
BRP's 2008 Can-Am RACE TEAMS TAKING
SHAPE
Several Big Names Have
Signed to Race Can-Am ATVs Next Season
Valcourt, Canada (10/24/2007) -
In 2007, BRP took the strong Can-Am racing heritage
back to the race track as the company fielded Can-Am
X-Teams in both the Can-Am Grand National Cross
Country (GNCC) race series and the World Powersports
Association (WPSA) ATV Tour. With multiple championships
in GNCC racing and a manufacturer's title in the
WPSA series, BRP has proven it is serious about
racing ATVs.
In 2008, the manufacturer's position is reaffirmed
as it signed top pro riders and will go back to
the track with an even stronger racing effort
on both the West and East Coasts. In addition,
BRP will not only return with its race-bred line
of Can-Am Outlander and Renegade ATVs, but it
will also race the technologically advanced DS
450TM sport ATV.
"We had spent this last season looking
at the top racers in every major ATV series
across North America" said Del Bohlman,
product, media relations and racing manager,
Can-Am ATV, BRP, "and I am happy to say
that we have found and signed racers and teams
that match the essence of Can-Am: a passion
for performance. We are looking forward to
Can-Am ATVs winning championships next year,
and with our line up, we feel we will win."
Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team - WPSA
On the WPSA ATV Tour, BRP once again will partner
with Minnesota-based Warnert Racing and will field
a team out of its Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team
semi. Like last year, the team will compete in
the highly competitive QuadTerrain Challenge (QTC),
but will also field racers in the SuperQuad Pro
450 class.
Racing SuperQuad Pro 450 for Warnert Racing /
Can-Am X-Team will be reigning champion John
Natalie. This multi-time ATV champion
will race a DS 450 in defense of his 2007 championship.
He says he has one goal in mind: "to win
championships". He will also race selected
ATVA GNC races on non-conflicting race weekends.
Natalie is known as the "Ironman" because
of his unrelenting strength and tenacity on the
race track: combined with the DS 450 ATV, this
will be a hard combination to beat.
Racing alongside Natalie in the SuperQuad Pro
450 class will be up-and-coming racer Cody
Miller. As the 2007 SuperQuad Pro-Am
450 champion, Miller knows what it takes to be
fast enough and consistent enough to win a championship.
He brings that skill and poise to the Pro class
in 2008 and will be a force to be reckoned with
on his DS 450.
In the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock class,
Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will field Rory
Beckman. Beckman was a top-three racer
in the QTC class last year and will contest for
a championship aboard an Outlander 650 ATV in
2008. He is considered one of the smartest and
fastest racers on the course and is always a threat
to win.
Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team –
Can-Am GNCC
The Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team effort in the
GNCC series will be substantial with a few new
faces for 2008. In addition to contesting in several
utility classes and the U2 class, the CanAm
X-Team will field riders in the XC 1 class aboard
DS 450 ATVs.
Chris Bithell will race his
DS 450 in the woods across the eastern United
States in the XC 1 Pro class. Bithell is a young
racer who has quickly established himself as one
of the fastest GNCC racers. In addition to GNCC
duty, Bithell will also race selected WPSA QTC
events in 2008.
Warnert Racing will have one other pilot in the
XC 1 Pro class, Chris Jenks.
This woods racer has made a name for himself in
the afternoon sessions jumping from the Pro-Am
ranks to the Pro class two years ago. Last year,
Jenks took the overall two times in a row. Next
year the racer looks forward to the championship
battle aboard a DS 450.
Scott Kilby will focus on the
GNCC campaign in the 4x4 Open class aboard his
Outlander 800 ATV. Kilby is one of the hardest
workers on the course and will contest for wins
and championships in 2008.
Coming fresh off a championship GNCC season in
the 4x4 Open class, Rick Cecco
will switch machines and race a Can-Am Renegade
800 in the U2 class. Cecco finished the 2007 season
strong with a championship in the 4x4 Open class;
he looks forward to another championship in a
new class.
Contesting the 4x4 Limited class aboard an Outlander
800 for the Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will
be Michael Swift. This focused
racer has numerous GNCC championships under his
belt, and will be the defending champion in the
class for 2008. He will be a threat to "three-peat"
in the class.
Finally, in the GNCC 4x4 Lites class, Cliff
Beasley was unstoppable aboard his Outlander
500. For 2008, he will defend his class championship
against a host of other racers who will be out
to beat him from the moment the flag drops.
Epic Racing / Can-Am X-Team - WPSA / ATVA/AMA
The roster of the 2008 Epic Racing / Can-Am X-Team
is quite impressive and features three of ATV
racing's brightest stars. The team will contest
both the ATVA/AMA GNC series and the WPSA series
aboard DS 450 ATVs.
Many have said that Jeremy Lawson
has the most potential of any 450-class racer
who throws a leg over an ATV today. As a multi-time
ATVA/AMA GNC champion and the runner up to the
Pro class championship last year, Lawson will
bring his speed and stamina to BRP Can-Am aboard
a DS 450 next year.
Greg Gee won the WPSA 16-24 class
and just barely missed winning the SuperQuad Pro-Am
450 class, edged out by Cody Miller. Gee is one
of the fastest racers in North America as he regularly
races against the best ATV racers both Canada
and the United States have produced. Gee already
got a taste of the DS 450 ATV and took it on the
podium on its very first MX race at the Montreal
SuperCross last September.
As a past WPSA Pro-Am champion, Sage
Baker has what it takes to win. In 2008,
he will bring that knowledge to the track aboard
a DS 450 in both ATVA/AMA GNC and WPSA races.
Baker will be a constant threat to win races throughout
the season.
Team MPR - Can-Am GNCC
As one of the most recognized names (and faces)
in ATV racing, Mike Penland has
always brought his wit, skill and determination
to the GNCC course. Before the race starts, one
can usually spot his distinctive straw hat and
moustache making its way throughout the line as
he offers last-minute advice to nervous racers,
or a kind word to someone he has not seen in a
while.
Once the flag drops, however, Penland is
one of the best racers on the course. He is
a multi-time champion from the deserts of
the Baja Peninsula to the woods of the eastern
United States. He returns to Can-Am racing
aboard an Outlander 800 in the 4x4 Limited
class; he will be seeking his unprecedented
twelfth GNCC championship!
As Mike Penland's son, Hoyt Penland
has been around ATV racing just about his entire
life. He joins his father on the GNCC series where
he will ride a Renegade 800 in the competitive
U2 class. Hoyt looks to build on his experience
gained during the 2007 season and contest for
the class championship in 2008.
Team MPR's racer in the 4x4 Open will be Jacob
Kirst. Like last season, Kirst will race
an Outlander 800 ATV in the class. Kirst earned
several top-three finishes in the 4x4 Open class
and plans on winning the class next season.
Team Motoworks Racing - WORCS /ITP Quadcross
Both Josh Frederick and Jeremy
Schell were closely involved in the testing
and development of the DS 450 ATV. These two racers
have more time on the machine than any other racers
and will continue to test and win on the 450 next
year. They join a new team to the Can-Am X-Team
fold, Motoworks. The team will be based out of
Lake Elsinore, Calif., and will be Can-Am racing's
West Coast team.
Frederick's name is already etched in Can-Am
history as he piloted the DS 450 to its first
race win (in its inaugural race) at the WORCS
race near Olympia, Wa. This year, Frederick
will race in both the WORCS series and Quadcross
series on the DS 450 ATV.
For racer Jeremy Schell, he has seen the
DS 450 go from a rough draft to a polished,
race-prepped ATV. Schell is second in points
behind team mate Frederick for the 2007 WORCS
series and looks forward to challenge for
Quadcross and WORCS championships next year
on a DS 450.
About BRP
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, Johnson® and Evinrude®
outboard engines, direct injection technologies
such as Evinrude E TEC®, Can Am™ all-terrain
vehicles, Rotax® engines and karts.

www.can-am.brp.com
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