Casper, WY (1/11/2018) -
Can-Am Driven Powersports’ rider Don Higbee
teamed up with Dofo Arellano and Felipe Velez
on a Can-Am Outlander 1000R and fought hard
to finish fourth in the 2018 Best in the Desert
Series season opening Parker 250.
|
|
Can-Am
/ Driven Powersport's Don Higbee along
with Dofo Arellano and Felipe Velez
secured a fourth place finish at the
BITD Parker 250 |
Higbee and his Driven Powersports teammates
ran some of the fastest times ever recorded
on the Outlander in the warm and clear conditions
and were well in contention for a podium.
However, a fuel tank venting issue made refueling
difficult in the pits and the extra time moved
them to fourth at finish.
“We had an awesome weekend with some of the
fastest times we’ve had on the Can-Am Outlander,”
said Higbee. “Unfortunately, the tank wouldn’t
vent and it wasn’t something we could fix
in the heat of battle, but we’re off to a
good start. The class is small, but everyone
that’s out there is super fast. There is a
lot of competition and we’re super happy with
how fast we ran. We’re just at the level now
where we can’t make any mistakes.”
|
|
Can-Am
/ Driven Powersport's Dofo Arellano
adapted quickly to the Can-Am Outlander
in the first lap of the race to hold
a top three position |
Arellano and Velez rode their first racing
laps on the Outlander. The pair was immediately
up to speed and both were helpful both on
and off the track.
“This was really the first time Dofo and
Felipe raced a 4X4 quad, and they caught onto
it right away,” said Higbee. “They helped
us make some great adjustments. Felipe used
some of his desert experience to do a little
tuning on our shocks. We also worked with
Airdam Clutches on our clutching. The machine
ripped and it was great all day long. Other
than the vent tube issue, we had a great race.”
|
| Desert
Racing Veteran, Felipe Velez also joined
the team for 2018 |
Higbee continues his run of zero flat tires
that is going at nearly a year and a half.
He credited his Kenda Tires, OMF Wheels and
Tire Spines for the record.
“We’ve had a great run for the last year
and half with Kenda HT Bearclaws and Tire
Spines,” said Higbee. “We never touch them;
even in the pits. We never have to even look
at them. They have been solid for us and we’ve
had no flats. Those in combination with OMF
wheels have just been the standard for us.”
The Parker course is known for its high speed.
With speeds approaching 100 mph, Higbee was
happy to know that DP Brakes would work when
he needed to haul back on the reigns on the
fast Can-Am.
“There is a lot of high speed at Parker,
but there are also some sections where you
have to drag the brake or check up so DP Brakes
were key today,” said Higbee. “They make the
greatest brake pad out there. It’s nice to
know that when I’m going 80 miles per hour
and need to lock the brakes that the machine
is going to come to a stop.”
Jose Torres will join Higbee and Arellano
during the next BITD ATV race, the UTV World
Championship. That race is scheduled for April
6-7 in Laughlin, NV.
Driven Powersports
Racing 2018 Sponsors:
Can Am, Driven Powersports, Custom Axis, Tucker
Rocky, Dirtworks, Tire Spines, David Jesse
Racing, OMF, Dirtworks, Kenda, DP Brakes,
Evans Coolant, Team JDR, Airdam Clutches,
Spider Graphix, Cecco Racing
