Whether you go to the track and watch a race or catch a game at your local football stadium, there is one thing that each superstar player has in common. They more than likely started their bid for greatness at a young age. In the ATV racing world, I've been following the World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) for quite a few years now and have seen the entry numbers in the youth classes climb every year. I've seen quite a few young kids make the transition from beginner to national champion, and most don't start their racing career on a 450. If you question this, just attend a competitive ATV event and see for yourself.
While every major manufacturer has a youth model ATV, not all of them are capable of performing to the harsh demands of racing. From what I've seen there are three companies that produce models capable of being modified for competition use, and I chose one to see how much it took to be considered race-ready. The machine I chose was a DRR DRX 90, which is one of the more popular models on the youth race scene. This quad would be tested on the WORCS racing circuit and go up against some of the fastest youth racers in the country. With a rider already picked out, it was time to find the components to make a winning race machine.
For only being a 90cc machine,...
For only being a 90cc machine, we were quite impressed how much power the engine generated, allowing tester Caide Hunt to break the rear end loose at will.
As with any machine I'm preparing to race, I completely stripped the brand-new DRR and called Doug Roll of Roll Design to see if he would gusset our frame. While youth riders are small and lightweight, they can still give machines plenty of abuse, and I wanted to keep the possibility of bending or cracking the frame to a minimum. Doug gladly offered his services and removed all of the unnecessary tabs and brackets while adding gussets to key areas we found to crack on these particular quads under extreme use. Doug took his part one step further by sending our frame to Pro Coat Powder Coating. This is the company Roll Design uses on all of its suspension components, and Pro Coat gave our frame a good-looking and tough silver powdercoating that should last for quite some time. Now it was time for the bolt-on goodies to start rolling in.
If you've read any of my previous builds, you know that I consider suspension to be a key component to going fast on an ATV. With mini ATVs this theory is no different. For this particular project I was focusing on two characteristics. The first would be to provide exceptional handling for the DRR, and the second would be to eliminate as much front-end weight from this ATV because they're extremely nose heavy. To handle both of these tasks, I contacted Dave Carter of DC Motorsports out of Greenbrier, Arkansas. DC makes some of the finest suspension components in the youth ATV market and is aware of the weight factor as well.
By eliminating front end weight,...
By eliminating front end weight, our modded DRR 90 now soars evenly through the air.
The DC long-travel A-arms we were supplied are made from 4130 chrome-moly tubing and are stronger than stock but also weigh less and are completely adjustable for both caster and camber. The A-arms also came with carbon fiber tie-rods, which are not only light, but make the bike look cool as well. Continuing with the weight savings up front Dave was going to supply us with one of his steering stems that feature a carbon fiber post mated to a machined steel lower section and billet-aluminum top anti-vibe bar clamp. To prevent cracking the new stem or even bending the stock steel unit from the low clamping point of the frame, we were also getting DC's billet machined steering stem backing plate. All of the parts were supplied with a sharp-looking candy blue powdercoat that really makes them stand out, especially when mounted to the silver frame.
At the rear of the machine, the heavy stock swingarm was replaced by a DC Motorsports chrome-moly round housing swingarm that comes complete with a billet machined bearing carrier and brake stay. To keep the wheels on the ground, a set of Fox Racing Float shocks were placed up front and a Podium X shock was installed on the rear. These shocks feature the latest technology and are high- and low-speed compression, rebound and preload adjustable. Another advantage of the Fox shocks over the competitors are that the fronts are air-charged instead of using springs, which again aids in keeping the front end of the machine as light as possible.