Sweet and sour, that's the reality that most of us are in these days. Unfortunately, an overwhelming amount of sour does consume our minds, but small pockets of sweet, believe it or not, still do exist. I'd love nothing more than to sit down and type out a positive message about how great things are in the here and now, but we all understand that times are a bit tough for most Americans, including us. You know, it's a bit strange to me as to how badly things are going lately, because in my lifetime most things have gone fairly smoothly. But now we are faced with an economy that is suffering the biggest blow that we've experienced at least in my lifetime; people are losing jobs and all sorts of investments are being wiped clean. Retailers that have been around ever since I can remember are being forced to shut their doors due lack of revenue, and this certainly does not exclude companies within our own industry, which hurts me deeply. But honestly, I'm sure you're like me; you just don't want to hear any more of the bad news. So enough with the sour, let's block it out for a while and move on to sweet!
I've always thought it strange that even on cloudy days a simple bright ray of light can still somehow find a way to shine down on us through the clouds. And one of our beams of light right now shimmers the ambiance of blue. By the way, blue just happens to be my favorite color. By now you're probably very aware of Yamaha's exciting new addition to its lineup. Yep, that sweet 2009 YFZ450R has finally been released into the hands of ATV Rider's professional testers and photographers. All of us here at the magazine have literally been salivating at the thought of getting our hands on this new YFZ. Our photographer Adam Campbell and Associate Editor Eli Madero were the lucky chosen ones to spend two full days in sunny Southern California aboard the new blue, and if you choose to flip on to page 64 right now, we'll understand because you, like us, are dying to discover all of the details about what Yamaha has unveiled.
But as you will see, the sweetness certainly does not come to a dreadful end with Yamaha's new blue. As you may have realized recently, things are bit nippy outside, but not before we caught the last blistering-hot round of the Championship Mud Racing (CMR) Series in Jacksonville, Texas. ATV Rider's own Mike Newsom and Rick Sosebee made the last long trek for 2008 from the bright evergreen-covered mountains of Georgia to the wet and slippery lands of east Texas not only to capture one last bog at this season's final round of the CMR, but also to test a groundbreaking new ATV. While they were in Texas, Rick was able to grab his very first test ride aboard Arctic Cat's industry-shaking new MudPro 700, the very first factory mud-ready ATV. That's right, if you enjoy hitting deep gnarly mudholes when you ride but are worried about the damage that could be incurred from sinking your ATV way deep, Arctic Cat has solved your problem. Go ahead; sink it deep, it's OK. After having a few long conversations with Rick, I'm confident that you'll dig what Arctic Cat has put together with this new factory-ready mud monster.
Before leaving Texas for the final time in '08, Rick and Mike took this last opportunity to hook up with one of the rising stars in the mud-racing world. All season long, Chase McCauley has not only been impressing his peers in the mud-racing scene, but has continued to capture our attention with his phenomenal racing abilities and the never-ending grin. He took home the CMR's first-ever championship and has won over the respect and hearts of many who have witnessed him perform during this first year. Check out our spotlight on Chase McCauley, as it's an inspiring story of a regular guy who is quickly becoming a star.
But before I go, I certainly don't want to forget mentioning a special project we've been working on in a secret location in Georgia. Mike Newsom took our stock Kawasaki Teryx and has literally transformed it into a beast with the helping hand of Four Stroke Tech's Mickey Dunlap. If unbelievable power and handling mean anything to you when it comes to side-by-sides, you will not want to pass up on reading this story. Let's just say, this Teryx will smoke a set of tires in seconds.
For these next few months, let's not let the sour overwhelm the sweet. As you can see, there are plenty of things to be excited about right here in the pages of ATV Rider. And we don't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Enjoy!