Valcourt, Québec - Can-Am ATV racers won four 4x4 classes and put two riders on the overall morning podium at round 11 of the Amsoil Grand National Cross Country series in Foxburg, PA. U2 class racers Rob Smith, who won the class for fifth time in 2013, and Jordan Phillips reached the morning podium on their Can-Am Renegade 800R EFI 4x4s. On the West Coast, Can-Am Maverick pilot Pablo Veglia notched an impressive second-place finish in SxS Modified class in the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Series.
"Utilizing our industry-leading 4x4 system, Can-Am racers overcame the horribly muddy conditions at the first-ever Gusher GNCC to win four 4x4 classes and earn two spots on the overall morning podium," Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am, said. "The fact that we had five Can-Am 4x4 vehicles in the top eight finishing positions in the 10 a.m. session during a super muddy event says a lot about both our racers and our vehicles."
GNCC
The inaugural Gusher GNCC was held in Foxburg, PA, in horribly muddy conditions. Despite heavy rain and a slippery race course, Can-Am ATV racers came away with four 4x4 class victories and the second- and third-place podium positions on the 10 a.m. overall podium. Can-Am racers earned five of the top eight finishing positions in the morning as a total of 12 class podium finishes at round 11.
U2 points leader Rob Smith (BNR Motorsports/Can-Am) notched one of his most impressive class wins of the year at the Gusher GNCC. After leading the first lap on his Renegade 4x4, Smith dropped to third place on laps two and three before rallying for the lead and eventual win on the fourth-and-final lap. The win was Smith's fifth of the year and third in the last five rounds. Team UXC Racing/Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift, who led laps two laps, took sixth at the Gusher and has six class wins this year. Can-Am racer Jordan Phillips earned his first overall podium finish and eighth U2 class podium in 2013.
"The mud was rough, but we had a good battle. I am happy to leave with the points lead and a win," said Smith, who currently leads the U2 class by three points over Swift.
Outlander 500 pilot Kevin Trantham won the 4x4 Lites class for the 10th straight race, earned the final spot on the 4x4 overall podium and finished fifth overall in the morning session at the Gusher. Can-Am racers Michael Edwards and Bill Nativo also made the class podium.
Bryan Buckhannon continued his impressive winning streak in Pennsylvania. The defending 4x4 Open class champion ensured himself of another repeat title with his 11th straight victory of 2013. Buckhannon was in second place after lap one, but took over the lead during lap two. From there, the multi-time GNCC champion maintained his lead all the way to finish line. Can-Am racers Tanner Bowles and Charles Johnson rounded out the podium.
Reigning 4x4 Senior (40+) class champion Forrest Whorton also continue his current winning streak, notching his sixth straight class victory at round 11. Whorton now has eight wins on the year. Terry Whiteside and Don Higbee also put their Can-Am 4x4s on the class podium. Round 12 of the series, the ITP Powerline Park GNCC, is slated for Oct. 12-13, in St. Clairsville, OH.
SST
Can-Am racer Pablo Veglia finished second overall Saturday night at the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks Series (SST) side-by-side racing event in Costa Mesa, CA. Side-by-side racing was included as part of Robby Gordon's SST racing series held at the 2013 Sand Sports Super Show. After earning the fastest qualifier time in the SxS Modified class, Veglia was forced to start dead last behind nine other vehicles on a very narrow asphalt, dirt and sand course. However, the Murray Racing/Del Amo Motorsports/Yoshimura/Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs pilot worked his way to the front during the 10-lap race and had a shot at the win. He and the eventual race winner were neck-and-neck off the final jump, but Veglia came up a few inches shy of victory.
