Can-Am Racing Report: AMA MX Rd. 2 and BITD Silver State 300

Motoworks/Can-Am DS 450 racers picked up a pair of big wins this weekend as Joel Hetrick won round three of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series (teammate John Natalie finished third), while Josh Frederick and Collins Webster teamed up to win the ATV Pro Class at the Best in the Desert Silver State 300. Also at the Silver State 300, Team Desert Toyz/Can-Am raced its Can-Am Commander 1000 X to a third –place finish in the UTV Pro class.

“We are thrilled to have both our Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 racers Joel Hetrick and John Natalie reach the AMA Pro class podium. While Joel didn’t win either moto, he was the most consistent pro racer with two second-place rides, and earned the overall in only his third race aboard the Can-Am DS 450. Natalie’s moto-two victory was also another bright spot for our team and helped him secure third overall,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “I’m also pleased with our Best in the Desert series success. Having our Motoworks / Can-Am team of Josh Frederick and Collins Webster win the ATV Pro class and Cory Sappington’s Desert Toyz / Can-Am X-Team Commander 1000 X finish on the UTV Pro class podium is really a great accomplishment.”

AMA ATV MX – Budds Creek

The first Pro class moto at Budds Creek Raceway in Maryland saw two different results for Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450 teammates Hetrick and Natalie. Hetrick, who finished second overall in moto one, posted the fastest lap during his pursuit of the race leader. Natalie came out of the gate in fifth was looking good before he briefly got stuck atop a berm after carrying too much speed into a corner. Natalie’s bobble dropped him to 13th and forced him to play catch up the remainder of the moto. The defending Pro class champion put in a valiant effort, passing seven riders on his way to sixth place in moto one.

Moto two started with Natalie in fifth and Hetrick tucked behind his teammate in sixth. As the race wore on, both riders continued to move up. Natalie quickly passed his way into second and then eventually took over the lead. Once out front, he set the pace and took what turned out to be a very popular moto-two victory with the fans. His 6-1 finishes were good for third overall and helped Natalie maintain his second-place spot in the Pro class standings. Hetrick put in another solid race, finishing second again in moto two. His 2-2 moto scores gave him the Pro class overall and his first win aboard the No. 88 Motoworks / Can-Am DS 450. He’s currently fourth in the Pro class points race.

“The track was gnarly. After I got into the second spot, I knew I had the overall win, so I settled down a bit,” says Hetrick. “I’m really excited to get my first win of the season, especially at Budd’s Creek because it isn’t really my [kind of] track. I really have to thank Can-Am and Motoworks for helping me take the win today.”

Can-Am X-Team Pro-Am racer Chase Henry had a good weekend in Maryland, as he won the Production A class overall and also finished a career-best third overall in the Pro-Am Unlimited class. In the AMA amateur class ranks, Can-Am DS 450 racer and former GNC Pro class Champion Travis Spader dominated all four classes (Open A, 4-Stroke A, Junior 25+, Vet 30+) he entered.

BITD Silver State 300

The Best in the Desert Silver State 300 was a 298-mile point-to-point affair that took riders to varying elevations through Nevada’s high-desert terrain that were marked with Joshua trees and cacti, steep cliffs, whoops and several high-speed sections. The Motoworks / Can-Am ATV duo of Frederick and Webster were the last Pro ATV team to start the race. Webster filled in for teammate Dillon Zimmerman, who was absent to compete in Italy.

Starting three minutes behind the first team, Frederick was first up and rode to mile marker 72 before passing off to Webster. By the 175-mile mark of the race, Webster was only 26 seconds behind the leaders with adjusted time. Frederick took over for the final portion of the race. Although he did not take over the physical lead, Frederick, with the time adjustment due to the staggered start, took the Pro ATV class win with a time of 5:56.54.

“I gave as much abuse to the DS 450 as I possibly could this weekend and it just took everything I gave it,” says Frederick. “There were these super-fast sections where you were going full throttle for at least a half an hour and the quad never faltered in anyway.”

In side-by-side class action at the Silver State 300, Sappington and co-driver Jim Sharp (No.1904 Desert Toyz / Can-Am Commander 1000 X) finished with a time of 7:06:38.848 to finish third on the UTV Pro class podium. The third-place finish marked back-to-back podium finishes for Sappington’s squad. The Murray Motorsports / Can-Am Commander 1000 X followed up its Mint 400 victory with fourth overall in the Pro class at this round. The top-five finish maintained co-pilots Jason and Derek Murray’s BITD series UTV Pro class points lead. Sappington’s team is now second in points with three rounds remaining.

“Making the switch to the Can-Am Commander this year was the best thing we could have ever done. It is a night-and-day difference in handling and power compared to our old side-by-side,” says Sappington. “I can’t thank Can-Am enough for giving us the opportunity to race the Commander and I am going to do everything I can to put it on the podium in the Vegas-to-Reno race.”