Can-Am Race Report: Heartland Challenge, NEATV Round 6

Can-Am ATV and side-by-side racers won three ATV classes, one UTV class and put another team on the Open UTV podium at the sixth-annual GBC Heartland Challenge in Iowa. In New York, Can-Am Pro Travis Moore rode his DS 450 ATV to victory at round six of the NEATV-MX series.

“We had several Can-Am racers battle in the thick dust at the Heartland Challenge event in Iowa, and came away with victories in the Pro 4×4 Ironman, 4×4 Open, ATV Ironman and UTV Unlimited classes. Mike Penland’s team also earned third-place in the prestigious Open UTV class with the Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “DS 450 racer Travis Moore also continued his successful NEATV-MX season with another overall Pro class win at round six.”

Heartland Challenge

The sixth-annual GBC Heartland Challenge, which features a full weekend of racing for both ATV and Side-by-Sides, was held outside of Carlisle, Iowa. Can-Am Racers earned the top-five finishing spots in the Pro 4×4 Ironman class, as Kevin Trantham outlasted fellow Can-Am pilots Michael Swift and Forrest Whorton for the top spot on the podium.

“It’s great to get this win. We had a good track and I felt great all day. My Can-Am Outlander 500 ran strong for the entire 10 hours. The stock motor in the 500 was really smooth and easy to handle,” said Trantham.

In SxS action, Can-Am racers netted one victory and another podium finish. In the Open UTV (Pro) class, the top finisher was Mike Penland and teammate Mike Edwards, who finished third in the four-hour event. Team JB Off-Road / Can-Am husband-and-wife tandem of Tim and Jule Farr finished fourth behind Penland in the Open UTV class. Joe Weissenburger’s Team Hicklin Racing / Can-Am Commander took the overall in the UTV 850 Unlimited class and finished fourth overall in the combined SxS results.

“The Maverick was awesome throughout the entire race and I couldn’t be happier. This is a huge deal for me, Can-Am, Maxxis and everyone else that helps,” says Penland. “I am just so happy that we made the podium. The track was very dusty and you had to be careful. We just went over the bumps, humps, rocks and sticks until we crossed the finish. We really had a great time.”

DS 450 racers Justin Steck and Team Bash Brothers went 1-2 in the ATV Ironman class. Can-Am also went 1-2 in the 4×4 Open class, as Team Leer’s Cycle edged Team Conflict for the win. Team JB Off-Road / Can-Am, comprised of Pros Jarrod McClure, Jeffrey Rastrelli and Randy Hamilton, finished fourth in the ATV Pro (Double A) class. BCS Peformance / Can-Am Pro Josh Creamer competed in the ATV Ironman class as well. He held the second-place position at one point during the race, but a mechanical issue with the transmission forced him to withdraw.

NEATV-MX

Travis Moore raced his BCS Performance / Wide Open Racing-supported Can-Am DS 450 to the Pro Class victory at round six of the NEATV-MX series held at Twister Valley MX compound in Fort Plain, N.Y. Moore finished second in moto one, but won moto two to earn the overall and increase his class points lead. Can-Am racers also earned four wins and 10 podiums at round six. Jake Chamberland won two classes (Four-Stroke A and Collegeboy), while Nykea Williams (Production Stock C) and Max Baskin (Production Stock B) also recorded wins.

Round seven of the NEATV-MX series is August 31 at Hurricane Hills MX in Clifford, Pa.