#MichaelSwift

Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift won the Pro 4×4 class for the second straight time on his Polaris Scrambler 850 at the John Penton GNCC in Millfield, Ohio this past weekend.

Pro 4×4 teammates Swift and Kevin Trantham worked their way into position through lap one. Trantham suffered a drive belt issue pulling him from the race. Swift swapped positions a couple of times for second and then took advantage of a line in the woods to make a clean pass for the lead. After receiving the white flag, he utilized the superior handling of his Polaris Scrambler 850 to place a buffer between him and second place before entering the last mile of the race consisting of the motor cross section. Swift was able to hold the lead for his third Pro 4×4 Class win of the 2015 GNCC season.

After a win in 4×4 Pro at GNCC Round 5, headed to Odessa, NY for GNCC Racing’s Round 6, The Tomahawk, and, once again, put the Scrambler 850 on the Pro 4×4 podium.

Teammates Michael Swift and Kevin Tratham started start mid-pack and passed the class leader with a lap-and-a-half to go. It was all Swift and Trantham to the line with Trantham finishing first, and also taking the overall, with Swift right behind him crossing the line a full minute and 20 seconds before the third place finisher. Trantham sits in second in class points with Swift in third for the season.

The Polaris Factory Racing Teams traveled to Union, SC this past weekend for The Big Buck GNCC where they competed in ATV, Side-by-Side, and Single-Seat Racing.

Coastal Racing’s XC2 Racer John Henry came into Big Buck looking for redemption after a tough ride at the first round in Georgia. He was able to grab the hole shot off the line for his row to give him clear sailing into the woods. The Big Buck course is very tight and fast with very few passing lanes so Henry had to be very strategic throughout the race to gain ground. His RZR S 900 handled the rough track very well and, on adjusted time, took the win with teammate Sean Bogdan taking second in his RZR.

Team UXC Racing got it season off to a fantastic start with a 1-2 finish in the 4×4 Open Pro class aboard their Polaris Scrambler XP 850 EPS ATVs at the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka, Fla.

After starting mid-pack, Kevin Trantham and Michael Swift pulled the lead on the second lap with Swift in front and teammate Trantham in second. During lap three, Swift encountered a lapped rider which gave Trantham the opportunity to capture the lead. The duo crossed the finished line grabbing the top two podium positions in the Pro 4×4 class. Trantham and Swift also secured the top two overall podium positions for the morning ATV race.

Chris Robinson won the TORN opener. (Photo by PD Mokry Photography)

The 2014 ATV Racing series has officially started and Polaris’ new ATV factory racing teams were out in full force.

The Texas Off-Road Nationals (TORN) Round 1 was held in Boyd, Tex. the first weekend in March. UXC Rider Chris Robinson piloted his Scrambler XP 1000 to a first-place finish. The course was a 5.5-mile loop consisting of whooped out sand sections, a few tight wooded areas, some dry creek beds and a few rocky hill climb sections.

Can-Am ATVs have long dominated the 4×4 ATV racing circuit, but Polaris seems to be eager to change that with the signing of Michael Swift and Team UXV.

Just off his solo win at the 46th annual Baja 1000, Swift has announced he and Team UXC Racing will be joining forces with Factory Polaris for 2014. The six-time national champion will compete on the Polaris Scrambler XP 850 H.O. Swift will be defending his number one plate from the 2013 GNCC race series and looks to repeat his success in the Pro 4X4 class.

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers competed in the 46th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert endurance race over the past weekend in Mexico, and came away with one class victory and an impressive third-place finish in the UTV class. Team UXC Racing / Can-Am racer Michael Swift rode the entire 833-mile course alone to win Class 26 aboard his Outlander 4×4 ATV. Cory Sappington also finished the race, earning third overall in Class 19 (UTV) with his Desert Toyz / Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle.

“I’m very pleased with Michael Swift’s Class 26 win, considering the fact that he raced the entire Baja 1000 solo and it was said to be one of the most grueling courses in the history of the race,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “Despite a few challenges in the UTV race, I was thrilled to learn Desert Toyz driver / owner Cory Sappington earned the first Baja 1000 podium for the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side.”

Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers won five classes at round 10 of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series in New Berlin, New York.

Can-Am Renegade racer Michael Swift outdueled fellow U2 class competitor Rob Smith for the class victory and the top spot on the 4×4 podium at the Can-Am Unadilla event. JB Off-Road / Can-Am racer Jarrod McClure earned a third-place podium finish in the XC1 ATV Pro class aboard his DS 450 ATV. Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs pilot Kyle Chaney also earned a victory this past weekend, winning the QR1 class at round seven of the UTV Rally Raid Northern Series in Tennessee.

Coming into the historically tough Snowshoe GNCC in the mountains of West Virginia, Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift prepared for the worst. His Can-Am Renegade X xc had been specially prepped to take on the long high-speed sections as well as the many rock gardens littering the lower sections of the course.

“We started into the dirt from the paved section third in our class and passing to first place before the two mile marker,” says Swift.

Swift was also able to catch and pass the open class riders before the five-mile mark on the first lap to try and pull away just a little. The plan was to pit early to insure enough fuel in case of any possible mishap that could prevent a pit late in the race. The second lap around was the scheduled pit and with a brief stop for fuel the second place rider in the U2 class was able to slip by. After getting back out in front of his class Swift made a line choice that narrowed too much for the Renegade to squeeze through. This kept the Team UXC racer behind his competition.

Michael Swift piloted his Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc to victory in the U2 class as the Grand National Cross Country series headed to West Virginia for the Mountaineer Run GNCC.

Swift led the way, as Can-Am racers won all five GNCC morning 4×4 classes and took all 15 podium positions at the Mountaineer Run. The Masontown, WV facility also hosted round four of the GNCC SxS series, and Can-Am side-by-side pilots earned a total of four podiums in three different classes. Can-Am racers also competed in both the Canadian Quad Cross series and Texas Off-Road Nationals with good results.

“Our Can-Am ATV racers convincingly took wins in all five of the GNCC 4×4 classes. I was thrilled to see Michael Swift put his Team UXC Racing / Can-Am Renegade on the overall morning podium and to have Bryan Buckhannon extend his perfect season in the 4×4 Open class,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Can-Am racers earned a total of 20 podium finishes at The Mountaineer, which is definitely a good trend heading into round nine, right before the GNCC summer break.”

Michael Swift won the morning overall at the Mammoth GNCC.

Competing in four different series across the U.S. and Canada, Can-Am ATV and Side-by-Side racers had a busy and successful weekend.

The weekend was highlighted by Team UXC Racing / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift’s morning overall and U2 class win. Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers won five morning classes at a soggy round five of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country held in Kentucky. Team Hendershot Performance won the Pro SxS race at round three of the American Woods Racing Championship Series in Pennsylvania. Maverick 1000R side-by-side team Murray Motorsports finished third in the SxS Pro class at the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 in Nevada. In the Courses VTT series in Canada, a Maverick pilot earned a podium position while three Can-Am DS 450 racers swept the ATV Pro class.

“Can-Am 4×4 racers dominated the murky Mammoth GNCC event, winning five classes. I was pleased to see Can-Am Renegade racer Michael Swift win his class, the morning overall and prove that sportsmanship is alive and well in our sport,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R racers continue to make strides in the new side-by-side vehicle, winning two events and earning podium finishes in others.”

Coming off a successful weekend of racing at the Steele Creek GNCC, Team UXC Racing was amped up for the Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina. The rain had set in on Friday, but it was done by Saturday morning to build what would be epic conditions for a day of racing.

The U2 class lined up with Team UXC Racing’s Michael Swift mentally prepared to get out front and keep the momentum up for the duration of the race. Leaving the line in second place, Swift began looking for his place to strikes.

“We had no issues all day,” says Swift. “I walked the entire track Friday morning and knew we had very little places, except for maybe the field sections, to get around other riders as well as my competition.”

Michael Swift (center) celebrates on the 4×4 podium.

Following the first place rider for the first two laps, Swift made a plan to take over the lead. He would not only take the number one spot, but he would also post the fastest lap time of his class.

“I knew I had to pace myself but I kept in mind that there were fast riders right behind me and I needed to stay on my game,” says Swift.

Swift would go on to win his U2 class and take first overall in the utility ATV segment of the race. He would also post the third place position out of the entire field of 222 racers and 20 classes for the morning event.

Bryan Buckhannon won his third straight 4×4 Open race to start the season.

Once again Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers dominated the morning race at the Steele Creek GNCC, not only winning all five classes, but sweeping every possible podium position. As well, JB Racing / Can-Am DS 450 Pro Jarrod McClure earned fifth in the XC1 ATV Pro class. At round two of the Texas Off-Road Nationals (TORN) in Paradise, Texas, Louis Powersports / Can-Am racer Cody Miller won the Pro ATV class and his teammate and Maverick 1000R X rs pilot Hunter Miller took second in the UTV Expert class.

“Our Can-Am ATV racers had a great Saturday at the Steele Creek GNCC in North Carolina, winning all five 4×4 classes and, once again, sweeping the morning 4×4 podium,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Michael Swift notched his first U2 class win aboard the Renegade 800R X xc while defending 4×4 Open class champion Bryan Buckhannon remained undefeated in 2013.”

Michael Swift finally put it all together for a win at the Steele Creek GNCC.

Michael Swift rode his UXC Racing Can-Am Renegade Xxc to victory this past weekend at the Steele Creek GNCC, the third round of the 2013 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. The podium was stuffed with Can-Am machines, but Swift’s #207 topped the U2 class and finished fourth overall for the day.

“I think I was third on the first lap and got hung up behind a few other riders but put my head down to get to that number one spot,” says Swift. “I then noticed I couldn’t see my fuel gauge and though I might be low on fuel. So I stopped on the third lap for a splash and a fresh pair of goggles.”

After losing a spot during his stop, Swift regained the lead near the finish line and wouldn’t look back. From the podium Swift took the time to give a shout out to his friend Josh Fredrick, who was recently hospitalized due to a racing injury.

“I just want to dedicate this race to my friend Josh Fredrick and our thoughts are with him as well as his family that are going through this with him,” says Swift.