CAN-AM RACERS FIND SUCCESS IN SEVERAL OFF-ROAD RACING SERIES
In a dominating
performance, six Can-Am® racers posted overall class victories at the fifth
annual GBC Heartland Challenge in Carlisle, Iowa. Motoworks / Can-Am racer Kyle
Chaney (UTV Open) and Can-Am / UXC Racing’s Michael Swift (4x4 Open) led the
way, winning the two marquee classes. Across the country in the New England ATV
Motocross series, BCS Performance / Can-Am DS 450™ pro Josh Creamer won two
classes at round eight held in Minot, Maine. At the General Tire Vegas-To-Reno
round of the Best in the Desert (BITD) series, Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450™ teammates
Dillon Zimmerman and Josh Frederick earned third on the Quad Pro class podium,
while Murray Motorsports finished third in its Commander™ the UTV Pro class.
“I was pleased with
the results from our Can-Am racers at three different racing series across the
country. Can-Am racers ruled the Heartland Challenge. It was thrilling to see
Kyle Chaney and Michael Swift each earn the hard-fought overall wins. Winning
four more class titles was icing on the cake,” said
Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Josh Creamer kept rolling in the NEATV-MX
series as he once again put his DS 450 out front and on top of the podium. And
although we missed out on a Vegas-To-Reno victory, having both the DS 450 and
Commander teams reach the podium was truly an accomplishment.”
Heartland Challenge
The Heartland Challenge had its largest
attendance in the race’s five-year history with 109 entries. The endurance
event, which uses a Lemans-style start, features ATV and side-by-side vehicle
racing with 10- and 4-hour race times, respectively.
In the 4-hour UTV race, Chaney fought off
numerous challenges to take a popular win in the UTV Open class in his Motoworks-prepped
Can-Am Commander 1000 X®. Chaney got off to a slow start, but quickly worked
his way through the 22-car field and into the lead pack. Just after the halfway
point, Chaney inherited the lead and never relinquished it, despite a few
challenges. At around 11 p.m., and with a four-minute time advantage, he drove
across the finish line with the UTV Open class victory.
Swift won the Pro 4x4 Ironman class and was
joined on the podium by Can-Am racers Bryan Buckhannon and Chris Robinson.
Buckhannon was out front early but missed a turn and allowed Swift to take over
the lead. Swift then rode for the next five hours straight before stopping for
a break. A refreshed Swift resumed his race pace to outdistance Buckhannon by
four laps for the overall win. D&S Racing (UTV 850 Mod), Stalker Racing (A
class), Team Katers / Zakowski Motorsports (4x4 Open) and Justin Steck (Open
Ironman) also earned overall class wins with Can-Am vehicles. Can-Am racers Forrest
Whorton (third, Open Ironman), Sammy Joe Racing (third, B class) and Go Blue
Racing (second, 4x4 Open) earned class podiums.
NEATV-MX
Creamer continued his undefeated run in both
the Pro and Pro-Am classes in the NEATV-MX series this year. At Hemonds MX in
Maine, Creamer rode his BCS Performance-supported DS 450 to four holeshots,
four moto wins and victories in both the Pro and Pro-Am ranks. He has yet to
lose in the 2012 NEATV-MX series aboard his Can-Am.
BITD
In the UTV class, brothers Jason and Derek Murray of the Murray Motorsports
/ Can-Am team battled with more than 20 other side-by-side vehicles on their
way to an impressive finishing time and third overall on the 534-mile desert
course. The Can-Am Commander pilots led a good portion of the race, but issues
with a flat tire late in the race slowed their pace and allowed two other teams
to pass. The Murrays repaired the tire and finished on the podium in third,
earning 152 valuable points in their chase for a title.
“We were running in the lead most of the race. We had a logistics issue
with a flat and lost the lead with not enough time to catch up,” said Derek
Murray. “The Commander ran great, and with the third-place finish we still hold
the points lead.”
With a time of 10:44:11.867, the DS 450-mounted Frederick and Zimmerman
finished the Quad Pro class in third place and 12th overall on the
day in the Motorcycle/Quad division.
For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12
contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit
www.can-amxteam.com.
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a
privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development,
manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorised recreational vehicles.
Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles,
Sea‑Doo watercraft and sport boats, Evinrude and Johnson outboard
engines, Can-Am all‑terrain and side-by-side vehicles and roadsters, as well as
Rotax engines. BRP products are
distributed in more than 100 countries.
www.brp.com
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Racing scenes photographed during an organized race involving
highly skilled operators under controlled conditions. Do not attempt.