#Can-Am

Josh Frederick, Jeremie Warnia, Collins Webster, and Jarrod McClure rode their Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 to victory in the grueling Baja 1000.

After a 27-hour battle with the most brutal racing terrain the Baja Peninsula of Mexico has to offer, the DS 450 team crossed the finish line ahead of 297 other starters and 1121 miles away from the start line of the Baja 1000 in Ensenada, Mexico.

“This team was prepared to deliver BRP its first Pro ATV-class victory in over a decade and the first for the DS 450 ATV,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Can-Am off-road race manager. “The dedication by the entire Motoworks team was evident from pre-running to the finish; I am proud that they are an important partner with BRP.”

Warnert Racing / Can-Am DS 450 racer Adam McGill finished third in the XC1 Pro class at the Powerline Park Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race held over the weekend in St. Clairsville, Ohio. In the morning session, Can-Am X-team racers Zac Zakowski, Forrest Whorton and Kevin Trantham each won their respective classes aboard Can-Am Outlander ATVs.

“McGill rode well and was actually in contention for the win a couple of times before eventually finishing third overall. I’m happy to see him on the XC1 podium again and earn a top three overall finish,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am X-Team racers continue to excel on their Outlander ATVs. It was great to see Zac ride so well today and earn his first win this season in the 4×4 Open class. It was also nice to see Zac’s teammate Kevin Trantham get back to his winning ways in the 4×4 Lites. I’m also really happy for Forrest Whorton as today he clinched the 4×4 Super Senior 45+ championship aboard his Can-Am.”

McGill held the early lead in the XC1 class. Just before lap two, he dropped one spot after having difficulty in one of the track’s muddy sections. However, on lap three, McGill put in the fastest lap of the day in the Pro class and was less than a second behind the leader. He then lost time on the next lap and fell to third. That’s where he stayed until the finish line. It was the third straight XC1 podium finish for McGill.

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro ATV racers remain in control of the Pro class points lead in the New England ATV Motocross series and World Off-Road Championship Series after this weekend’s races.

Josh Creamer went 1-2 in the Pro class motos to finish second and retain a 10-point lead in the NEATV-MX series. While Jeremie Warnia, after a fifth-place finish at Glen Helen in California, still leads the WORCS Pro class by one point over teammate Josh Frederick, who earned third place at round seven.

“We’re still in control of the Pro class points in both ATV racing series and feel very confident that Josh Creamer will give us his best effort yet at the NEATV-MX finale and provide the Motoworks / Can-Am team with another ATV Pro motocross title in 2011,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “I can’t say enough about the effort put in by both Warnia and Frederick at Glen Helen as they now sit 1-2 in the WORCS Pro class points chase. The WORCS Pro ATV championship will go down to the wire and we’re thankful our guys are sitting in those top two spots.”

NEATV-MX

The MX 101 course in Epping, NH, hosted round 11 of the NEATV-MX series. The short, narrow course made passing difficult, but Josh Creamer found his way around two riders in the first Pro class moto. After starting third, Creamer rallied to pass fellow DS 450 racer Cody Miller (BCS Performance / Can-Am) and then chase down the leader. After a lengthy battle, Creamer made his move and earned the checkers.

In moto two, Creamer again started third. For several laps, Creamer battled with Miller for the second-place spot. Once he finally passed Miller, he set his sights on the leader. However, Creamer ran out of time and had to settle for a second-place finish in moto two. His 1-2 finishes were good for second place overall. His 55-point total for both motos equaled that of the leader and enabled him to retain his 10-point Pro class cushion heading into the finale. The NEATV-MX finals are scheduled for October 9, at Hemonds MX in Minot, Maine.

“I won three out of four motos, but I didn’t win the one I really wanted to win so I am going to have to work a little harder at the final round if I want to take the championship,” says Josh Creamer. “I’m hoping all goes well at the final round and I will be able to give Can-Am a championship in return for everything they have done for me this season.”

Creamer was unstoppable in Pro-Am class action, as he not only won the holeshot of each moto, but also led from wire-to-wire to sweep the class. Miller followed up his third-place finish in the Pro class by finishing third in each Pro-Am moto and third overall.

Motoworks / Can-Am pro ATV racer Josh Creamer won both pro motos aboard his DS 450 ATV at round 10 of the 2011 New England ATV Motocross Series to take over the Pro class points lead. Creamer put together two come-from-behind rides winning the mud-filled first moto and also the second Pro moto to post his fifth overall victory of the season, pushing his class points lead to 10 with only two rounds remaining.

“Creamer may not have gotten off to a good start in the motos, but he displayed the composure of a true champion as he rallied in the mud to notch two moto wins, take the overall victory and the overall Pro class points lead. Josh has won three straight races now and he definitely has his Can-Am dialed in,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am.

The first Pro class moto was delayed close to an hour as lightning and thunderstorms engulfed the Hurricane Hills motocross park in Clifford, Pa. The track was left a water-logged mess, but the Pro class took to the line in spite of the conditions. Creamer was the last pro off the line, but quickly found his way into the top three. After passing into second, Creamer then followed early moto leader, BCS Performance / Can-Am DS 450 racer Cody Miller, for a couple of laps before taking the lead and the win.

A missed shift put Creamer to the back of the class at the start of the second moto, however, Creamer pushed his DS 450 into the top three, again, and soon passed his way into second place. He then passed for the lead later in the moto and held on for another overall victory and his fourth win the last five rounds of racing.

“The weather was horrible. There was a torrential downpour and lots of lightning before we were supposed to start lining up and they had to delay the race for an hour until it cleared. That made the track really muddy for the first pro moto,” says Creamer.

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 ATV racers Josh Creamer and Josh Frederick each won the Pro class in their respective series to inch closer to the overall points lead. Creamer, who competes in the New England ATV Motocross Series (NEATV-MX), went 1-2 in the Pro class at Englishtown, N.J. to stay within four points of the Pro class points leader. In Washougal, Wash., Frederick won his second race of the season in the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) to climb within five points of class leader, teammate Jeremie Warnia.

“I was very pleased with the efforts put forth by both Creamer and Frederick and seeing them each earn the top spot on their respective podiums to stay in the hunt for their Pro class titles,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “No matter the conditions, terrain, distance or series, the Can-Am DS 450 continues to outperform the competition.”

NEATV-MX, Round 9

Creamer won the Pro and Pro-Am classes on his DS 450 ATV, tallying 2-1 moto finishes in both classes at a gnarly Raceway Park in Englishtown. Creamer overcame the wet, single-line course to notch his second straight victory and fourth win of the season on the Can-Am ATV. Difficult passing conditions hampered Creamer’s first moto as he took second place. However, in moto two, Creamer started out in third place and quickly moved into second after just two turns. He then made a pass on the leader to take the lead and earn the overall victory. Creamer remains only four points behind the Pro class points leader with three rounds remaining on the NEATV-MX schedule.

“I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t win all four motos, but I’m still happy to get the overalls,” says Creamer. “Ryan Cox (Motoworks) came out to help me this weekend and it was nice to have a mechanic there to take some of the pressure off and let me focus on racing.”

The AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series has announced that Can-Am will be the recipient of the 2011 Manufacturer’s Cup, edging out Honda by less than forty points.

Each year, AMA Pro Racing awards the manufacturer that accumulates the most points in the AMA Pro class throughout the course of a season with the Manufacturer’s Cup. The series points are configured race-to-race, based on each manufacturer’s best overall finisher. Can-Am finished out the season with seven of the eleven victories, aided by Can-Am riders John Natalie, Chad Wienen and Chase Snapp.

“On behalf of BRP and Can-Am we are extremely proud of our racers and teams that contributed to winning this year’s Manufacturer’s Cup championship aboard the DS450. The entire Can-Am / Motorworks team has worked extremely hard, investing countless hours and making numerous sacrifices to help us achieve our common goal,” says Can-Am Race Manager, Jimmie O’Dell. “Our team riders John Natalie and Chad Wienen were true inspirations this season by both overcoming adversity and have also taken training and preparation to another level. I also want to thank Can-Am X-Team rookie pro Chase Snapp and his team as they worked extremely hard this season and have contributed to Can-Am winning this manufacturer’s cup title.”

“Can-Am pro racers continue to put in impressive rides and earn podiums aboard the highly competitive DS 450 ATV,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “No matter the country or the series, the DS 450 has proven to be a competent and capable machine for ATV motocross.”

In the NEATV-MX series, Motoworks / Can-Am racer Josh Creamer won the first moto in both the Pro and Pro-Am classes, but finished in the runner-up spot in moto two of each class. His 1-2 moto scores in both classes earned him second overall in each class. However, he remains just 14 points behind the Pro class points leader heading into round eight August 7, in Lyman, Maine.

Motoworks / Can-Am pro ATV racer and current AMA ATV MX Championship series Pro-class points leader Chad Wienen crashed last week while training at his practice track in Illinois suffering a season-ending injury to his back. Medical crews were on the scene quickly and he was transported to an area hospital. At the hospital, it was discovered Wienen broke two vertebrae in the middle of his back, but he suffered no major spinal cord injury and has feeling in his extremities.

Wienen underwent surgery on Saturday to stabilize his back. The surgery to fuse several vertebrae in his back was successful and he is conscious and talking; he may be moved out of recovery today. He is anxious to get back on his feet and will start rehabbing as soon as he gets approval from the doctors.

“Chad is a hard-working and dedicated racer and I am sure he will tackle his recovery from this injury just like he tackled his training: with 100-percent commitment,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “I was glad to hear the surgery was successful and Chad is in good spirits and ready to move on and start recovering. He is in the thoughts and prayers of everyone here at BRP.”

Team Gorilla Axle / Can-Am had another good showing in the ITP Championship Mud Racing (CMR) series held at Southern Ridge ATV Park in Dozier Ridge, Ala. Three riders piloted their Can-Am vehicles to five total podiums, including second overall in the highly competitive Pro A division.

Steve Hittle has led the way aboard his Can-Am Outlander in the Pro A class in 2011 with five heat wins and an overall. The Team Gorilla Axle / Can-Am racer won round two and then finished second at round three to take over the class points lead. Hittle leads Can-Am-mounted racer Ethan LaFontaine by 10 points heading into round four. Hittle also is a major contender in the RUV class with his Can-Am Commander 1000 X. He’s currently No. 2 in that class and in the Super Modified (Open) division.

“Team Gorilla / Can-Am riders continue to challenge for the CMR title in their respective classes on ATVs and behind the wheel of the Commander side-by-side,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Can-Am race manager. “Steve had another good run in the Pro A class, finishing second and maintaining his points lead.”

While BRP is well known for producing impressive Can-Am ATVs and UTVs, the Quebec-based manufacturer is now working on off-road vehicles that can be used in much harder to reach places – like Mars.

BRP will help develop a chassis and locomotion system for a Lunar Exploration Light Rover and a Mars Exploration Science Rover. BRP was awarded $5.6 million in contracts by MacDonald Dettwiler and Associated Ltd. (MDA) after they received the mandate of two contracts by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the design, development, construction and testing of advanced space vehicles under the CSA’s Exploration Surface Mobility Program.

Terrestrial prototypes of the rovers will be constructed from advanced aluminum alloys with electric propulsion systems powered by battery and, in the case of the Mars rover, solar energy. They will also be capable of integrating hydrogen fuel cells.

According to BRP, the rover prototypes will target improvements to the performance of existing Martian and lunar exploration vehicles by a factor of between 5 and 10, in terms of speed, range and size.

While the brand new Can-Am Commander has been getting plenty of headlines in recent months, the folks at Polaris decided to remind everybody that the RZR S is still the sportiest UTV on the block.

Perhaps taking a cue from Yamaha’s video which rather openly bashes the Honda Rancher, Polaris put together a video pitting its Ranger RZR S 800 against the Commander 1000 XT in an “Off-Road Challenge.”

As you may suspect (seeing as Polaris produced the video) the results of the competition are not glowing for the Commander and Polaris shouts it from the treetops. Here’s a sampling of quotes from the video, which you can watch for yourself after the jump:

“The Ranger RZR S clearly dominated the Commander when it comes to sport-specific design.”

“With its shorter wheelbase and higher center of gravity, once the Commander starts bucking there’s no stopping until you’re off the bumps.”

“Ranger RZR S delivers a level of agility Commander simply can not match.”

“Hit the gas for a straight ahead drag race and the two machines are dead even out of the hole and up to 20 miles per hour. After that the Commander starts to pull away, but only if you keep going in a straight line on a smooth track. Straight line drag racing has nothing to do with off-road sport performance.”

“Despite its ample horsepower, Commander clearly lacks the suspension and agility to deliver true sport performance.”