#AtvRacing

On Nov. 18, more than 275 entries would start the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico with the expectations to finish the race and be the first to cross the finish line. The #1A Matlock Racing Team of Wayne Matlock, Wes Miller and Josh Caster was the first ATV team to cross the finish line after an extremely rough 705 miles through the Baja landscape.

With a rough start earlier in the year at the Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 and Tecate SCORE Baja 500, the Matlock Racing team was looking forward to a trouble free race. The team spent months preparing for the upcoming race and their goal was to take the overall win once again and seal the points lead for the championship and the #1A plate.

The whole team headed south across the border a week before the race to begin pre-running each of their sections. Matlock and Miller would head to Ensenada as a base for pre-running their sections and Caster would head to San Felipe. Weather was harsh early in the week of pre-running with heavy rains leaving huge mud puddles and washouts along most of the course. All of the team would have to pre-run in the extreme weather to get the course completely covered.

GBC Motorsports is a proud supporter of local ATV racing and is pleased to offer riders a chance at winning a set of tires. As part of FNL’s Fall ATV MX Series, GBC Motorsports is providing a set of Bomb Squad MX tires to one lucky raffle winner at each round of the series.

The FNL Fall ATV MX Series at Milestone MX Park in Riverside, Calif. provides a great opportunity for local racers and ATV enthusiasts to ride at a beautiful facility. As an added bonus GBC Motorsports is raffling off a set of their popular Bomb Squad MX tires at each round of the series. Each first moto class winner will automatically be entered into the raffle.

Round 2 of the FNL Fall ATV MX Series took place Saturday, Nov. 19 at Milestone MX Park. GBC Motorsports Sales Representative and former pro ATV racer Kory Ellis was in attendance to award the winner of this round’s raffle. This time around the winner was Jerry Maldonado (#64), winner of the Open 250 class as well as the beginner class. Jerry put together some impressive runs aboard his Triumph Motorsports Raptor 250. Congratulations, Jerry!

At a star-studded celebration of amateur racers held in Las Vegas, Nev., the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) named Walker Fowler as its 2011 AMA ATV Athlete of the year. The honor was presented to Fowler by AMA Racing Director Joe Bromley at the AMA Visa Card from Capital One Racing Championship Banquet on Nov. 20 at the Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa.

Fowler, of Rogers, Ohio, was the most dominant rider in the history of XC2 Pro-Am class competition in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. He won every round of the off-road racing series.

“It was just a crazy year for sure — a dream season,” says Fowler. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it again. It’s every racer’s dream to be able to do something that no one else can. But there are a lot more goals in front of me that are the same thing, and that’s what keeps us racers going. I just want to thank the AMA for giving us all these series to compete in and letting us go out and do what we do.”

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., made its annual donation to the Feed the Children charity Friday, Nov. 18 at Yamaha’s corporate headquarters in Cypress, Calif. Company officials presented two checks totaling $25,000 along with a truck load of donated items to the organization. As part of the festivities, Yamaha also celebrated a successful 2011 racing season with several championship-winning Yamaha Race Team members in attendance.

“The annual Feed the Children and Race Team celebration is something everyone at Yamaha looks forward to each year,” says Bob Starr, Yamaha general manager of motorsports communications. “As we move into the holiday season, it’s a great time to reflect upon the hard work and donations collected over the year that have a direct impact on families in need. Thanks to all of the Yamaha employees and the Star Touring and Riding Association for their efforts.”

ATV racing champions Dustin Nelson and Walker Fowler were on hand to celebrate their successful ATV racing seasons. Both Nelson and Fowler boasted perfect campaigns: Fowler closes out the 2011 GNCC series with the XC2 championship, going undefeated and notching a record 13 straight wins. Nelson was also perfect and clinched his fifth QuadX Championship after winning all eight races in the series.

After thousands of laps at 13 different locations in the eastern U.S., the 2011 Grand National Cross Country Series came to a thrilling — albeit delayed — conclusion at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. This location was originally to be round five, but diabolical weather forced a rare postponement and shift to the end of the schedule. Final celebrations may have been late in coming, but in the end there were a number of ITP riders heading for happy holidays.

Foremost Insurance/Warnert Can-Am teammates Adam McGill and Chris Bithell were consistent frontrunners all season in the premier XC1 Pro class. Implementing ITP Holeshot GNCC and QuadCross XC tires, McGill won two events and stepped onto the podium eight other times to claim an excellent second overall for the year. Bithell appeared in the top three a total of six times to finish a close fourth in the final standings.

The 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series Youth ATV Championship has been won by Hunter Hart of Newfield, NY.

Hart dominated the ATV 90 Open (8-11) class all season long, sweeping every round except for his home state race at Unadilla when he sat out with a broken arm. Hart healed up and continued to edge out tough competition including Cody Collier, Blaine Martin, Zachary Jones, Josh Simmons and Charlie Welch – all who contested Hart for the Overall lead until the final round of racing. Hart, an 11-year-old sixth grader, goes down in GNCC Racing history as the youngest Youth Overall champion on the circuit.

“GNCC Youth racers are the future of the sport and Racer Productions would like to congratulate all Youth competitors on a well-done 2011 season,” says Trail Boss Jeff Russell.

Can-Am X-Team Outlander 800R X xc racer Bryan Buckhannon won the 4×4 Open class at the Can-Am GNCC finale in Tennessee, to earn back-to-back class championships. Warnert Racing / Can-Am DS 450 XC1 pro class racer Adam McGill finished second at Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch to earn second overall for the season. Warnert Racing / Can-Am teammate Chris Bithell earned fourth at Loretta’s and fourth overall in the XC1 ranks aboard his DS 450.

“I was thrilled to see Buckhannon win his class here at Loretta’s and repeat as 4×4 Open class champion,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “McGill and Bithell rode extremely hard in Tennessee, like they have all season. They each led a portion of the race, but unfortunately couldn’t finish it out. Adam truly earned his second-place podium finish today and it was a good way for him to end the year.”

FRE/KTM ATV GNCC rider Bryan Cook earned 6th overall at the Grand National Cross Country Series finale after a three-hour battle with Kevin Yoho and Donald Ockerman for the position.

Cook got off to a decent start rounding the first corner inside the top ten. From the opening lap to the ending lap, he remained in close battle with Yoho and Ockerman constantly swapping positions. Cook started at the tail end of the battle and trailed Ockerman until the second lap when he moved into seventh. Two laps later he took full advantage of an open line and made another pass on Yoho to take over sixth place. He went on to claim sixth overall for the day.

National Guard Coastal Yokley Racing Team rider Jarrod McClure finished fifth overall and fifth in the XC1 Pro class at the GNCC finale at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. There were 120 total entries including 13 XC1 Pro racers.

Summary

This GNCC was a make-up race because the spring race was postponed due to flooding. The weather was perfect, nice and cool with sunny skies. The track was very rough since the motorcycle pros ran the course the day before. There were the typical rocks and whooped out sections, with parts of the famous Loretta Lynn’s National Motocross course utilized as well. The course crossed a fairly deep creek twice each lap.

Yamaha Racing’s Dustin Nelson capped his record fifth QuadX Series Championship at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California on Oct. 29, dominating the track and winning both of the final two Pro 450 Production motos.

Nelson pulled holeshots and never looked back in the two Pro motos, highlighting his historic season in which he won all eight QuadX Series stops throughout Southern California and Arizona including 11 of 12 total motos.

“To have a season like we did, the equipment had to be flawless – and everything worked great round after round,” says Nelson. “We had strong engines to get us out front with no failures during the year. In fact, we used the same chassis and the same engine, with normal rebuilds only, all year.”

“Dustin dominated the series on his YFZ450R and stayed on top of the podium at every stop,” says Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s marketing manager who was in attendance at the QuadX Series Finale. “He’s a true champion to keep pushing to take the top spot on the podium even after clinching the championship back at the last stop in Arizona. It was great to see him stay true to form and win both motos at Glen Helen to give himself, Yamaha and the YFZ450R a perfect season.”

The Ironman GNCC has long been known as the largest and most prestigious event on the series schedule. However, for the second year in a row this stop on the tour has been about something bigger than racing itself.

The weekend started off with GBC team riders Johnny Gallagher and Jeff Pickens making a special visit to a local Indiana elementary school where the riders spoke to hundreds of fifth- and sixth-grade students about Breast Cancer Awareness. The two racers even helped the students fashion pink ribbon pins that would allow them free entry to the Ironman festivities for the weekend.

“I really enjoyed spending time with the kids, and it was great to see many of them actually make it out to the race wearing their pins and cheering us on,” says Jeff Pickens after his grueling two-hour race on Saturday afternoon.

“I couldn’t believe how many of the students knew all about our racing, and it felt good to see them so enthused about learning more about such an important cause,” commented Johnny Gallagher upon leaving New Market Elementary on Friday.

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.

Josh Frederick picked up the win and now sits in a tie for first in the WORCS standings.

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Josh Frederick won round eight of the 2011 World Off-Road Championship Series, held in Race Town 395 in Adelanto, Calif. Frederick is now tied with his teammate Jeremie Warnia, who finished third, for the Pro championship points lead with only one round remaining.

“Josh showed a lot of poise and determination to come from behind and notch his third win of 2011. He has really put in a late charge, winning three of the last five rounds aboard his Can-Am DS 450, in his attempt to repeat as WORCS champion,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “I’m proud of how well both Josh and Jeremie have ridden this year and at the Adelanto event as they each held the lead prior to Josh earning the win. We as a team, are in a great position and hope to see one of these two very talented and determined Can-Am racers holding up that championship trophy in three weeks at the WORCS finale.”

Cook launched off the start and was sitting at the front of the pack when he collided with Taylor Kiser. Both riders were thrown off their ATVs and had to untangle their quads before they could get back to the race. The two remounted in last place. One lap later, Cook had to make an unscheduled pit stop for repairs from the damage sustained in his first turn crash. This stop put him 10 minutes behind the lead group.

Cook rode decently once he returned to the course but was unable to make up the time lost and finished in a disappointing 11th place. With one more round left, Cook is looking forward to keeping it on all four wheels and running inside the top five to end the season.