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2010 Warnert Racing /
Can-Am GNCC Race Team Announced
Chris Bithell
Lexie Coulter
Michael Swift |
Valcourt, Québec, January 14, 2010 – BRP is
pleased to announce the roster of Team Warnert
Racing / Can-Am, which will compete during the
2010 Grand National Cross Country race series.
Team Warnert Racing / Can-Am looks to build upon
a successful 2009 GNCC season that saw four GNCC
championships, including a perfect season (13
races, 13 wins) in the 4x4 Limited class.
Race-prepped Can-Am Outlander™ 800R EFI XT™,
Can-Am Renegade® 800R EFI X™ xc and Can-Am DS
450™ EFI ATVs will race out of the Warnert
Racing hauler next season at all 13 stops of the
GNCC series.
"Our partnership with Warnert Racing has
produced multiple championships for the past
several years and we are happy to continue that
partnership for 2010 and beyond," says Denis
Morin, Vice President Product Development and
Racing at BRP. "Next GNCC season will be an
exciting one for everyone here at BRP and on the
Warnert Racing / Can-Am GNCC team."
A total of seven racers will contest the 2010
GNCC season for Team Warnert Racing/ Can-Am and
each of the team members have been working hard
during the off-season to be ready to go when the
opener rolls around in March. "For this year,
we've put together an impressive team of
off-road racers who are all more than capable of
showcasing the abilities of our Can-Am ATV
line-up out on the challenging GNCC courses. We
are expecting multiple championships again next
year from our Warnert Racing riders and crew,"
comments Jimmie O'Dell, Racing Manager for
Can-Am ATVs at BRP.
The 2010 Warnert Racing / Can-Am Roster:
Chris Bithell is making his return on the DS 450
in the XC1 Pro class against the toughest woods
racers in the world. Bithell is a fierce
competitor and was consistently one of the
fastest Pro racers in the woods last season
finishing with several top-10 showings and an
overall podium. "This is the season for the DS
450, I can feel it. I am pumped for the 2010
season and look forward to putting the Can-Am on
the podium all season long. Everyone on the team
is ready to make a run for a GNCC championship,"
states Bithell.
Joining Bithell in the XC1 Pro class and making
his debut on the DS 450 will be racer Adam
McGill. While this is McGill's first time racing
a Can-Am on the GNCC circuit, he is no stranger
to the XC1 podium. Last season, McGill finished
third in the overall championship with eight
overall podium finishes. "I've been riding the
DS 450 for a couple of weeks and am already
super confident on it. It is no secret, I am
hungry for overall wins; I want to deliver a
championship for Can-Am and Warnert Racing,"
says McGill.
Last season, 4x4 Limited class rider Michael
Swift went all 13 rounds without losing a race
on his Outlander 800R EFI and he is looking
forward to continuing that class-win streak in
2010. The class champion was also given the
Utility Rider of the Year award at the GNCC
year-end banquet. "Next season I am going to
continue building on what got me the
championship: being smart and consistent in the
woods. The Outlander is a great machine out on
the course and I like riding it, fast!" he
comments.
When he broke his leg at the seventh round of
the season last year, defending his 2008 4x4
Open championship aboard the Outlander 800R EFI
XT looked impossible. Bryan Buckhannon, however,
was hard at work in the three rounds of racing
he missed, making sure he would be ready to run
up front when he returned. That he did as he
finished in the top three of each of the final
four rounds, including taking a do-or-die win at
the final round of the season. He returns on the
Outlander and is looking to dominate next
season. "Last year taught me how hard it can be
to win a championship," says Buckhannon. "This
season I am looking forward to just going out
there and winning each round by working hard out
on the course with the Outlander 800R."
Lexie Coulter returns on the DS 450 in the
Women's class, but will now be a part of the
Warnert Racing / Can-Am team. Coulter ran in the
top 10 at almost every round last season,
including five class podiums and two overall
podium finishes. This season she is looking
forward to the added support the Warnert Racing
crew will bring her. "I am happy to be on such a
hard-working team and to be back on the DS 450.
I know we can put this bike out front and win a
championship next season," she comments.
Last year, Cliff Beasley took the 4x4 Lites
championship on his Outlander 500 EFI ATV for
Warnert Racing / Can-Am. This season he returns
to the team, but on a new machine and in a new
class. Beasley will be defending a Can-Am class
title aboard the Renegade 800R EFI X xc in the
U2 class next year. "I am looking forward to the
challenge of racing a new machine in a new
class," Beasley says. "This off-season I've
worked to be ready when the green flag flies in
Florida and am up for the new challenge of the
U2 class."
Jamie Bithell raced the College A (16-21) class
aboard a DS 450 as part of the Can-Am X-Team
last season and finished second in the class
championship with a win and several second-place
finishes. This year, he will challenge for the
College A class title with the backing of the
Warnert Racing team. "It is great to be racing
with my brother out of the Warnert Racing
hauler. I cannot wait to get out there next year
and win races on the DS 450!" Bithell states.
The first race of the 2010 GNCC season is the
Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC on Sunday,
March 1 near Lake Wales, FL. For more
information on Can-Am racing, the 2010
contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer
support program, please visit
www.can-amxteam.com. For more info on the GNCC
series, please visit:
www.gnccracing.com.
About Bombardier Recreational
Products Inc.
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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