#Can-AmDS450

Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Josh Frederick and teammate Dillon Zimmerman each finished in the top 10 of the World Off-Road Championship Series Pro class held at On The Edge Raceway in Enterprise, Utah. Frederick posted a fourth-place finish and Zimmerman rallied to finish seventh overall. Collins Webster, Can-Am X-Team DS 450 racer, earned third overall in the Pro-Am class.

“It was a very challenging weekend in Utah, for Motoworks / Can-Am pros Josh Frederick and Dillon Zimmerman. They battled their way through deep-water crossings and a very rocky, short racecourse that forced many bottlenecks. Even with the difficult conditions, I was proud of the way both our riders never quit and fought all the way to the end. We have two races remaining to show them what we’re made of and we will continue to keep fighting for the championship until the very last race of the season,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Collins Webster had a good race on a very difficult course to put his Can-Am DS 450 on the Pro-Am class podium again.”

John Natalie notched his first overall win of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series under the lights at Ballance Moto X in Oakland, Ky. Natalie, the defending AMA ATV MX Champion, won Pro both motos on his factory Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 and climbed to within 15 points of first place in series points. DS 450 pro Joel Hetrick recorded a solid third-place finish to join his teammate on the Pro class podium.

“The Motoworks / Can-Am team had a great weekend at round five of the AMA ATV MX National Series in Kentucky. Our Can-Am pro racers had a tremendous Saturday night, dominating the second moto and earning first and third overall. John Natalie rode brilliantly on his Can-Am DS 450 and truly earned the top spot on the podium with a history-making win at the first-ever night race for AMA series. He was in true championship form,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Fellow Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racer Joel Hetrick earned third overall to maintain his third-place position in the standings. Can-Am amateur class racers also won a total of six classes aboard the DS 450 in Kentucky.”

The Kentucky race marked the first time in the history of the AMA ATV MX series that the races would be held at night under the lights. Past Grand National Championship TT races have been held under the lights, but never a motocross event. Motoworks / Can-Am pilot John Natalie excelled aboard his DS 450 during the evening racing at Ballance Moto X. After posting the fastest qualifying time, he came out of the first-moto gate in second place. He quickly passed for the lead and then fought off one challenger before notching his first moto victory of 2012. He followed up that win by earning the moto two holeshot and, after being pressured by his teammate Hetrick, leading the entire race for a 1-1 moto sweep.

Motoworks / Can-Am teammates Josh Frederick, Dillon Zimmerman and Collins Webster piloted their DS 450 ATV to the overall victory in front of more than 20,000 fans at the 2012 12 Hours of La Tuque in Quebec, Canada. The trio of racers, who all compete in the World Off-Road Championship Series on Can-Am ATVs, won by two minutes and finished a lap ahead of the competition in the Quad Pro class and were joined on the Pro class podium by another Can-Am racing team.

“It was great to see Josh, Dillon and Collins successfully team up to put the DS 450 on top of the podium and repeat as the Pro Class winner of the extremely challenging 12 Hours of La Tuque,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Not only did Team Motoworks / Can-Am post back-to-back titles, it was an all-time best finish for Can-Am at this race since its beginning in 2001, as two teams finished in the top three. In all, an astounding five Can-Am teams finished in the top 10.”

The 2012 course featured plenty of dust and whoops as well as a tricky sand section to keep riders on their toes for the 12-hour endurance event. The 11th annual event is held northeast from Montréal and consists of three, four-hour sessions (two in daylight and one in darkness). The object is to complete as many laps of the course as possible in each session. When a session ends, the race ATVs are impounded and cannot be worked on until the start of the next session. After 12 hours of racing, the team with the most laps completed wins.

BRP will provide nearly US $1.8 million to support its Can-Am ATV and Side-By-Side Racing Contingency Program for the 2012 racing season. BRP has added more regional racing series as well as improved the contingency program for select Can-Am ATV and all Can-Am Commander side-by-side vehicle racers for 2012. Racers who compete on Can-Am ATVs and side-by-side vehicles in both Canada and the United States are eligible for a cash payout through the program for the upcoming racing season.

“We remain dedicated in our support of both professional and amateur Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers,” says Denis Morin, vice-president, Product Development & Racing at BRP. “Our class-leading contingency program is essential for rewarding those racers who choose to compete on our products and be part of the Can-Am family. Racing is deeply rooted in our heritage and serves as an integral resource for furthering product development and innovation.”

For the 2012 ATV and side-by-side racing season, BRP has added certain Can-Am Outlander and Renegade ATV models and Can-Am Commander side-by-side vehicles to its amateur racer support program that has included the Can-Am DS 450 ATV for the past three racing seasons. To complement the additional models added, BRP will also support new 4×4 ATV and side-by-side classes and series adding to its industry-leading Can-Am X-Team Racing contingency program.

“BRP understands the value of an ATV racing contingency program and has already established itself as an industry leader with the DS 450 Amateur Racer Support Program,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “We added 4×4 ATV models and side-by-side vehicles as way to support those amateur racers who choose to race 4×4 ATVs and side-by-sides. BRP wants to fuel their desire to compete and make it more feasible to chase their dreams, whether it be on a local or national level.”

Warnert Racing / Can-Am DS 450 ATV Pro racers Adam McGill and Chris Bithell finished second and third in the Pro class this past weekend at the Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pa. In the Can-Am GNCC morning session, UXC Racing / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift won the morning overall and the highly competitive 4×4 Open class aboard his Can-Am Outlander 800R X xc.

“McGill was close to earning his third win of the year, but he had a minor miscue on the final lap and had to settle for second in the Pro class. He gained some valuable ground on the Pro class points leader and that’s always good. To have both McGill and Bithell on the podium together, again, was great for team Warnert Racing / Can-Am,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We continue to excel in the morning session, winning four classes and earning 10 of the top 20 morning finishing positions, highlighted by Michael Swift, who won both the a.m. overall and the 4×4 Open class.”

McGill, who led for much of the race, regained the lead on final lap as he passed another two miles before the finish line. However, in a slippery rock section, McGill said his handguard caught on a tree and swung him sideways. By the time he recovered, he had lost the lead. He finished less than two seconds behind the winner. McGill, with his second-place overall finish, now trails the Pro class points leader by 27 points with three rounds remaining in 2011. Bithell, who earned his second straight afternoon podium, ran inside the top five all day, but worked his way into third place on the final lap. He is currently in third place in the Pro class points race, 14 points behind McGill.

“In the first lap, there were about five of us that were really close and seemed like they were just kind of playing around so I went out there and took control and set the pace,” says McGill. “I was able to make up some valuable points, but I really want to win so I am going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got for the last three rounds.”

Can-Am X-Team pro ATV racer Chase Snapp won both the 2011 Texhoma Quad Racing Association Pro and Pro-Am class championships aboard the Can-Am DS 450 ATV.

With two convincing wins at the TQRA finale held at Valley MotorSports in Tuskahoma, Okla., Snapp held off defending TQRA Pro champion and fellow Can-Am X-Team racer Hunter Miller for the Pro and Pro-Am titles.

“Chase has had a great season aboard the Can-Am DS 450, winning two TQRA titles and finishing sixth overall in the AMA ATV MX series,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “In just his first full season as a professional, we’ve witnessed Chase grow into a fast, confident racer who has developed the skills to compete with anyone on the motocross track. I congratulate him and his family for their hard work, dedication and success.”