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Yamaha Announces 2010 ATV Race Teams
GNCC Racers to
do Battle On Trail-Optimized YFZ450X;
MX Racers Return Aboard Championship Winning
YFZ450R
CYPRESS, Calif. – February 10, 2010 – Yamaha
Motor Corp., U.S.A., has announced its 2010 ATV
race teams. Returning to defend Yamaha’s
2009 Manufacturer’s Cup in the Grand National
Cross Country (GNCC) series are Bill Ballance,
Traci Cecco, Brandon Sommers, Taylor Kiser and
Walker Fowler. In the motocross world,
Thomas Brown will compete in the ATVA/AMA
National Motocross pro series, and Dustin Nelson
returns to defend his Yamaha/ITP QuadCross
Championship while also competing in the World
Off Road Championship Series (WORCS).
“This is the first full year of racing for
the YFZ450X, and the YFZ450R returns to defend
its crown after taking an MX championship in
2009,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV Marketing
Manager. “We are proud to support the
sport of ATV racing in its many venues. It
will be exciting to see these teams and the two
high-performance YFZs battle it out in their
respective off-road environments.”
Yamaha’s 2010 ATV Race Teams include:
Bill Ballance, the record holding nine-time
GNCC XC1 Pro champion, is returning to attempt
to recapture his title in 2010 after a fourth
place overall finish last year. He
continues to lead Yamaha’s ATV cross country
efforts with more than a decade of winning
experience that has gained him wide respect as
the best ATV racer of all time. In
addition to racing, Ballance will manage the
Ballance Racing team, which also includes Kiser
and Fowler. Ballance races the YFZ450X.
Traci Cecco is another GNCC record holder
with seven GNCC Women’s titles. She
finished second overall in the Women’s Class
last year, and is poised to top the podium again
in 2010. Cecco races the YFZ450X.
Walker Fowler will represent Yamaha in the
GNCC’s XC2 class this year after winning the
2009 College A class and earning a top 20 XC1
finish at last year’s GNCC Ironman finale.
Fowler races the YFZ450X.
Taylor Kiser is back on a Yamaha in 2010
after capturing the second overall spot in last
year’s XC1 class and earning the series’ Most
Improved Rider Award. Kiser races the
YFZ450X.
Brandon Sommers captured the GNCC XC2 class
championship in 2007 and moved up to the XC1
class in 2008. He finished an impressive
fifth place in his first XC1 Pro season and
again in 2009. Sommers races the YFZ450X.
Thomas Brown is in his second year on Team
Yamaha having won the ATVA/AMA National
Motocross Pro-am Championship in 2008 and
finishing tenth in the pro class in 2009 earning
him the Pro Rookie of the Year award.
Brown races the YFZ450R.
Dustin Nelson is a three-time Yamaha/ITP
QuadCross MX Pro Class champion having captured
two consecutive titles the past two years.
He is also competing in the WORCS series this
year. Besides being a top ATV MX racer,
Nelson is a veteran Yamaha test rider and was
very involved in the development of the YFZ450R,
which he is racing again this year.
In addition to the 2010 race team, Yamaha has
increased its fan appreciation activities
throughout the Yamaha/ITP QuadCross series with
discounted tickets at Yamaha dealers ($5 off
admission) and free race entries to any pro
racer maintaining a current top 10 standing
aboard a Yamaha ATV.
About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS), a
leader in the motorsports market, makes the
toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and
Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s
ever-expanding product offerings also include
motorcycles, outboard motors, personal
watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power
equipment, race kart engines, accessories,
apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold
through a nationwide network of dealers in the
United States.
Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since
its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has
facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as
factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. For
more information on Yamaha, visit
www.yamaha-motor.com.
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