Turbulent Times

ATV Pros jump ship as factories pull support

The 2010 pro class in the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Championshp Series is giong to look very different when everyone lines up for the first moto in Alabama in March. At least 5 pro quad riders will be sitting on machines from different manufacturers than they competed on last year.

The reason? Blame the economy, but several factories either pulled or reduced their funding for the world's premiere ATV motocross series with little or no public explanation.

Let's take a look at some of the riders who will be switching up rides or running a different "color" quad to start the 2010 season.

Josh Upperman

Josh Upperman's on-track performance has steadily improved. If Honda actually stepped up and put a semi in the pits, like they should, Josh would be guaranteed a spot under the Red awning. But this year they pulled what little funding they were providing to his program with Baldwin Motorsports, and the move is visibly noticeable. Josh is tearing up the DWT World ATV Motocross Championship out west on a white Baldwin Honda and is likely to show up sans the red plastic at Alabama.

Josh may not have "jumped ship," but I can't blame him given the inventory he probably has in parts and the fact Mark has his quad dialed in. But switching to the white plastics and not running the "factory" color is about the sharpest jab they could make at this point. Upperman finished sixth in the pro class for 2009.


Pat Brown


Pat Brown and Yamaha have been synonymous for about the past five years. Pat did well on the original YFZ, even taking the win at the inaugural Open Pro ATV Invitational at Steel City in August 2007 on the same weekend as the bikes national. But Pat's performance of late has lacked, and he finished 2009 out of the top 10.

Yamaha put all their eggs in one basket for 2010 with Thomas Brown (no relation), who is coming off a solid rookie pro debut on the new Yamaha YFZ45oR. Rumor has it Pat could be competing with the ATV Media All Stars team, but on what quad remains to be seen.


Jeremy Lawson

Number 16 helped turn the Can-Am DS450 into a contender in just a few short years. He gave Joe Byrd a run for the title in 2007 when most everyone else threw their hat into the now-defunct WPSA ring. Lawson finished eighth in the pro class for 2009.

Jeremy is back with long-time sponsor Walsh Racecraft for 2010 and will compete on a Suzuki LTR450. Last we heard, in mid December Jeremy was still trying to put the finishing touches on his sponsor program for 2010. Best of luck, Jeremy.

Josh Creamer

Josh Creamer's move in the off-season involved probably the two biggest announcements in pro ATV motocross. First, news broke Kawasaki completely pulled its funding, eliminating the semi and any factory-backed pro riders. Then, Suzuki announced they snapped Creamer up to run out of their truck with defending champ Dustin Wimmer on a Yoshimura LTR450. Creamer finished fifth in the pro class for 2009.

Creamer's move is big because it raises two questions: What will happen to ATV legend and Kawi team manager Jimmy White? And, where will Doug Gust be in 2010?

John Natalie, Jr.

The Ironman is one of the few pros who won't experience a drastic change to his program for the 2010 AMA ATV MX National program. The friendly Pennsylvania native returns on a DS450 but will compete with Chad Wienen and Team Motoworks/Can-Am after campaigning with Can-Am Warnert Racing last season.

Unlike most of his competition, Natalie has the advantage of seat time. He won't be adapting to a new machine like many of the pros. John is arguably the sport's best spokesman, and if he earns another title it may be one of the best things that could happen to ATV motocross in 2010. "Lucky" number 13 finished seventh in the pro class for 2009.

Doug Gust

A living legend, Gust is the man who helped develop the defending champ's Suzuki LTR450 and arguably created the first motocross ready ATV right from the factory. Suzuki would have done well to keep Doug on in a development and testing capacity, but we've also heard that Gust may not even compete in 2010. He secured a spot on the team in 2009 only after finishing third in 2008. Had he finished any lower, Digger may not have been riding yellow last season. He finished fourth in the pro class to wrap up 2009.

Doug will be running several ride schools this year, and rumor has it he could be working with Polaris in some capacity for 2010.


Chad Weinen

The perpetual journeyman, Wienen repeatedly told the ATV press in 2009 he liked the program under Kawasaki's awning and wanted to finish his career there after moving from Suzuki's rig. Fate, it seems, would not agree with him. Word came of Wienen's jump from Kawasaki long before news broke of the team folding and Creamer's eventual move.

Number 44 proved his ability to adapt quickly once again and has already won the Montreal Supercross this winter on his new Can-Am ride. He joined former champ John Natalie on the Canadian built DS450 with Team Motoworks/Can-am, and Wienen has also won the first four rounds of the DWT World ATV Motocross Championship this year. Look for Chad to be Dustin Wimmer's toughest competition in the AMA ranks, if he can keep the DNF gremlins at bay.

We'll see if Chad has found a home he can settle into instead of moving on after just one season like his past two rides. He finished in third in the pro class for 2009.

Joe Byrd

Like Upperman and fellow Honda rider Harold Goodman, "The Professor" lost his support from Honda for 2010. It's unclear what Byrd has planned in his shop to roll out in March at the opening round, but my guess is he'll be on a Honda. Byrd hasn't changed brands since before his days on a 250R, and, like Upperman, he probably has a healthy inventory of Honda machines and parts he can rely on for the season.

Admittedly, we'd love for the earlier rumors to have been true of him rolling up on a factory KTM ride, but it doesn't look like those are going to play out.

The Byrdman is always a threat, but if he's got a limited parts allowance or just a handful of race quads, then he could be susceptible to mechanical gremlins throughout the season. Joe experienced a handful of mechanical problems in 2009 but still finished second in the pro class.

When will it end?

Other notable changes in the pro class for 2010 include Goodman, who is expected to focus exclusively on desert racing in 2010. Former pro-am star and 2009 amateur champ Cody Gibson looked ready to join the Kawasaki factory team, but we hear he'll be competing in the pro class with JB Racing in light of Kawasaki's departure from ATV motocross.

We don't know what the fate of Kawasaki satellite riders Keith Little and Russell Shumaker is. Other young pros including Cody Miller, Greg Gee and Nick DeNoble are anticipated to return to the nationals in 2010.

As for the rest, we'll have to wait until March in Alabama at round one to see how the 2010 season will play out for the pro class. These are certainly turbulent times for the ATV racing industry. Let's hope we can weather the storm and avoid another "lost decade" like we saw during the 1990s. One thing to be thankful for is the current abundance of high-tech, motocross ready sport ATVs still available at a dealer near you.

ATV Editorial

Calling Ricky Carmichael…

By Matt Fredmonsky

I’ve got a challenge for returning AMA ATV Motocross champ Dustin Wimmer: Pin the throttle, dump that back-torque limiting Hinson clutch and don’t look back. Sounds easy for the two-time champ, right? Tell that to the GOAT.

No other rider has proven more dedicated or more talented on two wheels than Ricky Carmichael. For more than a decade, from 1996 to 2007, Carmichael set countless records and won practically every championship in dominating fashion.

Undeniable records, like winning 24 of 24 motos during the 2002 outdoor nationals season, are what helped Carmichael earn the attention of mainstream media outlets like Sports Illustrated and bring televised motocross races into the homes of millions. In the past decade, Ricky Carmichael became a household name for motor sports enthusiasts. He is a supercross and motocross legend.

The Florida native earned his nickname, the Greatest Of All Time, and became the face of two-wheeled motocross during his career before successfully using his brand to jump into car racing. The GOAT his since passed the job of promoting dirt bike racing on to the likes of James Stewart and Chad Reed, whom you just might recognize from T.V. commercials for global icons like Nike and Toyota trucks.

We all know ATV racers have it rough compared to our two-wheeled cousins in more ways than one. ATV racers don’t have glamorous venues like AMA Supercross to help boost their fan base. And, despite recent cutbacks, motorcycle factory riders far outnumber the guys on four wheels pitting out of factory semis.

Those challenges hold true despite the fact annual motorcycle sales in the U.S. – about 1 million – continue to top ATVs by only about 250,000 units, give or take, according to recent figures from the Motorcycle Industry Council. Ironically, ATV sales have actually increased since the start of the decade.

With the struggling economy, there’s been a lot of talk in the ATV industry that the big shows like the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Championship Series don’t need the pros. After all, the amateurs far out number the guys with their pro cards. And the amateurs are the ones who truly support the industry by paying for many of their parts and actually buying their quads from dealerships.

So why spend millions on one or two racers?Because those premiere racers are where every amateur wants to be. Dedicating every moment, training day and night to win races – and getting paid to do it – is every rider’s dream. Our sport has some incredible amateurs, but not many of them are endearing enough to avoid getting lost in the crowd. That’s where the pros come in.

On Sunday afternoons, the track fences are the most crowded for the pro and pro-am motos, when strength of will, preparation and machine are put to the test. And it’s not just their families watching. It’s that guy who drove from Tennessee to Kentucky with a number “7” painted on his chest. Or it’s those weekend warriors from Ohio who’ve never seen Doug Gust in person, so they made the short drive to Pennsylvania to watch just how fast the legend is.

There’s no doubt we need the amateur racers. They are the sport of ATV racing’s life blood. But we also need riders who can be ambassadors, who can be spokesmen, and who can transcend the sport and appear in a dirt bike magazine ad – like Gust – or look like they belong on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

But maybe more than anything the sport of ATV racing needs its own GOAT, someone who can capture the world’s attention for their strong will, seemingly superhuman achievements and respectable demeanor. And who else is young enough, dedicated enough, and has the right support to earn the crown for ATV motocross? Coming back from a shoulder injury to win four motos in a row last season and take back the title is proof enough in my book.

So consider this part of the challenge, Dustin, for your next guaranteed appearance atop the podium. Your prowess on a quad seems unmatched, so take a promotional lesson from one of our sport’s best ambassadors, John Natalie Jr., and share some insight with your fans and talk up that hot Suzuki ride that got you there.

Fredmonsky is a professional newspaper journalist whose byline has appeared in Dirtwheels and on ATV.com. He has been racing and riding ATVs since the age of 5 and also freelances by writing promotional materials for some of the ATV industry’s top companies. Look for him at the track with Tarantula Performance Racing.

SEKrell Photography

A serene moment. That's what still photos capture of an ATV rider. The image is calm and motionless - a juxtoposition to the actual intensity of that moment.



The TPR project YFZ450R is indeed a work of art, so we enlisted the help of a true artist to document this build. Expert, Akron-based photographer Stephanie Krell has shot some of the action and still images of the finished quad. You'll see some of her best work when ATVScene.com launches their new site.

To check out a slideshow of her work, check out this link; it includes pics with our ATVScene Girl model, Holly Winchester: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamerakrell/sets/72157622885870943/show/

Special thanks to Steph for helping sponsor the build. To peruse more of her professional work, click on the link for SEKrellPhotography under the sponsors banner at the right. You'll be seeing more of her work on the TPR project YFZ450R soon!

Take Two - Sponsor props

I've got to hand it to all the sponsors of the TPR project YFZ450R. The more time I spend wrenching on this quad and shining it up for photo shoots the more I realize just how top shelf it is!

Sponsor love! All these companies helped build the TPR project YFZ450R. Room for one more?

Every single sponsor who helped build the Tarantula Peformance Racing project Yamaha YFZ450R all have one thing in common. They have all, at one point or another, helped win a major championship title in ATV racing.

Maxxis hooked us up with tires and also helped Chris Borich and Dustin Wimmer claim titles in 2009.
Douglas Wheel Technologies gave us wheels and helped Wimmer and WORCS ATV Champion Beau Baron earn number one plates in 2009.
Motoworks, which also helped Baron win his WORCS title, sponsored the TPR build with a full SR4 exhaust and FMI.
Quadtech and Hinson Racing helped all three champions and are featured on our project Yamaha.
Fox Racing Shox, ATV Four Play and RPM are part of the TPR project YFZ-R and have all helped win titles.

The championship list is endless and includes CV4, Spider Grips, Galfer, Twin-Air, Cycra and ATP Racing Engines.

Motoworks stepped up and helped sponsor the TPR project YFZ450R with a complete SR4 exhaust system.

Tarantula Performance Racing is in good company. We hope to add a title to our own as we step up our sponsorship with a few notable riders in the 2010 season. Maybe we'll even add a local title to our trophy shelf competing on the TPR project YFZ450R!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or Christmas, remember to slow down and enjoy the time with friends and family. Because things are about to get hectic when the last bottle of champagne is popped on New Year's Eve and you realize the 2010 season is right around the corner!

If you're still looking for a last-minute gift for your YFZ450R rider, check out HMFracing.com and scope a set of their headlight block-off plates for the YFZR.

The YFZ450R Headlight Block-off Plates from HMF protect your quad's wiring and other electrical components.

 

We installed a set on the TPR project YFZ450R just before our ride review with ATVonDemand.com at Crow Canyon Ride Park in Uhrichsville, Ohio. The plates are made from T-6061 aluminum and are designed to protect your quad's brains - the wiring and other electrical components behind the headlights.

The HMF headlight block-offs were just another trick component that made the TPR project YFZR look even better while performing a critical function.

At just $39.95, these are an affordable gift that your YFZR owner would love. Not to mention they'd be joining the ranks of GNCC pros Bill Ballance and Johnny Gallagher, who run these on some of the toughest tracks in the world.





Check out http://www.hmfracing.com/ to see all the other performance parts they have for the new Yamaha.

Scene Girl sneak peek

Quad racers and riders have been hard-up for news since ATVScene.com went under wraps for some serious cosmetic surgery. John Pellan, the site's publisher, has been hard at work in the garage tweaking and tuning his re-designed site for a few months now.

When the new site launches - at the same address - the TPR project YFZ450R will be featured in one of 2010's first ATV Scene Girl photo shoots. We conducted the shoot this month with expert, Akron-based photographer Steph Krell, and the pics are smoking hot, so I thought I would give you a sneak peek.

We worked with 19-year-old Kent State University business major Holly Winchester, who modeled for the shoot. Many of you may know Holly's brother, Marc, who was hailed as one of the top pro-am riders until he crashed out with a broken femur at the first round this season. Holly was a trooper during our photo shoot and toughed it out in shorts, tanks and bikinis despite a frigid shooting location.





Stay tuned, you won't want to miss this shoot with the TPR project YFZ450R.

The TPR project YFZ450R is shown sans Holly at the Scene Girl photo shoot location, TPR's CNC facility in Mentor, Ohio.

Sponsors - mad props

More than 17 sponsors pulled together in a tough economic climate – particularly for our sport – and helped build the TPR project YFZ450R.

In the end, a pile of the best performance parts in the industry and all our hard work added up to one national caliber race quad.





Every one of our sponsors deserves our gratitude and patronage, but some just went above and beyond the rest. They are prime examples of how the sport of ATV racing is just one big family.


First and foremost is ATP Racing Engines. Mike Walker, the owner and primary engine builder for the Perry, Fla. based performance shop, set the bar high for all our other sponsors.




Before we added a single part, ATP agreed to pick up our bone stock 2009 Yamaha YFZ450R at the Steel City National in Delmont, Pa., in July. Mike took the quad so he could tear into the engine and boost the power 20 percent by getting 52 horsepower at the rear wheels.

First, ATP cleared precious room in the hauler at the Steel City National and lugged the quad back to Florida from Pennsylvania. Then, after making the TPR engine a priority, ATP completely rebuilt our top end, installed the exhaust and intake mods and tuned everything on their dyno in about two weeks time. After all that, ATP delivered the quad into our awaiting hands at the Unadilla National in upstate New York.





With the powerful ATP engine work, our next task was to step up the quad's suspension. That's a tall order, considering the YFZ450R has arguably the best stock suspension available on a sport 450.

The obvious choice was right around the corner from the TPR shop at ATV Four Play in Wadsworth, Ohio.

The crew at ATV Four Play was happy to take our brand new YFZR from us just days after we rolled it off the showroom floor in early April. It was the first YFZR to rolll into their shop, and they spent several weeks scrutinizing the front end and determining just how to improve the machine's already impressive handling stock front end.

Four Play has helped win national championships, and they didn't disappoint in creating their new a-arms for Yamaha's latest motocrosser.

But it didn't stop there. As if that wasn't enough, Four Play also threw in a set of their new Generation II Soft Bars.

When we thought the TPR project YFZ450R couldn't get any better, it did. The shock builders over at Fox Shox wanted to help us take full advantage of the ATP engine and our new Four Play suspension and handlebars.

The guys at Fox have helped win more championships than almost any other race shop in the industry – except maybe for Hinson Racing clutch components, another of our sponsors – and they can lay stake in Dustin Wimmer's 2009 AMA National red #1 plate.

Fox basically asked us, 'How can we improve your ride today?' They spent two weeks designing a set of their Fox Float X Evol front shocks to mate up with the ATV Four Play front arms. They topped if off with a finely tuned Podium X shock for the rear.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tarantula Performance Racing. Without TPR, the project YFZ450R would not have come together.

They set out to build this quad to improve its performance and increase the rider's safety. TPR did that by designing their innovative, new Race Safer Pro nerf bar and heel guard combination, which was designed solely to improve rider comfort and safety.

TPR's general manager, Brian Fredmonsky, has been riding since he was about 5. He's been bolting aftermarket parts up to quads and threewheelers for nearly 30 years, and he also set out to build a strong, durable part that bolts right up without any unecessary cutting, drilling or bending.

We spent countless hours at the TPR shop in Hinckley, Ohio, building and tweaking welding jigs and running back and forth from the shop floor to the design room – calipers in hand – checking and re-checking measurements and tolerances.

The end result is a set of nerf bars that should radically change the way racers and manufacturers think about nerf bars.

To top it all off, TPR threw in their signature MX-Series front bumper. On the bumper alone, we must've spent two hours swapping out different colored center inserts to see which best matched the paint scheme from Capital Powder Coating in Suffield, Ohio.

Capital Powder Coating alone deserves much of the credit for this build. Capital took the most visible parts on the TPR project YFZR and gave them an eye-popping color coat. The Four Play a-arms and their custom, "chameleonized" fade are stunning.

When you see ATVOnDemand.com test rider Aaron Meyer ripping the TPR project YFZ450R around Crow Canyon's motocross track in Uhrichsville, Ohio, you'll get a better sense of just how incredible this quad looks, and it performs just as well.

ATVOnDemand.com is working to finish their video documenting the ride review ofthe TPR project YFZ450R. Stay tuned. We'll let you know when it's posted.