Summit Indoor Round II - Quads

Quad races heat up Summit Indoor Series

TPR again sponsored the Summit Indoor motocross series for round two in February. I spent most of the day Saturday trying to capture the quad racing action, but shooting fast action inside a dark building proved quite challenging for my little D300.

The racing was intense all weekend, as more than 200 racers showed up on Saturday alone. Each night averaged 40 motos, with more than 50 heats and conciliatory races taking place Saturday before the mains.

Quite a few KTM's were out in dominating fashion Saturday, but one fact surprised me. The TPR project YFZ450R was the only YFZR that showed up at Summit this year, and because I'm rehabbing a back injury it didn't make it on the track.

Scroll down the page for the rest of the pics. Look for a video from Saturday night's action this week.

Don't forget to check back for the video! I took more than 300 photos Saturday, so if you're not on here leave a comment with your quad make and model, number and color and I can dig through my archives to see if I shot you.

ATP Racing Engines closes, plans to reopen

We don't know much right now, but the word is Perry, Fla. based ATP Racing Engines closed its doors temporarily this week due to some extreme unforeseen circumstances. ATP is by far the most professional, honest and dedicated engine builders the sport of ATV racing has seen in quite a while. No other engine builder has a bigger physical presence on and around the tracks at the motocross nationals.

We've heard ATP plans to reopen, so don't count them out yet. You can still contact ATP via e-mail at atpracing36@yahoo.com or by phone at  407-718-1624.

ATP has been gathering momentum for the past few years in the world of ATV racing. Their work is top notch, and their engines get results by winning races. We can speak from experience. The engine they built for our project Yamaha YFZ450R gained 20 percent over stock and is the most potent powerplant we've run in 20 years of riding and racing. We're looking forward to winning some motos this year thanks to ATP.

The sport can't afford to lose a company with a great record of giving good riders a chance at success. ATP has advanced the Suzuki LTR450 engines further than anyone else, and I've never heard a customer of theirs come away unsatisfied. So keep them in mind if you're still planning some engine work this spring.

Check out the testimonial from long-time pro Keith Little in the March/April edition of ATVRider magazine, which tested a Suzuki LTR450 with a custom-built ATP engine. Keith had nothing but good things to say about the engine, which was tuned to run on pump gas. Keith said it could compete in the pro class!

Let's hope this is just a bump in the road for ATP and not the end of the road. With the start of the ATV MX Nationals just weeks away, I hope we're going to see the same presence at the track as we're used to seeing from ATP.

No other engine builder has a bigger presence at the Nationals than ATP.

More LTR's at the nationals have ATP spread across their gas tanks than any other sponsor. Support those who support you! ATP may come back with lower prices on parts and services, so keep them in mind if you're looking to build an engine that will get you out front.

Devin Heimes leads a pro-am moto at Unadilla last year on his ATP powered Suzuki.

ATV.com Story 2

Ride Review: TPR project Yamaha YFZ450R

The second of three stories on the Tarantula Performance Racing project Yamaha YFZ450R is up at ATV.com. This story reviews the quad's performance and handling with input from an Ohio-based amateur racer and NEATV-MX pro Aaron Meyer. Click here to see what the test riders thought of the quad's performance.

This build started in April 2009, and the quad spent the bulk of the year bouncing around performance shops on the east coast. For a few of the sponsors, including TPR, this was only the first or second YFZ450R to come into their shop. And it's one of the first pro-level builds of the new Yamaha to be completely documented. Including purchase price, the tally for this build tops $18,000.

The first story at ATV.com shows how the project came together. You can watch the YFZR evolve from stock into a pro-am level race quad by clicking through the archives of this blog at the right of the page.

The video review with Aaron and ATVonDemand.com should be up next week. We'll post the video here when it's done.

RipItUpFilms - Who needs TV?

RipItUpFilms shines the spotlight on amateur and up-and-coming ATV racers better than anyone else. This year, they've been down to Florida filming the Mushin Racing team riders getting ready for round one of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series.

RipItUpFilms posted this video earlier this month of Mushin Racing riders Thomas Brown and Jeffrey Rastrelli. ATP Racing Engines, which gave the TPR project YFZR a 20 percent horsepower boost over stock, builds Rastrelli's engines. Check out the rest of their videos by subscribing to the RipItUpFilms YouTube channel.



Based in Harrisburg, Pa., RipItUpFilms is all about the amateurs. Here's a brief bio from their YouTube page: Ripitup was established in 2008. Designed to highlight the amateur riders and give them the exposure they deserve. We will be doing product testing. Track reviews and amateur spotlights. In 2009 we will be offering sponsorship videos and business commercials. We currently are looking for any company interested in working with us. We also offer private photoshoots and videoshots at a small fee. CONTACT at Ripitupfilms@verizon.net

Race Safer Pro nerfs - redux

New for 2010: TPR Race Safer Pro nerf bars

This off season, Tarantula Performance Racing finished designs for the new Race Safer Pro nerf bar and heel guard combination for release at the start of the 2010 season.

TPR set out to create a more secure platform for ATV racers. For 20 years, nearly every ATV nerf bar manufacturer has accepted the industry standard flat nerf bar design. TPR's new Race Safer Pro nerfs drastically improve rider safety with some simple and effective changes to the standard nerf bar design.

THE BAR

The Race Safer Pro nerf bars feature five specially designed outer bar bends. The front of the nerf bars mount between the a-arms and engine mounts, where the bar extends outward on each side away from the quad before two slight bends direct the bar towards the rear of the ATV. The bends near the front mount tuck the nerf bar close to the front wheel – minimizing the chance of another ATV’s wheel becoming stuck and causing a crash – without impacting turning radius or suspension travel.

The third, and most important, bend changes the angle at which the outer bar runs parallel to the lower frame rail. The Pocket Bar bend change in degree pitches the outer bar up towards the rider. The Pocket Bar bend protects the rider from the wheels of a competitor by reducing the possibility of another ATV wheel reaching the rider’s lower extremities. The Pocket Bar bend drastically improves upon the industry standard flat nerf bar design.

The fourth and fifth bends shape the heel guard. These bends simplify the design to help save weight, but they also allow for a strong, durable mounting system. The aluminum nerf bar tubing slides into the foot pegs, which are constructed of T-6061 aluminum. The nerfs then mount to the stock rear fender bracket or frame depending upon the model.

THE PEG

Foot peg teeth on the TPR Race Safer Pro nerfs are angled five degrees in toward the quad. The angled teeth work in conjunction with a rider’s natural standing position to prevent the rider’s boot from sliding unintentionally towards the edge of the extended peg. The pitch of the pegs increases as they extend away from the frame to offer the rider a solid, secure platform. For Yamaha’s new YFZ450R and YFZ450X, the Race Safer Pro foot pegs are one inch lower than stock.

All mounting points on the TPR Race Safer Pro nerf bars align precisely and eliminate the often frustrating extra steps required when installing other nerf bars. The nerfs utilize factory hardware for installation, but the additional hardware required for some ATV models is included.

THE NET

Nylon netting on the Race Safer Pro nerfs is stitched and riveted for added strength. The front netting wraps around the lower frame rail, and the heel guard netting threads through a mount included with the nerfs. TPR’s netting fixtures also differ from most other designs and were developed so the netting tightens at each mounting point when pressure is applied.

Color-matching foot pegs are available in three color options. The pegs and nerfs are available in textured black, blue and red and also are available in a standard polished aluminum finish.

To order a set of Race Safer Pro nerf bars, contact Tarantula Performance Racing at 330-273-1123.

TPR Yamaha project on ATVScene.com

New Year, new site and a new quad for ATVSceneGirl

Holly Winchester made her debut as an ATVSceneGirl this weekend as Miss January 2010, and she did it posing with the Tarantula Performance Racing project Yamaha YFZ450R. I think it's safe to say Holly is the hottest accessory on the project quad.

Holly graces the front page of the newly redesigned ATVScene.com, but if you want to go directly to her page you can click on this link to read Holly's profile.

The Man Behind the Curtain outdid himself this time with the new site. The redesign is edgy but still very readable. Plus, who doesn't want to win a brand new Yamaha YFZ450R or YFZ450X!

We did the photo shoot in a very cold manufacturing facility on the weekend in December, but Holly stuck it out for us and we got some great photos as a result. Special thanks to SEKrellPhotography for taking phenomenal photos.

This isn't the last you'll see of the TPR project YFZ450R in the ATV industry's media, so stay tuned.

Tarantula Performance Racing's project Yamaha will be the focus of an upcoming build and ride review video on ATVonDemand.com.

And two more stories are set to run at ATV.com reviewing the quad's performance and a long-term evaluation of the products used in the build.

As always, we'll let you know when each feature is up. If you missed the first story on ATV.com documenting the build, you can check it out by clicking here.

Support the Sport

Arenacross in Youngstown, Ohio

The 2010 AMA Arenacross Series hits Youngstown, Ohio, this weekend for three days of racing starting Friday night. If you're in the area, go check it out at the Covelli Center.

The Valley's newspaper, the Youngstown Vindicator, gave some love to New Philadelphia, Ohio, native and supercross rider Brock Sellards in anticipation of the Youngstown round. Though Sellards won't race due to an injury, the Vindy gave him some good coverage that you can read by clicking here. 

Sellards was in fifth on the circuit before crashing in Oklahoma at the last round.

“On the last lap, with one turn left, I caught a hay bale, and it ripped me off my bike," he told The Vindicator. "I knocked myself out and broke my hand and got a concussion.”

RacerX also gave credit to Ohio as some of the strongest birthing grounds for motocross athletes with this story posted on their home page Thursday about the 2010 Arenacross season coming to the birthplace of aviation.

Bad news for Brock, but good news for Ohio residents and motocross fans to get some good publicity. Now only if we could get the local tracks to be more accepting of quad riders...

If you want to hit the races in Youngstown this weekend, motos start at 7:30 Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at the Covelli Centre box office.

YFZR build tip #2

Beadlocks

Tires wear. Changing out your meats is common practice for any ATV racer. Unfortunately, some times a brand new tire can be punctured, as was the case during our test with ATVonDemand.com of the TPR project YFZ450R.

The quad features Maxxis soft-compound Razr MX tires. The tires are two-ply to increase their flexibility and decrease weight for racing applications. Unfortunately, the two-play rating makes them susceptible to punctures. During the test session, test rider Aaron Meyer caught a rock on the MX track at Crow Canyon and sliced a rear sidewall.

So we were left with the task of removing the tire from our DWT beadlock and re-installing a new Maxxis Razr MX 18-inch rear. Here's a hint, don't go the redneck route and use a truck and a 2-by-4 to break the inside bead. If you don't have a beadbreaker, ask a tire shop to do it for you. Odds are good they'll do it for free. 

This tip is about installing the beadlock ring and its mounting bolts. With the tire removed, clean the rim and the ring itself with a good degreaser. Use brake cleaner to clean the bolts themselves, but not the ring or rim! Brake cleaner is highly corrosive and will eat through paint.

Use a little WD-40 or dry lube and press the rim, beadlock side first, through the new tire. Line up the tire bead evenly around the ring bolt mounting holes, and then place the ring with the mounting holes lining up with the nut-plate mounts on the rim.

The next step is to take your clean mounting bolts and give them each a light coating of Loctite. Using Loctite will ensure none of the bolts works their way loose. A loose bolt on the ring can create vibration and cause the rest to work their way free, and losing your beadlock ring during a race is a catastrophic failure you don't want to experience. I typically coat each bolt one at-a-time so I can start to thread each coated bolt into the rim. Be careful here not to cross thread the bolts as you start them.

Once the bolts are all started by hand, it's time to start tightening the ring down onto the rim. It's important to pay attention to the tire here. The goal is to sandwich the tire between the rim and beadlock ring evenly.

At the track, a lot of people will use a cordless ratchet drill or other high-speed, high-impact tool to install their rings. You too may need to resort to this if you're rushing to get back to the gate. But I wasn't in a rush, so I took my time and used a small ratchet to install my ring.

I used a small ratchet so I could feel how much pressure was being applied and because it gives me a more delicate sense of when each bolt is tight. Overtightening a beadlock bolt can strip the backing nut, and that can in some cases ruin a very expensive rim. In actuality, it didn't take much more than 5 to 10 minutes to install the ring by hand. During the initial TPR project YFZ450R build, I also installed the tires by hand, and all four took less than an hour. Again, it's not a bad task if you're not in a rush during race weekend, and as long as you've got some good tunes playing in the garage the payoff outweights the tedium!

 Once you've reached this point, the last thing to do is seat the inner bead. A ratchet strap wrapped around the circumference of the tire, a little lube and a good air compressor should do the trick.

Women of ATVs

ATV's Most Wanted calendar

It's February, and that means if you don't have your ATVs Most Wanted calendar, you've missed an entire month of enjoying a real-life women's quad racer in a scintillating pose reminding you what day it is.

The 2010 calendar was spear-headed by former women's national champ Susan Parker and features some of today's fastest - and hottest - female ATV racers. Parker, who now competes on a Honda in the NEATV-MX Women's Pro-Am and Men's A classes, organized 12 women who race motocross, cross country, flat-track and other disciplines and spread their race-toned physiques across the 12 months of 2010.

Racers featured in the calendar include: Jamie Jones, Adrienne Cooper, Angel and Kristen Atwell, Bailey Shea, Paige Whipple and Parker.

Some of the ATV's Most Wanted girls will be on-hand at Motorama Saturday, Feb. 20, and Sunday, Feb. 21, in Harrisburg, Pa. Stop by the booth and pick up your copy, or you can order a calendar by visiting their web site. The calendar's sales help support the women's racing efforts.

Above left, Jamie Jones poses for the ATV's Most Wanted 2010 calendar. At right, she shows what she can do when she's not busy modeling. Check out Jamie's profile at ATV's Most Wanted by clicking here.