Valcourt, Québec – Kyle Chaney won the 2014 XC1 Modified SxS championship, Marcus Pratt took home the XC2 Limited SxS title, both in Can-Am Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicles, and Bryan Buckhannon captured the 4x4 Pro title on his Renegade 800R X xc at the pinked-out Amsoil Grand National Cross Country series finale in Crawfordsville, IN. Can-Am racers posted podium sweeps in both the premier 4x4 Pro and XC1 Modified SxS classes at the Ironman event, concluding the year in dominating fashion.
“This particular GNCC season was amazing because we won every class where our team-supported racers competed in,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “Kyle Chaney put together a very consistent season, easily winning the XC1 Modified class in his Maverick 1000R. Bryan Buckhannon simply outran the competition on his way to winning the inaugural 4x4 Pro division, a class that saw us take the top three spots. Factor in our other titles and the podium sweeps at Ironman and we put a big exclamation point on 2014—our best season ever.”
The Ironman GNCC finale, one of the most popular and well-attended events on the annual 13-race schedule, was held on nearby farmland, complete with hills, creeks, mud, woods and a man-made MX course outside of Crawfordsville. Along with it’s dramatic championship story lines, Ironman is also hugely popular for its proximity to Halloween and because participants and fans wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness.
With a 28-point lead heading into the final round, Kyle Chaney (Chaney Racing/Turnkey UTV/JB Racing/Can-Am) simply needed to finish in order to capture the XC1 Modified class championship, but he did much better than that. The Ohio native finished a very solid eighth in a field of almost 40 side-by-side vehicles, coming from 14th after lap one, to capture the first GNCC side-by-side racing title for Can-Am. He ended up winning by 24 points over second place.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet that we got the championship,” Chaney said. “It’s still unbelievable. I knew I would win it some day, I just needed a good team behind me to make it happen and that’s what Can-Am and the JB team has provided. This set-up worked well for us this year and we will be going with the same one next season.”
Chaney wasn’t the only Can-Am Maverick 1000R racer making news at Ironman, as JB Racing/Can-Am driver Tim Farr (with co-pilot and GNCC WXC champion Angel Knox) won the final round to move into third place in the final class standings. Farr earned his third podium of the year and was joined on the class and overall podiums by ZMS/Can-Am racer Zac Zakowski and Hendershot Performance/Can-Am pilot Larry Hendershot Jr. Maverick 1000R drivers earned five of the top eight finishes in the XC1 Modified class. Can-Am also scored the XC2 Limited SxS class crown, as Marcus Pratt (Team Jack’s II/Can-Am) earned enough points at the Ironman GNCC to grab the season championship.
Can-Am ATV 4x4 racers were also dominant this season, winning all four 4x4 utility classes. Bryan Buckhannon earned the 4x4 Pro class championship, posting four victories and 12 podiums aboard his ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc. He edged fellow Renegade pilot and 2014 Ironman winner Kevin Trantham by 18 points. Trantham had four wins and nine podiums. BNR/Can-Am Renegade rider Rob Smith took third place in the 4x4 Pro class points and at Ironman, giving Can-Am a podium sweep on the year.
“It feels great to get the championship,” Buckhannon said. “It was a lot of work, but it paid off. The 4x4 Pro class raised the bar and I really wanted to win the class, so I came back [from retirement]. Now I think I have to race it one more year just to defend the title. I have to thank Can-Am and all of my sponsors for helping me make this happen, and hopefully we can do it again next season.”
2014 4x4 A/B class champion Tanner Bowles, Cory Bartlett and Michael Edwards ended the year 1-2-3 for Can-Am in the 4x4 A/B ranks. Terry Whitesides (4x4 Sr.) and Nick Eichelbeger (4x4 C) also ended up as 2014 class champions, competing on Renegade 4x4s.
