the wildest off-road events, find out who won the latest race, and enjoy some off-road stories and advice from our veteran riders and writers.

It wouldn’t be springtime in Maryland without a good old-fashioned mud race. Mother Nature did not disappoint this weekend at the Motoworks Budds Creek National, round four of the AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series Presented by DWT. John Natalie prevailed through the muddy conditions as he swept both motos and took over the points lead from Motoworks Can-Am teammate Chad Wienen.

“I usually do pretty well in the mud. Being from Pennsylvania it’s basically all we’re used to riding in so I was really happy with it today,” says Natalie.

Natalie grabbed the $125 SSi Decals Holeshot Award in both motos, banking a total of $250 for his impressive starts. Good holeshots weren’t the only thing Natalie was winning, though. The Can-Am rider used his starts as leverage to separate from the pack early on, which is especially important in muddy conditions.

Chris Borich got back to his winning ways with a strong performance at the Pirelli Big Buck GNCC – round four of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series in Union, SC.

After finishing fifth at round three in North Carolina when he suffered an ignition problem, Borich was determined to make a mighty comeback at the Big Buck. And that he did. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider got off the line in the top five at the start the race, and then moved into second behind round-three winner Adam McGill, as the two riders broke away from the pack.

On lap three Borich came out ahead of McGill when the Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing Can-Am rider pitted for fuel. From that point on it was all Borich, as the two-time champ turned up the heat, eventually taking the win by a forty-eight-second margin.

Adam McGill and Chris Bithell gave Can-Am the top two steps of the podium with an exciting one-two finish at the FMF Steele Creek General GNCC – round three of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series in Morganton, NC.

The Foremost Insurance/Warnert Racing/Can-Am teammates battled race-long with Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Chris Borich and Ballance Racing Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser, with McGill, Bithell and Borich trading the lead over the course of the two-hour race.

McGill and Bithell took a strong lead on lap two when they elected not to pit and the rest of the field did, however; near the end of the race Borich and Kiser pulled to back within striking distance on the rough and mountainous 11-mile course.

By now it’s no secret that the defending Champion Josh Creamer did not have intentions to race the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT this year. A change in plans caused Creamer to race round two aboard his privateer Honda machine and he may have found out that it’s harder to defend a championship than it is to win one.

The temperatures were beyond perfect at Millcreek MX Park in sunny Pell City, Ala. this weekend. With a full gate of AMA Pro riders and a well-groomed track, it couldn’t have been a better day for racing.

Motoworks DWT Fox Shox Holz Racing Can-Am rider Chad Wienen ran the fastest lap time of the morning. Coming off the previous two seasons as just a top three contender, Wienen has come into 2011 fully prepared and ready to take home a championship. So far, the Illinois native has swept every moto, giving him the points lead heading into round three in a couple weeks.

Chris Borich made it two wins in a row in the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series with an exciting victory at the Maxxis General GNCC – round two of the series in Washington, Ga.

Racing was close all day, with four riders going nose-to-trail for much of the two-hour race. Warnert Racing Can-Am’s Chris Bithell moved into the lead on the opening lap and held it for most of the day with Borich, Adam McGill and Brian Wolf following closely behind. However, on the final lap, Bithell and Borich broke away into their own personal battle for the lead.

With half a lap to go Borich made his move, cutting under Bithell in a sweeping turn on one of the fastest portions of the track. The Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider made the pass stick and held on to take the win by just three seconds over Bithell.

Chris Borich took the first step towards adding a third GNCC title to his résumé on the weekend by winning the opening round of the 2011 Can-Am Grand National Cross Series at the Moose Racing Westgate River Ranch event, near River Ranch, Fla.

Last year, Borich won 11 of 13 rounds to claim the 2010 title, and this year the Yoshimura Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider picked up right where he left off, using a strong final lap push on the rough and sandy course to take the opening round victory over Ballance Racing Yamaha‘s Taylor Kiser and Warnert Racing Can-Am Foremost Insurance’s Chris Bithell.

“This is a good win for us,” says Borich. “We got the lead on the last lap and I put the hammer down and tried to pull a gap. I can’t thank my team enough. For sure, it was a team effort and a good win.”

Coming off a strong finish last season, Motoworks/ Can-Am Pro riders Chad Wienen and John Natalie were heavy favorites coming into the first round of the AMA ATVMX Championship, presented by DWT. They certainly lived up to expectations.

Josh Upperman grabbed the moto one holeshot aboard his Baldwin Motorsports Honda, taking over the lead early on. Natalie and Wienen weren’t letting Upperman out of their sight, though. Pro class Rookie Joel Hetrick got a great holeshot behind the veteran riders. On lap 5, Natalie went over the berm, allowing his teammate Wienen to cruise on by for the second place position. Hetrick also capitalized on Natalie’s mistake, moving himself into the third spot behind Wienen.

Every year in mid-February Indianapolis, Ind. showcases the industry’s largest collection of powersports accessories. If you’re looking for something new to add to your ATV or side-by-side chances are it can be found here.

For 2011 the Dealer Expo was quite different from previous years. The most notable change was the weather! Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with temperatures in the 50s, which was quite a nice change from the frigid temperatures of years past.

Not only was the weather different than in the past, the entire format of the Dealer Expo was changed up. In the years prior, the Expo was strung about the Indianapolis Convention Center in each convention hall, hallway, and ballroom which made it difficult to see everything that the Expo had to offer in just one day. This year the organizers decided it would be best if each segment of the powersports market was in its own designated area. This made the Expo very easy to navigate and easy to find what you were looking for.

First on our list to check out was Blingstar’s new Suicide Lambo Doors and Tonto Cover for side-by-sides. We had heard a bit about these doors and Tonto cover in the weeks prior to the show but this was our first chance to see theses very innovative products in person until the Dealer Expo itself. Not only are the doors very trick looking, but you can also purchase them with an optional remote door opener which allows you to open them from about 20 feet away! Rumors are that Blingstar also plans to come out with a remote opener for the Tonto Cover as well.

Early this morning (Wednesday, November 10, 2010) we joined a group of off-road editors for a two-day adventure ride from Big Bear Lake, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nev. We’ll provide a more thorough write-up in soon, but we figured we’d let you know how the first day of our journey went.

The destination for Day 1 was Barstow, Calif., which proved to be just about a 90-mile ride over some remarkably varried terrain. We started off up in the mountains of the San Bernardino Forrest, but we quickly began our descent to the desert below.

Much of the day was spent taking on loose, rocky trails, but we also happened upon a small dune that we played around in for a half hour or so. After the sand we headed right for the rocks. This area is home to the notorious King of the Hammers race. While we took on some challenging climbs over the rocks, we stayed away from most of the crazier ascents.

The 2011 Freestyle Chaos Tour will hit 12 major cities within the United States, starting January 14-15 in Baltimore, Md. This is the only full production freestyle motocross show with a storyline. Here’s how the official site describes the show:

“Nuclear Cowboyz Freestyle Chaos is the legend of two powerful freestyle motocross tribes, the Soldiers of Havoc and the Metal Mulisha, whose survival in their post-apocalyptic world is told through gravity defying and fearless freestyle motocross aerial feats. The Nuclear Cowboyz mayhem and chaos is literally set in extreme non-stop motion when the tribes are challenged by a dark underworld that begins the ultimate battle for world supremacy.”

Riders for the 2011 tour include: Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg, Adam Jones, Ronnie Faisst, Mike Mason, Taka Higashino, Beau Bamburg, Derek Garland, Nixey Danielson, Jim McNeil, Brody Wilson, Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Dustin Miller. In addition to these world renowned freestyle motocross riders, trials riders Geoff Aaron and Keith Whineland, along with quad riders Derek Guetter and Colton Moore will also be part of the show.