Ontario, California – ITP ATV motocross racers tallied four class wins and 18 podiums at round three of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series in Mount Morris, Pa. Team side-by-side racers also produced a couple more podiums in the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series in California.
“ITP tires supplied great traction and we had a great overall weekend, winning four classes and earning almost 20 podiums at the famed High Point Raceway in Pennsylvania,” said Pat McGuire, Public Relations / Race Support. “Saturday, we had three Pro riders in the top 10 and went 1-2 in the Pro-Am class on Sunday on top of securing three amateur class victories and 13 additional podiums over the entire weekend.”
ATV MX National Championship – Round 3
Round three, the ATV Stampede, of the ATV MX National series was held at the storied High Point Raceway in Pennsylvania. After an unusually long six-week break since round two, Pro and amateur-class ATV racers were equally amped to make a run for the checkered flag.
ITP Pros missed the overall podium, but earned three of the top eight finishes in the class, which featured 17 total competitors. Josh Creamer (BCS Performance / Can-Am / ITP) posted a 4-4 moto score to earn fourth overall to maintain his current fourth-place position in the class standings. Creamer’s teammate Ronnie Higgerson earned a career-best finish, taking sixth overall with his 10-6 moto scorecard. Higgerson climbed to eighth in the Pro class points race. Root River Racing / ITP pilot Sean Taylor recorded a season-best eighth overall (8-11) in the Pro class aboard his ITP-equipped Honda. Jeffrey Rastrelli (JB Racing / Can-Am / ITP) finished 12th overall. He was well on his way to yet another top-10 finish after netting a seventh-place run in Moto 1, but took 17th in Moto 2. His scorecard earned him enough points to give him the No. 7 spot in the point standings heading into round four.
In Pro-Am action on Sunday, Rastrelli atoned for the Pro class performance with an impressive overall victory. He ran ITP Quadcross MX2 front and Quadcross MX Pro Lite rear tires on his Can-Am during his 1-1 moto sweep. Higgerson joined him on the Pro-Am podium, taking second overall. His second-place finish kept him in the points lead after three rounds of racing. Taylor garnered a fifth-place run in Pro-Am, while William “Duck” Lloyd was 10th.
The three other class victories for Team ITP went to Root River Racing’s Sam Rowe and Megan Manshack. Rowe won both the 450A and Open A ranks using ITP tires on his Honda. He’s currently leading the Open A class in points and is second in the 450A division. Manshack continued her dominance in the Women’s class, earning her third consecutive overall victory in three rounds of action. She has won five of six motos on her way to a 15-point lead in the class.
TEAM ITP – High Point Podium Finishers
Pro-Am: Jeffrey Rastrelli (Win), Ronnie Higgerson (2nd)
450A: Sam Rowe (Win)
Open A: Rowe (Win)
Women: Megan Manshack (Win)
Production A: Dylan Tremellen (3rd)
Junior 25+: William Cottage (2nd)
Vet 30+: Mike Barnhardt (3rd)
Super Mini (12-15): Noah Mickelson (2nd), Westley Wolfe (3rd)
Schoolboy Jr. Open (13-15): Wolfe (2nd)
Schoolgirl (13-17): Kierstin Keane (2nd), Maddison Guyer (3rd)
Girls Sr. Shifter (12-15): Guyer (3rd)
Schoolboy Jr. (13-15): Nicholas Weber (3rd)
70 Shifter (6-11): Traxton Liebe (3rd)
Girls Jr. (6-11): Teagan Liebe (3rd)
50 Single Speed (6-8): Logan Peters (3rd)
LORORS – Round 3
The 2014 Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series (Southern California), presented by Kartek, was held at Lake Elsinore MX Park in Lake Elsinore, Calif. ITP-backed side-by-side drivers earned one overall win, two podiums and six top-10 finishes.
“Our side-by-side racers had busy weekend, competing in both the Southern California regional LORORS event and the Dirt series,” said Ryan Edwards, ITP tech support representative / West Coast race coordinator. “Cody Rahders was on the gas in the Lucas Oil race, winning the Walker Evans RZR class and taking sixth in the fast-paced Production 1000 ranks. Trevor Briska also put his car on the box, taking third, in the Titan Electric Modified Kart class.”
With an RZR outfitted with ITP Terracross tires, Rahders had his best lap on lap eight during the 12-lap main event in the Walker Evans RZR division to win the class by almost three seconds. IMG Motorsports / ITP pilot Sara Price also completed all 12 laps and took a hard-fought eighth-place finish. Katie Vernola was 12th.
The Production 1000 class featured 18 competitors and a dozen laps of the Lake Elsinore track. Rahders took home the best finish for Team ITP, with sixth overall in his XP1000. Team IMG Motorsports / ITP driver John Pacheco also finished in the top 10. His time of 13:58.928, which was about 22 seconds off of Rahder’s time, was good for 10th overall.
Briska put in a fabulous time of 9:00.432 to earn third in the Titan Electric Modified Kart class. He was less than two seconds behind the eventual winner. ITP racer Brooke Kawell took seventh, less than six seconds behind Briska.
About ITP
In business for more than 30 years, ITP has become the world’s #1 ATV/UTV aftermarket tire and wheel source. ITP utilizes its experienced staff of engineers, designers and technicians at its two American tire facilities in Clinton, Tenn., and Jackson, Tenn., to develop award-winning tire-and-wheel designs for virtually all ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. Numerous outlets distribute ITP tires across the United States and in more than 25 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.itptires.com.