Over the past several years, the 12 Hours of ATV America has quickly become the must-race event in the world of ATV competition. This premier race was modeled after the ever-so-popular 12 Hours of Pont de Vaux, which spins its tires once a year on the soil of France. John Pellan of Fast-Trak Promotions bravely brought this concept to the United States nearly four years ago and has experienced increasing success and growth every year. With the 2005 event scheduled for October 29 at the Rausch Creek Motorsports Park in Valley View, Pennsylvania, we thought it would be appropriate to offer tips on how to build the perfect 12-hour race quad. Team Adapt Racing's Mike Newsom, who is currently building the ultimate 12-hour race quad, let us in on his secrets. His ride of choice is the Yamaha YFZ450, and he knew this machine would need a major makeover in order to be competitive for 12 hours straight.
Handling and Suspension: Handling is one of the most-effective improvements that can be made to a race quad on several different levels. The results will be faster lap times, reduced rider fatigue and improved strength and stability. After a little research, Team Adapt decided the Roll Design Lobo 2 suspension kit would be a must if it wanted to run with the leaders. So Roll Design +31/44 A-arms were bolted on. This widens the quad's stance an extra 31/44 inch on both sides and moves the front end 11/42 inch forward, providing better stability and faster cornering. The shock mounts are also better positioned to allow for longer travel to help soak up the bumps. Newsom and team were seriously concerned about the stock Yamaha swingarm's durability and decided to replace it with one of Roll Design's +11/42 swingarms, which would also work with the longer travel rear shock and add strength to a weak area of the quad. Because of Elka Suspension's reputation and proven record, Team Adapt chose its shock for this quad. Another reason is that Elka and Roll Design suspension components complement each other perfectly and mount up with ease.
An IMS/Roll Design anti-vibe steering stem is an excellent addition, as it increases rider comfort by lengthening the stem an extra inch more than the stock length and allows the handlebar to sit higher. Newsom installed one of Scotts Performance Products' steering stabilizers to settle down the looseness of the front end at high speeds and to lighten the bump-steer from rocks, roots and the like. The quad was now dialed in with the ultimate handling setup, and it was time to move onto other important issues that needed to be addressed.
Motor: Newsom sent the YFZ motor to Mickey Dunlap's Four-Stroke Tech to work a little magic. The objective was to keep the motor close to stock form for the sake of reliability while adding a few horses to its power. Dunlap began by giving the motor his race port and flow job to help it breathe better for maximum usage of its power. A Wiseco 12.5:1 piston was installed to gain higher compression and increase the motor's overall power output. Even though the piston increases the horsepower, it also helps to smooth out the hit. After 12 hours of racing, you will appreciate that smoother power and ride more consistently. Because of the added torque and stress the motor will now be putting on the clutch, Dunlap decided to install Four-Stroke Tech's heavy-duty clutch springs. The heavy-duty springs will keep the clutch from slipping and put the power to the ground. The newly built motor was then carefully sealed back up with Cometic gaskets and seated back on the frame. For maximum output, a CT Racing pipe was bolted on, finishing off the engine work.