Kennesaw, GA (3/7/2017) -
Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, announces both
its new and returning factory-supported Side-by-Side
(SxS) and ATV racers for the 2017 season, including
defending champions racing the YXZ1000R pure
sport SxS and class-leading YFZ450R sport ATV.
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| Yamaha's
Jason Weller took home Yamaha’s $5,000
bLU cRU bonus for piloting the top-finishing
YXZ1000R at the King of hte Hammers |
The 2017 Yamaha race team announcement follows
the King of the Hammers UTV race in Johnson
Valley, California, where Jason Weller took
home Yamaha’s $5,000 bLU cRU bonus for piloting
the top-finishing YXZ1000R. With 75 SxS vehicles
starting, and only 38 finishing the grueling
race, Weller secured an impressive top-ten position,
conquering the Hammers’ brutal course “…considered
the toughest one-day off road race in the world…”
in his nearly-stock manual transmission YXZ1000R.
Dustin Nelson and his Dustin Nelson Racing
/ DWT YXZ1000R return with Yamaha this year,
looking to repeat his dominance in the Lucas
Oil Off-Road Racing Series. Nelson will defend
his title in the Southern California regional
series, as well as compete in Lucas Oil’s new
National UTV series. Nelson reigned supreme
in both the Arizona and Southern California
regional championships in 2016 driving his YXZ1000R,
securing multiple wins and consistent podiums
to earn more than 70 points above the next non-YXZ
racer.
Joining Yamaha’s team of factory-supported
SxS racers for the 2017 season in The Off-Road
Racing Championship (TORC) series is decorated
champion CJ Greaves. Greaves saw early success
in TORC’s Super Buggy and Pro Light classes,
earning Super Buggy championship titles in 2010
and 2011. He later moved on to the series’ Pro
truck classes, earning three Pro 2 championships
from 2014 to 2016, and two Pro 4 championships
in 2015 and 2016. Last year, Greaves decided
to take on the series’ inaugural Stock UTV class,
winning the season finale at Crandon International
Raceway. Greaves will chase this year’s Production
1000 UTV championship in his new Monster Energy
/ Maxxis / Greaves Motorsports YXZ1000R.
Also joining Yamaha’s growing team of SxS racers
is current Grand National Cross Country (GNCC)
XC1 Pro UTV champion, Cody Miller, defending
his title with his Randy Hawkins N-Fab / Am-Pro
YXZ1000R Sport Shift. Miller is an experienced
GNCC racer in the SxS and 4x4 ATV racing classes,
making GNCC history last year as the only one
to win a 4x4 Pro ATV race and XC1 Pro UTV race
on the same day.
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|
GNCC
XC1 Pro UTV champion Cody Miller will
be joining Team Yamaha for the 2017 race
season |
Already off to a winning start, Yamaha-backed
Walker Fowler, the WFR / Maxxis / Moto-XPerts
two-time GNCC XC1 Pro ATV champion, is back
to defend his title aboard his YFZ450R. Fowler
will also make his SxS debut in the GNCC’s XC1
Pro UTV class, driving his WFR / Maxxis YXZ1000R
Sport Shift alongside Miller. Fowler brings
more than a decade of two and four-wheel experience
to the podium, placing first or second overall
in every series since his introduction to GNCC
racing in 2006.
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| Yamaha's
Walker Fowler will make his SxS debut
in the GNCC’s XC1 Pro UTV class, racing
his WFR / Maxxis YXZ1000R Sport Shift |
Also returning to the XC1 Pro ATV class and
racing alongside Fowler on his N-Fab / Am-Pro
YFZ450R is the two-time XC2 ATV champion, Cole
Richardson.
Heading up the ATV MX effort for Yamaha is
the second all-time winning AMA Pro ATV champion
Chad Wienen on his Wienen Motorsports / SSI
/ 7240 / Walsh YFZ450R. In 2016, Wienen became
the second racer in ATV MX history, and the
only racer in 25 years, to win five-straight
AMA Pro ATV MX championships. In 2017 Wienen
looks to continue making history, chasing his
sixth consecutive ATV MX championship in a row.
Thomas Brown will also be contending in the
AMA Pro ATV series, continuing with Yamaha on
his Root River Racing / CST / Pro Motorsport
YFZ450R, and looking to strengthen the bLU cRU
presence on the podium. “We have worked hard
during the off-season to strengthen our ATV
and SxS racing efforts and are pleased with
the group of drivers / riders that will be racing
both YXZ1000R and YFZ450R models in premier
series across the U.S.,” said Donnie Luce, Yamaha’s
ATV / SxS coordinator. “The YXZ1000R and YFZ450R
aren’t just winning championships, they are
changing the landscape of racing.”
The Yamaha YXZ1000R and YFZ450R, along with
the entire SxS line and full-size ATVs, are
proudly assembled in the USA at Yamaha’s state-of-the-art
manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, for
worldwide distribution.
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, 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.
