Valcourt, Québec – Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers earned four podiums, including Jack’s Excavating/Can-Am winning the UTV 1000 (Pro) class and overall, at the 2015 Heartland Challenge endurance race in Iowa. In Ohio, Can-Am Maverick 1000R racer Kyle Chaney won the Woods Extreme X-C Racing UTV Open class.
“Our Can-Am ATV and side-by-side vehicle racers had a good weekend in both Iowa and Ohio, outlasting two challenging courses,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “The Pratt brothers and Kyle Chaney, both proved the Maverick 1000R side-by-side is the vehicle of choice for conquering very rugged terrain in a cross-country race.”
GBC Heartland Challenge
ATVs and side-by-side vehicles traveled to Blue Ridge Run outside of Carlisle, IA, for the eighth annual GBC Heartland Challenge endurance race. Side-by-side vehicles competed overnight on Friday, Aug. 21, while ATVs began late Saturday, Aug. 22, and raced into the night. Can-Am off-road racing had several teams competing in both sessions. The endurance course featured both man-made obstacles, mud, natural-terrain trails and also required teams to run at night.
With 62 entries in three different classes, the side-by-side vehicle race consisted of one 4-hour session. The tandem of Marcus and Mouse Pratt earned top honors for Can-Am in the 1000 UTV class, by piloting their Jack’s Excavating/Can-Am/Racer Tech/ITP-backed Maverick 1000R to victory. Marcus drove the first two hours and then his brother took the wheel and drove the Maverick to the finish line. They ended up completing 20 laps in 4:00:28 to win the class and UTV overall.
“The course conditions were great. We didn’t have one fault with the Maverick,” said Marcus Pratt. “It’s definitely challenging and four times longer than a GNCC with rocks and telephone poles to negotiate, but we really got a feel for the vehicle and what it can actually do. We have to thank our mechanic and fabricator Tim Mullenburg for his efforts, too.”
Miller Brothers Racing/Can-Am Maverick driver Cody Miller took third place in the class, completing 20 laps in 4:16:44.
The ATVs were slated to run 10 hours, but the session was shortened to roughly seven hours due to severe weather and deteriorating course conditions. In Pro 4x4 ATV action, the team of Zac Zakowski, Bryan Buckhannon and Eric Von Spreckon (Team ZMS/Midwest Performance/Can-Am) competed on Can-Am Renegade 800R and finished second. Cody Miller, Chris Robinson and Cody Taylor teamed up and competed on two Can-Am Renegade ATVs and an Outlander 1000 XT to finish third in the Pro 4x4 class.
WEXCR – Fallon Farms
Can-Am/TurnKey UTV/Chaney Racing team owner Kyle Chaney recorded his third win of the year in WEXCR side-by-side racing action at round four of the UTV portion of the WEXCR series held at Fallon Farms in Rio Grande, OH. Chaney, who led every lap of the four-lap event in his Maverick X xc 1000R, won by more than a minute in a time of 1:04:30. Chaney has climbed to within one point of the class leader with one final round remaining.
“We got the early lead and used the dusty conditions to our advantage. We led the race from start to finish. With another WEXCR victory, we are one race closer to another championship,” said Chaney.
