Can-Am ATV and Commander Side-By-Side Racers Post Victories at the John Penton GNCC

Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series
Round 9: The John Penton GNCC

Courtesy of Can-Am
MILLFIELD, OH, JULY 7-8, 2012

Team Travalena won the XC2 UTV class in its Can-Am Commander 1000 X, and Motoworks/ Can-Am Commander racer Kyle Chaney finished a close second in the XC1 UTV class at round nine of the 2012 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series held in Millfield, Ohio. Can-Am 4×4 ATV racers Bryan Buchannon, Clifton Beasley, Kevin Trantham and Forest Whorton also won the 4×4 Open, U2, 4×4 Lites and 4×4 Senior classes, respectively, at The John Penton GNCC race.

“All of our riders and teams fought hard and overcame the excessive heat in Ohio,” said Can-Am race manager Jimmie O’Dell. “Motoworks/ Can-Am Commander 1000 X driver Kyle Chaney led most of the XC1 UTV race. Unfortunately, a lapped racer caused Chaney to crash on the final lap. Thankfully, he recovered to finish a very close second and reach the class podium. Team Travalena also had great ride, winning the XC2 UTV class. I was proud of the way all our guys raced in the brutally humid conditions, especially our Can-Am 4×4 racers, who earned four class overalls.”

After leading much of the race, Motoworks/ Can-Am Commander 1000 X pilot Kyle Chaney drove his side-by-side to a second-place finish in the XC1 UTV class at round nine of the Can-Am GNCC Series.

In side-by-side racing action, pilot Kyle Chaney put his Motoworks-backed Can-Am Commander in the top five at the start of the XC1 UTV-class race. By the second lap, he’d grabbed the lead, and he held it until the final loop. While overtaking a lapped vehicle, Chaney lost control of his vehicle and lost the lead. The team recovered quickly and ended up with a hard-fought second-place finish.

In the UTV XC2 class, Team Travalena worked its way up from a top-five start and took the class win by more than 30 seconds. The team’s impressive charge in their Commander 1000 X also allowed them to finish in ninth overall for the day.

Motoworks/ Can-Am DS Pro rider Chris Bithell rallied from an early chain derailment (caused by a roosted rock) and a 40-second delay on lap one to finish fifth in the XC1 Pro class in brutally hot and dusty conditions in Millfield, Ohio.

In the XC1 Pro class, Motoworks/ Can-Am DS 450 racer Chris Bithell made a great come-from-behind ride to claim a top-five finish. A roosted rock thrown by another ATV at the start of the XC1 class derailed the chain on Bithell’s ATV and put him 40 seconds behind the race leaders. However, by lap two, Bithell had moved into fourth place. He ended the day in fifth place.

Defending 4×4 Open-class champion and current points leader Bryan Buckhannon and Michael Swift again had a fantastic duel aboard their Can-Am Outlander 800R ATVs. Buckhannon came off the starting line in third, while Swift got hung up with another racer. However, by the midpoint of the second lap, Swift had caught Buckhannon, and the two diced for the lead for the next couple of laps. Buckhannon eventually found some breathing room and notched his seventh overall of the year, while Swift took second.

Defending 4x4 Open-class champ Bryan Buckhannon scored a win at the John Penton GNCC aboard his Can-Am Outlander 800R.

“I had a good race, but the heat got to me after it was all over, so I am just really glad everything went well,” said Buckhannon, who also competed in the UTV racing in Ohio. “I’m going to be doing a few local races over the break and doing some fine-tuning on my Commander, so when we come back I can hopefully be on the podium.”

UXC Racing/ Can-Am Renegade racer Cliff Beasley got back to his winning ways in the U2 class after missing the podium at the previous round. Beasley finished with a time of 01:40:08, putting him in third overall for the morning classes.

Cliff Beasley rebounded from his poor outing at round eight to notch another victory mark in his GNCC belt by winning the U2 class in Millfield.

Defending 4×4 Senior-class champion Forrest Whorton notched another win aboard his Outlander 800R. After losing his ignition key on the starting line and starting more than three minutes behind the rest of his class, Whorton put in an incredible ride on his way to victory.

Forrest Whorton continued his dominance in the 4x4 Senior class, coming from behind in Ohio to win round nine.

Kevin Trantham won the 4x4 Lites class yet again aboard his Can-Am Outlander 500.

Kevin Trantham led the 4×4 Lites class from start to finish aboard his 2012 Outlander 500, winning by more than 13 minutes. He also finished second overall for the morning race.

The Can-Am GNCC series will now take its summer break and resume in September.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the 2012 contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

About BRP
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., a privately held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorized 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, and 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. For more info, please go to www.brp.com.