Ontario, California, May 8, 2013 – Team ITP racers earned four class victories and seven total podiums at round five of the AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country course in a rain-soaked Park City, Ky. ITP racers won one afternoon age class, two age classes in the morning and a youth class overall. At the Best In The Desert Silver State 300 in Nevada, Team Murray Motorsports / Del Amo Motorsports piloted its ITP-clad side-by-side to third overall on the 1900 class podium.

“GNCC courses are tough enough without mud, but when you factor in heavy rain, slippery, power-robbing mud and everything that comes with it, the 2013 Mammoth GNCC was a very challenging event. Considering the conditions and the fact that 15 percent of racers DNF’d, I’m very pleased that we won four classes, had two racers finish in the overall top 10 in the morning and grabbed a total of seven podiums,” said Pat McGuire, Public Relations / Race Support. “The Murray brothers had a another good showing in the Nevada desert, earning third using the new ITP UltraCross R-Spec 30-inch tires in the BITD SxS Pro ranks.”

In the afternoon session, ITP-backed racers earned two podiums, including one class overall. Senior A/B (40+) class competitor, and current points leader, Brian Schmid won in the muck at Park Mammoth Resort using ITP tires. It was Schmid’s second straight win and third in 2013. Junior A 22+ racer William Lloyd, who also competes for Team ITP in the AMA Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series, finished third in Kentucky, to retain his class points lead.

ITP’s Adam McGill earned a respectable sixth-place finish in the XC1 Pro class and eighth overall using an ITP Holeshot GNCC front and Holeshot XCR rear tire combination. He was in a tight battle with the leaders the entire first lap but fell off the pace due to the grueling mud. After falling two more spots on lap two, McGill rallied to regain the sixth spot on the final lap. McGill currently holds sole possession of fourth place, only four points out of second, heading into round six.

Team ITP XC2 Pro-Am class racers Chad Jones and Nathan Wallpe are both in the top 10 of the class points race, despite their finishes in Kentucky. Jones, who is currently fourth in the XC2 class point standings, took seventh. Wallpe finished 11th at Park Mammoth Resort, but still sits 10th in points.

ITP racers notched two class wins in the morning session with Super Senior (45+) class competitor Dave Simmons and Masters (50+) class racer Kenny Rich Sr. Simmons, who saw his 24-race win streak snapped at round four, regained his championship-form and not only won his class by almost 30 minutes, but also finished fourth overall in the morning. Rich Sr. tallied his first class win of 2013 at Park Mammoth Resort and expanded his class points lead to 10 at the same time. The other two morning class podium finishes went to Sam Williams (3rd, 4×4 Open), who finished ninth overall in the morning rankings, and Kenny Rich Jr., who is the current 24+ C class points leader.

Jordan Digby won the 90 Limited (8-12) class using ITP tires Saturday morning in the Youth racing portion of the Kentucky event. The win at the Mammoth GNCC was Digby’s second in the last three rounds.

Round six of the 2013 AMSOIL GNCC series returns May 18 and 19, with the Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC in Springville, Ind.

BITD
Brothers Derek and Jason Murray, of the No. 1917 Murray Motorsports / Del Amo race team finished third in the SxS Pro class at the 2013 Canidae Tap It BITD Silver State 300 outside of Las Vegas, Nev. The Murrays, running the 30 x 10-14 ITP UltraCross R-Spec tires, earned their second consecutive BITD podium. Made in America, the new UltraCross R-Spec tire carries an 8-ply rating to withstand the most challenging off-road demands, and features an “R-Spec” tread design ideally suited for hard terrain, higher-speed desert use and slick rock conditions.

The ITP-backed No. 1918 Cognito Motorsports racing team of Justin Lambert also competed in the Silver State 300. The random starting line draw had given the pole to Cognito Motorsports and the team took full advantage grabbing the early lead. Using ITP UltaCross R-Spec tires, the team led much of the race and looked to be well on its way to an overall win prior to a clutch failure ending its day.

The BITD series resumes with the Vegas To Reno race, dubbed the “The longest off-road race in the United States”, August 15-17 in Nevada.