Cypress, CA (8/29/2011)
-Yamaha's ATV Race Teams have been claiming podiums
this season at the nation's top racing series
from East to West. With returning champions and
strong challengers on blue, Yamaha riders have
seen success in Grand National Cross Country (GNCC),
QuadX and AMA ATV Motocross Championship racing
and are poised to capture titles in motocross
and cross country action.
"We have a great group of racers who are
doing spectacular things on the
tracks and
trails aboard their YFZ450Rs and YFZ450Xs,"
said Donnie Luce, Yamaha
ATV/Off-Road
racing coordinator. "While there are fewer
factory programs this year, the
competition
is still extremely tough - our racers are showing
their talents and stamina
pushing
harder and faster. Yamaha is deeply ingrained
in ATV racing, and we're
excited to see
how the rest of the 2011 season plays out."
Here's a look at Yamaha's 2011 ATV team through
mid-August:
Thomas Brown battled with some of the world's
top motocross racers in the
AMA ATV
Motocross Championship series finishing a personal
best fourth place
overall for the
year. After a rough start, Brown rose in the
ranks capturing three second
place
podium finishes.
"Thomas has risen through the AMA ATV
ranks, and he's proved he is a rider
to be
reckoned with in this series," Luce said.
Dustin Nelson has been punishing all challengers
in the re-vamped QuadX
Motocross
Series. The four-time series champ has all but
swept the West Coast to
date capturing
the top spot at every stop and finishing second
in only one moto this year
(he won all
of the others).
"Dustin is the king of West Coast motocross
suffering just a single blemish
in an
otherwise perfect season - second in one moto,
first in all others," Luce
said. "He
helped test and develop the YFZ450R and knows
how to get everything out of
it, which
is obvious when you watch him pull a holeshot
on his GYTR equipped YFZ and
gap the
field."
Nelson's first-year teammate, Josh Row, has
also seen success in the QuadX Series and is
currently only a single point behind the third
overall spot. The next stop is September 10
at Speedworld MX Park in Surprise, Ariz., and
you can see action from each of the QuadX races
on its designated You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/
user/quadXracing
In GNCC racing, Yamaha fields a championship
team including Taylor Kiser
(XC1 Pro)
and Walker Fowler (XC2 Pro Am) led by nine-time
series champion Bill
Ballance.
Ballance continues his management roll this
year and is also racing at
select events.
Kiser is chasing his first XC-1 Pro Class championship
currently holding
third in the
overall standings with four podium finishes.
Outside of GNCC action, Kiser
also
recently led the Ballance Racing Team to a recent
win at the Heartland
Challenge
endurance event. Fowler remains focused on keeping
his perfect season in
the Pro Am
class intact through the remaining five races.
Traci Cecco, the seven-time
GNCC
Women's champion, is leading her division after
winning five rounds
outright plus
finishing on the podium at each of the remaining
events.
"Our Off-Road ATV program led by the Ballance
Racing Team continues to
produce
positive results both on and off the track,"
Luce said. "We have assembled
a great
group of riders and everyone is committed to
doing their part in adding a
few more
wins and ultimately a few more series Championships
to the record books by
the final
event of the season."
The GNCC series has five more stops starting
next at Unadilla Raceway in
New Berlin,
N.Y., September 11.
"Unfortunately, we've seen a number of
racing programs shrink or disappear
over the
past few years, but Yamaha believes it's important
to stay involved in the
sport of ATV
racing," said Steve Nessl, Yamaha's ATV/SxS
group marketing manager.
"We've
developed the strongest line-up of sport ATVs,
worked hard to maintain our
racing
programs, and we're excited to see our passion
matched by the racers and
fans across
the country who keep coming out. We congratulate
all of our race team
members and
everyone who hits the starting gates each weekend
across the country."
For more on Yamaha Racing, go to: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/events/
racinghome/home.aspx
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.
