Can-Am ATV racers earned several wins and class podiums in three separate off-road racing series this past weekend.
BCS Performance / Can-Am DS 450 pro racer Josh Creamer won both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at the New England ATV Motocross (NEATV-MX) series.
In the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS), Motoworks / Can-Am pro Josh Frederick took second aboard his DS 450.
At the fourth round of the Can-Am / Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, Can-Am X-Team racers won four 4×4 classes and Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro Chris Bithell was third in the Pro class in South Carolina.
“A busy weekend of racing turned out well for the entire Can-Am racing team and our X-Team supported riders,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Josh Creamer started off his quest for the NEATV-MX Pro and Pro-am class titles in perfect fashion, winning all four motos he entered. I was very happy that Josh Frederick overcame an illness and put in an amazing ride to finish second and retain the Pro class points lead in the WORCS series. And our Can-Am / GNCC racers all had a good day at Big Buck in South Carolina. Our Can-Am 4×4 racers were dominate winning five class and I was also excited to see Chris Bithell reach the podium and move into the top three in the Pro class points race.”
NEATV-MX
Creamer won both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at the NEATV-MX series opener at Walden MX in Wallkill, N.Y. Creamer, who was second overall last year, started second in moto one, but charged to the front and won by more than 10 seconds.
He grabbed the holeshot and never looked back in the second moto to secure his first win in 2012. In the Pro-Am class, Creamer was even better, taking both holeshots on his way to another dominant victory.
“I have to give thanks to Can-Am and BCS Performance for giving me the opportunity to race for them. I am going to do everything I can to give them a couple of championships,” said Creamer. “We are still doing some fine tuning, but this was the first race of the season and we still took the win in both classes, so it should get even better from here.”
Can-Am amateur racers – competing on the DS 450, Can-Am 4x4s and the Commander 1000 X side-by-side – also won 11 other classes at the series opener.
WORCS
Round four of the WORCS schedule was held at Speed World MX in Surprise, Ariz. Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro Josh Frederick, who battled with flu-like symptoms prior to the race, fought hard for the win, but had to settle for second overall.
He started in third, but took over the lead on lap seven. After pitting, he fell back one spot and could not regain the lead. The podium finish gave Frederick a four-point lead in the Pro class point standings.
“It was really slick out there today, but I was able to hang in there and get some traction and take it to the podium,” said Frederick. “I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, but I did the best I could and still came out on the podium.”
Motoworks / Can-Am pro Dillon Zimmerman followed up his round-three podium with a fourth-place finish in Arizona. He currently owns the fourth-place position in the Pro class standings.
Can-Am X-Team racer Collins Webster finished second in the Pro-Am class to retain his class points lead heading into round five.
Can-Am / GNCC
The Can-Am / GNCC series moved on to the Big Buck course in South Carolina, and the ATV and side-by-side racers were greeted with dry-and-dusty conditions.
Despite poor visibility, Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 pro racer Chris Bithell earned his second podium finish this year, taking third, and regained the third-place spot in the XC1 Pro class rankings.
In the morning classes, Cliff Beasley continued his U2 class domination aboard his 2012 Can-am Renegade 800 X xc. Beasley grabbed the holeshot and stretched his lead after each lap to win by more than three minutes. He has won all four races this year.
In the 4×4 Lites class, Can-Am X-Team racer Kevin Trantham is also undefeated this season after yet another convincing win. He won by more than 10 minutes and also was fourth overall on the morning amateur podium.
“It was really dusty and there were a lot of tree stumps and other things you couldn’t see out there, but I had a good race and I was able to win,” said Beasley. “The new Renegade has been working awesome and has so much power. A lot of people have a hard time believing that we are running stock engines.”
Can-Am X-Team racer Bryan Buckhannon posted his third 4×4 Open class win of the season aboard his 2012 Outlander 800R. He was joined on the podium by fellow Can-Am-mounted racers Zac Zakowski and Michael Swift (Team UXC Racing).
Can-Am X-Team racer Mike Penland notched the first 4×4 Senior class win of the season aboard his Outlander ATV and also finished sixth in his Commander 1000 X side-by-side vehicle in the XC2 Limited class. Tanner Bowles has now won three straight races on his Can-Am ATV after his victory in the 4×4 Novice class in S.C.
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.
