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BRP's 2008 CAN-AM RACE TEAMS TAKING SHAPE
Several Big Names Have Signed to Race Can-Am
ATVs Next Season; More Announcements to Come
Valcourt, Quebec, October
17, 2007 – In 2007, BRP took the strong
Can-Am racing heritage back to the race track as
the company fielded Can-Am X-Teams in both the
Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race
series and the World Powersports Association
(WPSA) ATV Tour. With multiple championships in
GNCC racing and a manufacturer's title in the
WPSA series, BRP has proven it is serious about
racing ATVs.
In 2008, the manufacturer's position is
reaffirmed as it signed top pro riders and will
go back to the track with an even stronger
racing effort on both the West and East Coasts.
In addition, BRP will not only return with its
race-bred line of Can-Am OutlanderTM and
RenegadeTM ATVs, but it will also race the
technologically advanced DS 450TM sport ATV.
"We had spent this last season looking at the
top racers in every major ATV series across
North America" said Del Bohlman, product, media
relations and racing manager, Can-Am ATV, BRP,
"and I am happy to say that we have found and
signed racers and teams that match the essence
of Can-Am: a passion for performance. We are
looking forward to Can-Am ATVs winning
championships next year, and with our line up,
we feel we will win."
Warnert Racing / Can-Am
X-Team - WPSA
On the WPSA ATV Tour, BRP once again will
partner with Minnesota-based Warnert Racing and
will field a team out of its Warnert Racing /
Can-Am X-Team semi. Like last year, the team
will compete in the highly competitive
QuadTerrain Challenge (QTC), but will also field
racers in the SuperQuad Pro 450 class.
Racing SuperQuad Pro 450 for Warnert Racing /
Can-Am X-Team will be reigning champion John
Natalie. This multi-time ATV champion will race
a DS 450 in defense of his 2007 championship. He
says he has one goal in mind: "to win
championships". He will also race selected ATVA
GNC races on non-conflicting race weekends.
Natalie is known as the "Ironman" because of his
unrelenting strength and tenacity on the race
track: combined with the DS 450 ATV, this will
be a hard combination to beat.
Racing alongside Natalie in the SuperQuad Pro
450 class will be up-and-coming racer Cody
Miller. As the 2007 SuperQuad Pro-Am 450
champion, Miller knows what it takes to be fast
enough and consistent enough to win a
championship. He brings that skill and poise to
the Pro class in 2008 and will be a force to be
reckoned with on his DS 450.
In the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock class,
Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will field Rory
Beckman. Beckman was a top-three racer in the
QTC class last year and will contest for a
championship aboard an Outlander 650 ATV in
2008. He is considered one of the smartest and
fastest racers on the course and is always a
threat to win.
Warnert Racing / Can-Am
X-Team – Can-Am GNCC
The Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team effort in
the GNCC series will be substantial with a few
new faces for 2008. In addition to contesting in
several utility classes and the U2 class, the
Can Am X-Team will field riders in the XC 1
class aboard DS 450 ATVs.
Chris Bithell will race his DS 450 in the
woods across the eastern United States in the XC
1 Pro class. Bithell is a young racer who has
quickly established himself as one of the
fastest GNCC racers. In addition to GNCC duty,
Bithell will also race selected WPSA QTC events
in 2008.
Warnert Racing will have one other pilot in
the XC 1 Pro class, Chris Jenks. This woods
racer has made a name for himself in the
afternoon sessions jumping from the Pro-Am ranks
to the Pro class two years ago. Last year, Jenks
took the overall two times in a row. Next year
the racer looks forward to the championship
battle aboard a DS 450.
Scott Kilby will focus on the GNCC campaign
in the 4x4 Open class aboard his Outlander 800
ATV. Kilby is one of the hardest workers on the
course and will contest for wins and
championships in 2008.
Coming fresh off a championship GNCC season
in the 4x4 Open class, Rick Cecco will switch
machines and race a Can-Am Renegade 800 in the
U2 class. Cecco finished the 2007 season strong
with a championship in the 4x4 Open class; he
looks forward to another championship in a new
class.
Contesting the 4x4 Limited class aboard an
Outlander 800 for the Warnert Racing / Can-Am
X-Team will be Michael Swift. This focused racer
has numerous GNCC championships under his belt,
and will be the defending champion in the class
for 2008. He will be a threat to "three-peat" in
the class.
Finally, in the GNCC 4x4 Lites class, Cliff
Beasley was unstoppable aboard his Outlander
500. For 2008, he will defend his class
championship against a host of other racers who
will be out to beat him from the moment the flag
drops.
Epic Racing / Can-Am
X-Team - WPSA / ATVA/AMA
The roster of the 2008 Epic Racing / Can-Am
X-Team is quite impressive and features three of
ATV racing's brightest stars. The team will
contest both the ATVA/AMA GNC series and the
WPSA series aboard DS 450 ATVs.
Many have said that Jeremy Lawson has the
most potential of any 450-class racer who throws
a leg over an ATV today. As a multi-time
ATVA/AMA GNC champion and the runner up to the
Pro class championship last year, Lawson will
bring his speed and stamina to BRP Can-Am aboard
a DS 450 next year.
Greg Gee won the WPSA 16-24 class and just
barely missed winning the SuperQuad Pro-Am 450
class, edged out by Cody Miller. Gee is one of
the fastest racers in North America as he
regularly races against the best ATV racers both
Canada and the United States have produced. Gee
already got a taste of the DS 450 ATV and took
it on the podium on its very first MX race at
the Montreal SuperCross last September.
As a past WPSA Pro-Am champion, Sage Baker
has what it takes to win. In 2008, he will bring
that knowledge to the track aboard a DS 450 in
both ATVA/AMA GNC and WPSA races. Baker will be
a constant threat to win races throughout the
season.
Team MPR - Can-Am GNCC
As one of the most recognized names (and
faces) in ATV racing, Mike Penland has always
brought his wit, skill and determination to the
GNCC course. Before the race starts, one can
usually spot his distinctive straw hat and
moustache making its way throughout the line as
he offers last-minute advice to nervous racers,
or a kind word to someone he has not seen in a
while.
Once the flag drops, however, Penland is one
of the best racers on the course. He is a
multi-time champion from the deserts of the Baja
Peninsula to the woods of the eastern United
States. He returns to Can-Am racing aboard an
Outlander 800 in the 4x4 Limited class; he will
be seeking his unprecedented twelfth GNCC
championship!
As Mike Penland's son, Hoyt Penland has been
around ATV racing just about his entire life. He
joins his father on the GNCC series where he
will ride a Renegade 800 in the competitive U2
class. Hoyt looks to build on his experience
gained during the 2007 season and contest for
the class championship in 2008.
Team MPR's racer in the 4x4 Open will be
Jacob Kirst. Like last season, Kirst will race
an Outlander 800 ATV in the class. Kirst earned
several top-three finishes in the 4x4 Open class
and plans on winning the class next season.
Team Motoworks Racing -
WORCS /ITP Quadcross
Both Josh Frederick and Jeremy Schell were
closely involved in the testing and development
of the DS 450 ATV. These two racers have more
time on the machine than any other racers and
will continue to test and win on the 450 next
year. They join a new team to the Can-Am X-Team
fold, Motoworks. The team will be based out of
Lake Elsinore, Calif., and will be Can-Am
racing's West Coast team.
Frederick's name is already etched in Can-Am
history as he piloted the DS 450 to its first
race win (in its inaugural race) at the WORCS
race near Olympia, Wa. This year, Frederick will
race in both the WORCS series and Quadcross
series on the DS 450 ATV.
For racer Jeremy Schell, he has seen the DS
450 go from a rough draft to a polished,
race-prepped ATV. Schell is second in points
behind team mate Frederick for the 2007 WORCS
series and looks forward to challenge for
Quadcross and WORCS championships next year on a
DS 450.
About BRP/Can-Am
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP),
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,
direct injection technologies such as Evinrude E
TEC®, Can Am™ all-terrain vehicles and
roadsters, as well as Rotax® engines and karts.
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