Ontario, California – Side-by-side racer and Ohio resident Kyle Chaney led the way for team ITP at the John Penton Grand National Cross Country race, winning the XC1 Modified class in his home state. Team ITP-sponsored side-by-side racers earned second and third place in Class 19 (SxS) podium at the 2014 Tecate SCORE International Baja 500 in Baja California, Mexico. Branden Sims and Justin Lambert finished second and third, respectively in the gnarly desert endurance event. ITP also had ATV Pro Josh Creamer reach both the Pro and Pro-Am podiums at the New England ATV Motocross series in Maine.

“We were pleased with the results from this weekend, earning numerous podiums in three very different racing venues and terrains,” said Pat McGuire, Public Relations / Race Support. “Anytime you finish on a SCORE podium, let alone finish, it’s an accomplishment, but to have two teams make it on the box at the Baja 500 is even sweeter. Kyle Chaney’s back-to-back victories in GNCC racing is very rewarding for both him and ITP.”

John Penton GNCC
The Wiseco John Penton GNCC race, a highly popular round hosting for the 25th time, in Millfield, Ohio, featured both ATV and side-by-side racing. Team ITP came away with eight class victories and 17 total podiums. Making the biggest headline for the squad was Ohio native and side-by-side racer Kyle Chaney, who kept up his winning ways by taking the XC1 Modified class and side-by-side overall with his ITP-supported Can-Am Maverick 1000R. ITP ATV racers Westley Wolfe and Carter Kerens also each made the overall podium in their particular sessions of GNCC racing.

Chaney Racing / Turnkey UTV / Can-Am / ITP racer Kyle Chaney and co-pilot Chris Bithell won the XC1 Modified class for the second straight race. Second into the woods, Chaney soon found his way out front and never looked back to earn his second win of 2014 and third straight podium with his Maverick side-by-side dressed in with ITP Terracross R/T XD tires. The victory expanded Chaney’s XC1 Modified class points lead to 13 with two rounds remaining. Three other ITP-supported side-by-side teams made the XC1 Modified class top 10. Jack’s Excavating / Can-Am / ITP pilot Mouse Pratt earned fifth in the class. And JB Racing / Can-Am /ITP teammates Larry Hendershot Jr. and Tim Farr took seventh and eighth, respectively. Farr’s finish kept him in the top three of the GNCC SxS Championship points race after four races.

Dave Simmons was back to his winning ways, taking the Super Senior 45+ class win at the John Penton GNCC in Ohio. He ran ITP Holeshot GNCC front tires and ITP Quadcross XC tires on the rear of his Yamaha.

ITP-backed ATV amateur racers tallied a spot on the 10 a.m. overall podium and the overall Youth session podium. Westley Wolfe once again took second in the Schoolboy A/B (13-15) class aboard his Greg’s ATV-supported Apex, but his finish was also good for second overall on the 10 a.m. box. Youth racer Carter Kerens earned third in the 90 Open (12-15) class and third overall. Team ITP had amateur class wins from Dave Simmons (Super Senior 45+), Donnie Pruett (Silver Masters 55+), Brandon Icard (College B 16-21), Mark Batson (Vet B 30+), Jack’s Excavating’s Shawn Stuck (35+ C), Parker Henderson (70 CVT 6-11) and Jordan Digby (125 Sr. 12-15). Henderson, Icard and Pruett all lead their respective classes in points after eight rounds of racing.

ITP riders also tallied several other podium finishes in Ohio. Greg’s ATV / ITP racer Kenny Rich Sr. (Masters 50+), Dale Batson (35+ C), Glenn McConnell (4×4 Sr.) and Marcus Pratt (XC2 Limited SxS) all earned second-place rides. Also, Greg Covert (College A 16-21), Justin Paul (Junior B 22+) and Kelley Deloach (Women’s Amateur 13+) chalked up third-place finishes.

Seventeen side-by-side vehicles entered Class 19 at the 46th running of the Tecate SCORE International Baja 500 event in Mexico. The racers had to navigate a course of almost 450 miles through rocks, deep silt, cliffside trails, sand and desert-wash conditions. Eight vehicles failed to complete the race, and those nine that did reach the finish line fought hard every step of the way, overcoming SCORE trophy trucks, class 1 cars and racing gremlins.

“We were so proud to have two ITP racers on the Class 19 podium, as just finishing the race was many of the racer’s objective. Branden Sims and Justin Lambert have had a great year and this continues to build momentum for both drivers,” said Ryan Edwards, ITP tech support representative / West Coast race coordinator. “It was such a gnarly course this year and all ITP racers reported no tire or wheel failures, despite a lot of the trophy trucks and other UTVs getting flats.”

Team ITP had two of its supported racers finish in the top three, despite the challenging conditions and numerous “bottleneck” slowdowns. Earning second in Class 1900 was the Lonestar / ITP XP1000 piloted by Branden Sims, who was the sole driver. The team, which included Sims, Jacob Carver and Justin Krause, finished with a time of 13:15:15, roughly 13 minutes behind the winner. Riding on 30-inch ITP Ultracross tires, Sims avoided flats that plagued many other drivers to earn yet another desert racing podium for ITP this season. Coming off his recent victory at the Silver State 300 Best In The Desert event, Cognito Motorsports / ITP racer Justin Lambert tallied another podium on the season, earning third-place finishing spot in Class 19 at the Baja 500. Lambert, and his teammates of Justin Sheakley and Jeremiah Staggs, compiled a time of 14:26:14 in the team’s Polaris XP1000 that was dressed with ITP Ultracross tires.

ITP and Bush Racing racer Brian Bush teamed up with UTV Inc. owner Johnny Angal to drive a custom UTV Inc. RZR to fourth overall in the class. The Murray Racing / Can-Am / ITP team of Derek and Jason Murray, Monty Aldrich and Steve Amarine ended up seventh in the Baja 500, but tallied enough racing points and bonus points to maintain a hold on second place in the Class 19 standings after three rounds of racing.

NEATV-MX 4
Round four of the 2014 NEATV-MX schedule visited Hemmond’s MX in Minot, Maine. BCS Performance / Can-Am / ITP Pro Josh Creamer battled in the Pro and Pro-Am classes. He won three of four motos and made both podiums. Competing on ITP Quadcross MX 2 front tires and Quadcross MX Pro Lite rear tires, Creamer finished third in the Pro class with a 1-5 scorecard and posted a 1-1 sweep in Pro-Am class.

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 a full-color ITP catalog, call toll-free: 1-800-889-7367.  www.itptires.com