Steve
Beilman and Wayne Matlock piloted their virtually stock Can-Am Maverick 1000R X
rs side-by-side vehicles to a 1-2 finish in the UTV Open class at round one of
the 2013 Lucas Oil Off Road Series (LOORS) at Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California. In Texas, Louis Powersports/Can-Am DS 450 Pro
Cody Miller won both the Open Expert (Pro) and Pro-Am classes at round one of
the Dockside Marine Texhoma Quad Racing Association (TQRA) series.
"It's
great to have off-road racing veterans like Wayne Matlock and Steve Beilman behind
the wheel of the new Maverick 1000R X rs and even better to have them put it on
the LOORS podium," said Can-Am race manager Jimmie O'Dell. "These guys
basically had stock vehicles, sans the cage and doors, yet still dominated the
UTV Open class at round one. "Their genuine excitement about the Maverick,
along with their recent racing success, is not only contagious, but it also
reinforces that fact that our all-new high-performance side-by-side vehicle is
purpose-built to win races."
Despite
limited practice time, Matlock qualified first in the UTV Open class, while
Beilman secured the third spot on the line. At the start of the main event, a
modified competitive vehicle edged Matlock for the holeshot, but both he and
Beilman locked in behind the leader and by lap two were already pressuring him
for the lead. Matlock was on rear bumper waiting for a time to pass but was hampered
when the leader slowed over a jump. Beilman took advantage of the leader's pause
and pinned it over a tabletop jump and literally leaped to the front, passing
both the leader and Matlock. From there, Beilman maintained a steady pace and
tried to extend his lead.
Matlock,
who tired of following the second-place racer, made his move and made a timely
pass after the finish line jump at the start of the fourth lap. Matlock's pass
put the Maverick pilots in first and second with several laps remaining.
However, a mandatory caution allowed Matlock to reel in Beilman and during the
final six laps the two racers put on a show, as they were bumper-to-bumper to
the finish line. At the checkers, Beilman held off his fellow Can-Am racer by
one second to take the first-ever LOORS win with the Maverick 1000R.
"With
literally only minutes of seat time in the new Can-Am Maverick, we didn't
really know what to expect this weekend," said Beilman. "We knew the Maverick
1000R was fast, but didn't know how it would stack up under real race
conditions. Obviously, my Velocity/Can-Am Maverick showed us that it could outperform
the competition right out of the box and that is huge."
The
LOORS schedule resumes Saturday, April 13, at Lake
Elsinore Motorsports
Park in Southern
California.
TQRA
Louis
Powersports/Can-Am DS 450 teammates and brothers Hunter and Cody Miller each
won one Open Expert (Pro) class moto at round one of the TQRA series opener at
Village Creek MX in Forth Worth, TX. However, since Cody won the final moto, he
earned the overall win over the elder Miller.
With
1-2 moto finishes, Cody also edged Hunter in the Pro-Am ATV class. Hunter
Miller won the second moto, but finished third in the first moto and had to
settle for second overall. With a 1-1 moto sweep, fellow Can-Am racer Jeff
Reeves won the Over 30 A
class and put his DS 450 ATV on top of the podium at Village Creek MX.
The
Millers were excited to debut their Maverick 1000R X rs vehicles in the series
but due to a lack of competition the side-by-side racing was cancelled. Round
two of the TQRA series is slated for March 16-17 at Moto
City in Blanchard, OK.
For
more information on Can-Am racing, the Maverick 1000R side-by-side vehicle, the
entire 2013 schedule, the '13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur
racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.
