As the factories yanked their race programs in the mid-1980s and the sport began to fizzle, it seemed as if only a miracle from God could have kept ATV racing alive and flourishing. It would take until '03 for that to arrive-in the form of Suzuki Motor Corporation joining forces with national event promoters to lay the groundwork for a new generation of enthusiastic quad racers. That year, Suzuki put Doug "The Digger" Gust on its new QuadSport LT-Z400 to take home the first Pro-Production class title. The new class was enacted to bring racing expenses down to reasonable levels so the sport would be accessible to average racers-similar in concept to the production rule governing the supercross series. It eventually transformed into the highly competitive pro class we know today. Amazingly, only a short three years ago, competitive production model options on the market were basically nil until industry giants like Yamaha jumped in with its YFZ450 and Honda following with the TRX450R. Under Suzuki's much-needed initiative and a pledge to continue, the sport was finally headed in a positive direction. But Suzuki still had another miracle up its sleeve.
Big Yellow Finally Arrived!
Releasing its latest arsenal at the first round of the National MX Series in sunny Southern California, Suzuki grabbed the attention of everyone who was in attendance and gained a much-needed boost of confidence. With the unveiling of the long-awaited QuadRacer LT-R450 at Glen Helen Raceway, all of the press gathered in awe awaiting their turn to take a spin (April '06, page 54). Since October '05, we have heard factory Suzuki rider Doug Gust mention on several occasions that the new LT-R450 is ready to race right out of the box. As we took this journey with Team Suzuki, our quest was to find out if it was true. Was this machine race-ready right from the box?
Making that trek all the way back to the West Coast, I must admit that my intentions were not solely focused on the first round of the National Motocross Series. Rather, my true mission was to blend in with this excited factory Team Suzuki on a weekend that would change ATV racing forever. Upon arrival at Glen Helen, I immediately headed over to the Suzuki camp to see the QuadRacer. I was eager to find out just how stock and out-of-the-box teammates Gust's and Jeremiah Jones' race quads would actually be. I was not shocked to discover a set of Fox Racing's Air Shox mounted up-this information was all over the Internet several weeks prior to the season opener. But one thing did grab my utmost attention. Both of the factory ATVs were sporting a set of Walsh long-travel A-arms on the front of the quad-revealed to be chosen for their adjustability and positioning of the shocks, along with more strength to handle the pro-level abuse.
Further inspection exposed a shiny new Yoshimura pipe, which was to be expected (it is, after all, Team Yoshimura Suzuki), tightly routed through the rear center of the frame. It was paired with the company's Coaxial Relay Bypass Module, better known as the Cherry Bomb. The tiny piece of electronic wizardry allows the LT-R to crank out another seven horses over the bone-stock setup. My greatest surprise was spotting stock tires mounted on Gust's machine, though Jones was running ITP Holeshots on his. This was truly revolutionary! As best as I can remember, a pro rider has not run stock tires since Columbus landed on the soil of the Americas. My final analysis can be summed up as so: These quads were not headed for the track right out of the crate, but they were much closer to their stock form than the any of the competition.
As you no doubt read in last month's ATV Rider, Suzuki used the GNC season opener to debut its new racer. The same weekend as supercross number three in Anaheim, California, the company told the assembled members of the press that it would be going big at the night event and offered up free tickets so all of the media could be present. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this invitation, but because this was a reconnaissance mission, I tagged along. Arriving at my seat, I felt as if karma was on my side for once-sitting directly in front of me was Gust just waiting for me to poke at him to get the scoop. As he sat wowed by the speed of James Stewart through the gnarly whoops section, I began bugging him about the evening's events. Unfortunately, Gust kept his lips sealed until, all of a sudden, the new QuadRacer commercial aired in front of 45,000 race fans featuring Digger himself. Just when I thought things could not get any better, Jason "Dunk" Dunkelberger blasted into the stadium aboard the newly released Suzuki. In all the excitement not one boo came from the typically rowdy supercross crowd. Why Dunk? Rumor has it that Team Suzuki will be adding him to its expanding talent pool, further proving its dedication to the future of ATV racing.
LT-R450 Goes Racing
After a thrilling night at supercross, race day was finally upon us. "I'm under a lot of pressure today," acknowledged Gust, as he made last-minute preparations prior to the first moto. He added that all of the bosses from Suzuki Japan were in town, and he did not want to disappoint them. As I observed Gust on the starting line, he did appear slightly more anxious than usual, but his experienced poker face made it not so obvious. When the gates finally dropped, John Natalie Jr. won the battle for the first turn and took it all the way to the checkers. A total shocker because I think Team Suzuki, the crowd and especially Gust himself expected that white QuadRacer No. 55 to round Glen Helen's famous Talladega first turn ahead of anything red or blue. An even worse fate befell his teammate-a tangle at the start ended Jones' race before it ever began. Gust eventually rolled through the finish line in fourth and Jones in 14th. This was not the start that Suzuki had been looking for, and it was apparent by the staff's expressions.
Just before the second moto, I was able to prod Jones with a couple of questions. In spite of being in "race mode" Jones was happy to answer any questions. "Even with the birth of my son a few months back, I am as focused as ever," Jones said. Just as we wrapped up our short conversation, Gust passed me heading for the starting line and I noticed an important modification as he rode past-his LT-R was now sporting his usual ITP tires. The Digger explained the switch later, "While out testing, it's hard to know exactly how your equipment reacts since it is not at race speed. I'm still working to get everything dialed in because we haven't had much time to test."
And the black cloud stayed with Jones as well. After an impressive start, his linkage broke and sidelined him only a few laps into the race. Not a perfect debut for its new racer, with a DNF and Gust's fourth- and second-place finish earning him third overall for the day. However, the new machine did well enough to serve notice that Suzuki has a credible threat.