#UtvRacing

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers posted wins and podium finishes in the 2014 AMSOIL AMA Grand National Cross Country series in South Carolina, the World Off-Road Championship Series in Utah, the Texas Off-Road Nationals in Crafton, Texas, and In the New England ATV Motocross Opener in Wallkill, N.Y. The wins included podium sweeps in the NEATV-MX Pro and Pro-Am classes and another 1-2-3 finish in the GNCC 4×4 Pro class.

“It was a rewarding weekend, earning big wins and numerous podiums in GNCC, NEATV-MX, TORN and WORCS,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “This successful weekend verifies Can-Am offers a diverse, competitive line of off-road vehicles and has a team of resolute racers piloting them.”

Polaris Factory Racers William Yokley, John Yokley, and Scott Kiger, along with 30 other XC1 Modified Racers, took to the starting line at the Big Buck GNCC in Union, SC, the second of six UTV races on the GNCC calendar.

When the dust settled, William Yokley, in his Polaris / Coastal / CST / National Guard / Yoshimura / Yokley Racing RZR XP 900, took the checkered flag with teammate Scott Kiger taking third. John Yokley, after finishing first at The Washington in his Big Country Powersports RZR 900, crossed the finish line in fourth. The win catapulted William Yokley into first place in the series standings, with teammates John Yokley and Scott Kiger in second and third.

WORCS Round 4 returned to Sand Hollow OHV area in Hurricane, Utah, and Polaris Factory Racers Beau Baron and Mitch Guthrie Jr. finished one/two in the Pro Class.

Sand Hollow presents the racers with a different type of terrain from most of the other WORCS races. The six-mile, hour-long course travels through sand and sandstone and is one of the more scenic races in the series.

TORC: The Off-Road Championship Presented by AMSOIL has announced the addition of Kart and P1K (UTV) classes to its national event schedule beginning with the season opener in Primm, Nev., April 5-6, 2014.

The TORC Kart class will consist of junior karts and 450 karts while the P1K class will be reserved for 1000cc UTVs. Each class will compete for a national championship and race the same seven-event schedule as the PRO Light, PRO 2 and PRO 4 classes over the course of the 2014 season. Entries in each class must be USAC-licensed, with a $125 entry fee for the karts and a $150 entry fee for the UTVs.

Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer Jordan Phillips won the 4×4 Pro class and took third overall at round two of the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Georgia. Can-Am 4×4 racers won all four 4×4 morning classes and earned nine total 4×4 class podium finishes out of a possible 12. Marc Burnett and Tim Farr each earned a second-place finishes with their Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side vehicles in the Best In the Desert Mint 400 race and GNCC XC 1 Modified class, respectively.

“The Can-Am racing team had a great showing at GNCC round two in Georgia and at the BITD Mint 400. Jordan Phillips’ 4×4 Pro class and overall morning podium finish were big,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am. “Our racers continue to make great strides with the Can-Am Maverick 1000R platform, putting it on the podium in several different series. Marc Burnett and Tim Farr have their vehicles dialed in and it shows.”

The 2014 Can-Am Racing Contingency program includes more than 20 different racing series in North America for eligible racers to compete in with approved Can-Am side-by-side vehicles like the Maverick 1000R.

BRP’s Can-Am ATV and Side-by-Side contingency program for 2014 is worth $1.4 million. Regional and national racers competing with Can-Am ATVs and Side-by-Side vehicles in the United States and Canada are eligible for a cash payout through the program for the 2014 calendar year of racing.

“Racing has always played a key role in the composition of Can-Am DNA. By offering an industry-leading contingency program, along with our unmatched amateur support program, BRP has added incentive to those Can-Am owners who choose to race with our products,” says Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “These racer-influenced programs serve to reward dedicated product enthusiasts for their brand loyalty and also support them in their pursuit of success on the track. Ultimately, it’s a win-win, as we fully understand that racing has made integral contributions to product refinement and innovation at BRP.”

The Coastal Racing team of Scott Kiger, Mark Holz, RJ Anderson, Rob Utendorfer, Tyler King and Brian McLean raced to victory in the UTV Pro class at the 2013 Baja 1000.

In its first ever Baja 1000 appearance, the Coastal Racing team piloted its No. 1934 Polaris RZR XP 900 to the finish line in 27 hours, 16 minutes and 57 seconds – nearly 24 minutes quicker than the second place Jagged X team.

Brothers Hunter and Cody Miller notched three overall wins and five total podiums at the 2013 Oklahoma Gold Rush event near Tulsa, Okla. The Louis Powersports / Can-Am racers each recorded a win with their Maverick 1000R X rs side-by-side vehicles. Hunter won the UTV XC race, while Cody Miller took the overall in the UTV Super Moto event.

“Hunter and Cody Miller had an outstanding weekend in Oklahoma, winning three total classes and showcasing the versatility and capabilities of the Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle,” says Jeff Leclerc, racing project leader, Can-Am.

Team ITP side-by-side vehicle racer Kyle Chaney won the UTV XC1 class and the UTV overall at round seven of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series in Ohio. ITP-backed Adam McGill finished second in the XC1 ATV Pro class, while Veteran ATV racer Kenny Rich Sr. won the Master 50+ class. Team ITP racers earned a dozen class podiums, which featured both ATV and UTV racing.

“I was very pleased to learn that Team ITP racer Kyle Chaney won the highly competitive XC1 Modified class and moved into a tie for second in points. It was also good to see Adam McGill finish on the XC1 Pro ATV podium. He was the front-runner all day at round seven running ITP Holeshot GNCC tires. The podium finish is a huge confidence builder for him,” says Pat McGuire, public relations / race support. “Our team had another double-digit performance, with a dozen podiums, and an outstanding weekend at a historic racing venue.”

Round seven of the ATV series was held in Millfield, Ohio, marking the 23rd running of The Wiseco John Penton GNCC. Round three of the popular SxS series was also held in Ohio. JB Racing / ITP SxS Pro racer Kyle Chaney drove his SxS to the overall victory and the XC1 Modified class win at round seven. He was sixth place after lap one, but passed three riders to move into second on adjusted time after lap two. Chaney rode confidently in second place until the final lap, when he made his move into first on adjusted time. It was his first victory this season. The win pulled Chaney into a tie for second overall, just 15 points behind the class leader with three rounds remaining on the schedule.

Terracross racing made a big return last year and Polaris is back as a presenting sponsor of the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship for 2013.

“Polaris is excited to be part of Terracross for its second year,” says Jason DiFuccia, marketing manager for Polaris RZR. “The Terracross tracks provide an incredible challenge to the racers and are perfect to showcase the capabilities of our products.”

SXSPerformance is partnering up with Lou Parelta of Alta Vista Events as the presenting sponsor of the Pure Side-X-Side series. Parelta will be conducting the five-round series in the California City desert. All races are ISA sanctioned, meaning there are abundant classes for multitalented UTV drivers to enter.

Not only will SXSPerformance be the presenting sponsor of the entire series, but it will also have a contingency program set up for every race. The contingency program will award the first finisher who has a “SXSPerformance” logo on their vehicle with free entry into the next round. This contingency will be valid in both the pro and sportsman classes. In addition to this contingency program, SXSPerformance will have a completely stocked vendor booth set up at each event. The booth will be full of parts and accessories for the racer and recreationalist alike.

The 2013 Heartland Challenge will have a familiar name attached, as GBC Motorsports will return as the event’s title sponsor. Scheduled to take place August 16-17 in Carlisle, Iowa, this is the sixth year for the ATV and UTV endurance race.

Race organizers have decided to change things up for the 2013 edition of the Heartland Challenge. The Pro class will be replaced by the Series Challenge. Each series will select riders to form a team that will represent their series. The winning team will be awarded a $4,000 payout while the series they represent will be awarded a $2,000 payout.

Each series can send a team of up to three riders to represent their series in this faceoff. The only stipulation is that each team may only have one rider that has participated in GNCC Pro or Pro-Am events within the past three years.

“We sat down with GBC and we all agreed we wanted to make this race even better,” says Tracy Kyner, race organizer. “We all wanted to step outside the box, to create a race that has the opportunity to represent the riders, their state, and the people out there giving so much of their time to create these different series.”

The Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs continues to find success in its first racing, earning two more podiums in recent weeks. James Hill finished second in the SxS Pro Production class at round three of the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) in Arizona, while bothers Derek and Jason Murray also earned a podium finish with their Maverick 1000R X rs, racing to a third-place finish in the Best In The Desert (BITD) Mint 400 outside of Las Vegas.

Not to be outdone, BCS Performance / Can-Am pro Josh Creamer let everybody Can-Am DS 450 ATVs are still a force to be reckoned with, finishing second in the Pro class at the 2013 Mtn. Dew AMA ATV Motocross Nationals opening round in Georgia.

“I was thrilled that Can-Am racers earned hard-fought podium finishes in three different series, and in very difficult conditions,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “James Hill overcame a challenging WORCS course to earn his second podium behind the wheel of the Maverick. The Murray Motorsports team had a spectacular podium finish at the Mint 400 and narrowly missing second-place by only two seconds. Josh Creamer — despite a first-turn crash in the first moto and very wet, muddy conditions — won a Pro class moto and notched an impressive second-place finish overall at round one of the AMA ATV MX series.”

It may be a new season, but Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers continue to outshine the competition in the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series. Can-Am machines swept all five 4×4 class and placed two riders on the overall morning podium at the Maxxis General GNCC in Washington, Ga.

In the first round of side-by-side vehicle racing in Georgia, a total of 11 Can-Am Maverick 1000R racers competed with four Can-Am vehicles earning a podium finish in each of the four UTV classes.

“Having Can-Am ATV racers dominate their morning 4×4 classes and to see Kevin Trantham and Robert Smith on the morning podium was great. It was a good weekend in Georgia overall, as we had numerous podiums, including two for the new Can-Am Maverick 1000R in its GNCC side-by-side racing debut,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “It was a close finish for Kyle Chaney and his Maverick 1000R X rs in its first GNCC side-by-side event, as he narrowly missed taking the overall race win. This was a good debut for the Maverick and we fully expect to improve our results at round two in late April.”

William Yokley (Polaris / Coastal / CST / National Guard / Yoshimura / Yokley Racing) opened the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series UTV season with a win at the Maxxis General GNCC. Yokley finished first overall and first in the XC1 Modified Class. Team driver Scott Kiger finished fourth overall and fourth in the same class. A total of 46 side-by-sides were competing in the race, including 22 XC1 Modified teams. Yokley’s guest passenger was his wife Tina, and Scott’s passenger was Tyler King.

The 2013 GNCC Side by Side season started out well for the team in Georgia. After a successful 2012 season, the team spent the winter building new race machines and fine tuning the new 2013 Polaris RZR XP-900s.

The General GNCC featured red Georgia clay soil, tight, technical woods sections linked by high-speed open fields. It was 75 degrees, sunny and windy, and the course was very dusty, especially in the fields. The shorter than usual three-mile track made for some tight racing.

New for this season is a dead engine start, and the field lined up in rows of five. When the flag dropped, Yokley’s machine did not immediately fire and he was last going into the woods. Kiger got a good start and ran up front most of the race. The track was short and the leaders encountered lapped machines on the second lap, so traffic played an important part of the race. Yokley worked his way up to where he was near the lead when he heavily rear-ended a disabled machine in the blinding dust. He was fortunately able to continue once he got unhooked, thank goodness for a strong front bumper!