Valcourt, Québec – Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side race teams Murray Racing, Marc Burnett Motorsports and Desert Toyz posted an impressive 1-2-3 finish in Class 19 over the weekend at the inaugural SCORE International Imperial Valley 250 in Plaster City, CA. It was the first SCORE series Class 19 sweep for Can-Am. Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer Kevin Trantham won the 4x4 Pro class and took second overall at round five of the Amsoil AMA Grand National Cross Country series in Indiana.
“Our Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side racing teams put in an incredible finish at inaugural running of the SCORE Imperial Valley 250. We couldn’t be more excited for the Class 19 podium sweep earned by Derek and Jason Murray, Marc Burnett and Cory Sappington. All these race teams have been wholly committed in proving the Maverick 1000R is vehicle of choice for extreme desert racing,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “We had another big GNCC weekend, winning three classes and having 4x4 Pro Kevin Trantham expand his class points lead.”
SCORE International – IV 250
Round two of the 2014 SCORE International schedule, the Imperial Valley 250, was held outside of Plaster City, CA. The first SCORE International event in the U.S. in quite some time offered a Class 19 Pro side-by-side division. Ten competitors raced for two laps through severe winds and the rough-and-rocky desert race course, which featured more than 130 virtual checkpoints and roughly 160 miles. All the Class 19 vehicles lined up on the starting line for a side-by-side start. Can-Am Maverick 1000R teams consisted of the No. 1917 Maverick MAX of Murray Racing’s Derek and Jason Murray, Marc Burnett’s No. 1905 and the No. 1904 of Desert Toyz owner Corry Sappington. Every Can-Am team led at some point during the race, but the Murrays took control near the final portion of the race and held on for the win. Burnett and Sappington also made the Class 19 podium for a clean sweep.
Coming off their second-place finish at the San Felipe 250, the Murrays were looking for another podium finish to stay among the leaders in the Class 19 championship points race. With the win Saturday at the Imperial Valley 250, the Murrays did just that. The Murrays put it in solid performance, but didn’t actually lead the race until it counted most. Despite not pre-running the course, the Murrays carefully navigated the numerous turns and checkpoints to earn their first SCORE win of the year and move into a tie with Marc Burnett.
"The Murray Racing/Can-Am/ITP Maverick MAX never let us down, despite the very challenging conditions,” said Derek Murray. “Our strategy was to race smart and finish the race. Getting the overall win was very rewarding for our team. It was also very cool to share the podium with our fellow Can-Am racers. With an overall finishing percentage at the SCORE Imperial Valley 250 less than 40 percent, having three Can-Am Maverick teams on the podium shows how durable these machines really are.”
Burnett, who earned his first podium and victory for Can-Am at the San Felipe 250, put in another great race, piloting his Monster Energy-themed Maverick 1000R X rs to a second-place finish. Burnett battled out front all day, but fought hard to retain a podium, overcoming a flat tire and a couple other mechanical stops. His second-place run keeps him in the running for the class championship, as he’s tied for first.
After battling for first and second for much of the race, Team Desert Toyz/Elka/Can-Am drivers Cory and Scott Sappington and their navigator Donovan Cain had to settle for third place. However, the solid, third-place finish moved the team up in the class point standings after two rounds of SCORE racing.
GNCC – Limestone 100
Round five of the 2014 GNCC series was the Limestone 100 held in Springville, IN. Led by Can-Am X-Team racer Kevin Trantham’s 4x4 Pro class victory and second overall finish on the 10 a.m. session podium, Can-Am racers won three 4x4 classes and had 11 class podiums. Trantham piloted his Renegade 800R X xc to his second victory of the season and expanded his 4x4 Pro class points lead to 17 over the rest of the field. BNR Motorsports/Can-Am Renegade racer Rob Smith was third in the class.
“My Can-Am Renegade worked great. Once, I got into the lead, I put some distance between myself and everyone else,” said Trantham.
With his fourth-straight 4x4 A/B class win, pilot Tanner Bowles outran fellow Can-Am racers Corey Bartlett and Joshua Trafelet for the top podium spot. The 4x4 Senior (40+) class podium was also all Can-Am ATVs, as Terry Whitesides edged Nick Mase and Glen McConnell for the win. Can-Am racers earned three other podium finishes in Indiana.
