What do you do after you win the 2012 ATV MX Championship? While some may go on vacation and fall off of their training regimen, Chad Wienen has kept pushing himself and it showed as he went north of the border with many other top ATV pro’s to race in the 35th running of the Montreal Supercross. This unique event held in Olympic Stadium is one of a kind where ATV, motorcycle and SxS racing provide high paced action in front of thousands of spectators. This year I was invited to experience this event first hand and the riders, crowd and racing fulfilled every expectation I had in my head. This was also the chance for me to see many of our American racers in action since I hadn’t had much of a chance to head back east for any of the National MX races. With racers like reigning champs Chad Weinen and Josh Creamer, Thomas Brown, John Natalie, Josh Upperman, Cody Miller and Canadian champ Richard Pelchat I knew that I was in for a night of excitement. On the SxS end of things professional Indy Car racers Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani took their open wheel racing experience to dirt as they were able to secure rides for this annual event.

Last week we joined forces with 80 volunteers, most being Yamaha employees and their family and friends, along with members of the San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA) to restore one of the areas most used off-highway vehicle (OHV) staging areas, Cactus Flats. For the second year in a row at Cactus Flats, and their 5th in the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF), Yamaha gathered a great group of people who took time out of their lives to come up and give back to the land that helps keep businesses like theirs and ours alive. On this day our goal was to plant 250 native shrubs, spread seeds from existing shrubbery, slash non-authorized trails and water existing shrubs from last years event. With the hard work and determination, all of the tasks were completed in a few hours.

Photos by Tina Lugan and Eli Madero

“I feel the need…. The need for speed!” Yeah, it’s a cheesy line from an iconic 80’s movie that centers around a pilot named Maverick. Why use it in the opening line of this story? Because that’s what many of the high-performance SxS enthusiasts are saying when they’re walking around the floors of their local dealers trying to decide which machine to drop their hard earned cash on. Over the last year and a half we’ve seen this market take off since Polaris released their popular RZR XP 900, which blew the doors off of everything in its class; Because there was nobody else in that class. Arctic Cat launched the Wildcat last year and for people that were looking to tame Baja style terrain, this was the way to go but plenty of people were still waiting to see what Can-Am had under their sleeve. Of course they would be a player because they had one of the most powerful engines in the business, so surely they weren’t going to be outdone. Rest assured, the engineers studied and took their time to make a quality product because they didn't want to bring a knife to a gunfight. Enter the all-new Can-Am Maverick 1000R.

It's rare for a set of third place finishes to Rock an industry; but that's exactly what happened last Sunday when Lonestar Racing/ Morehead Motorsports/ Media Allstars' Brett Musick decided to test himself in the highly competitive ATV MX Nationals Pro Am Production class. Why all the Hoopla you ask? The performance was akin to seeing Lebron James in his first game, or Ricky Carmichael in his first race on a big bike: it was a rare glimpse into the future. 16 year old Musick's rise through the ranks has been impressive, last season at this time he was celebrating a 90 Modified Class Championship, six weeks ago he was celebrating a pair of B class Championships (which he clinched with three rounds to go), a month ago he Won his first A Class moto, and in his first attempt at the Pro Am Production Class he made it onto the box. The performance set off a chain of events that had Loretta Lynn's pits buzzing, as every team manager in the pits set their sights on landing the "Next Big Thing". While no one knows where he'll land, one thing is for sure; the kid opened eyes, and has just about everyone looking for a way to land him. "We're obviously stoked for Brett and his family, he far exceeded our expectations, and has only given us a glimpse of what he's capable of. Imagine what he'll do when he settles in, and rides that class without nerves." Said Media Allstars Team owner Jorge Cuartas. "Its kind of what this team is known for, we've been a farm system of sorts since day one. If you look at the alumni roster, there are allot of kids that put in the work for us before moving onto big budget, top tier Pro teams." Musick's performance was impressive from every standpoint, from sheer speed, to endurance, to nerves of steel that couldn't be rattled by some of the sport's top Pro Am riders. It's not often that someone jumps into the deep end of the pool for the first time without floundering, and Musick looked like Michael Phelps once in the water. In a season where the Pro-Am classes were dominated by a single rider Musick added some real drama, and made the entire industry wonder what might've been had he raced Pro-Am all season long. So what's it like to have the most coveted rider in the sport on your team? Lonestar Racing/ Morehead Motorsports/ Media Allstars Team Manager Chase Cunningham had this to say "It's kind of cool to see one of our guys turn heads like this, we knew he was going to be a force to be reckoned with, and he's made us look like geniuses for signing him. He comes from a great family, and has a solid support system, so we're not too worried about him making any bad decisions during the off-season. The right teams are looking at him, and he has allot of savvy people looking out for him. We'd obviously love to keep him on board, Brett is the real deal." If Brett doesn't land the "Rider Of The Year" award this season, it'll be an absolute travesty. We tracked Brett down and managed to get some answers from the shy West Virginian about his rise through the ranks.

Introducing ATV Rider Magazine's GeoCASHing Series

From the July/August 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine.

From the July/August 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine.

From the July/August 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine

Playing in the mud on your trusty ATV or UTV can be both very exciting and fun for the entire family. The thrill of heading to your favorite ride park and getting away for the weekend is just a small part of the adventure. However, there is one small nasty side to the off-road mudder’s life, and that is the point when he/she figures out they haven’t prepared properly for the big ride. Usually this comes to light when mouth overruns ability and you find yourself stuck or broken as your group of buddies looks on in sheer delight.

Starting the year off with new product is nothing unusual, but in the tire market there have been several new products geared toward the mud and trail riding enthusiasts. Luckily, many of the tires were due to be released around the same time as the 10th Annual High Lifter Mud Nationals, and we felt what better place to put these new meats to the test. To make sure that we were getting the best feedback possible, we enlisted the help of two riders who race for team Gorilla Axle. Steve Hittle and Julia McGinnis not only race in both the Mud Bog and Mudda Cross events, but they also like to hit the trails on their play machines. These two know just what to look for in a good tire from ride quality to traction capabilities in the thickest of sloppy conditions.

From the July/August 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine.

“Is it time to ride again my dear?” is the question we wish our wife or husband asks us. Instead, most true enthusiasts must convince the better half that it’s all really fun and the expense of a new ATV isn’t a bad thing. The hard part is trying to make the purchase expense-friendly for you both. In model year 2012 Can-Am introduced a sporty version of its Max line and called it the Outlander Max XT-P. This machine was directed at the go-fast guy or gal and their better half. We at ATV Rider Magazine have had this very machine for the past few months and are ready to fill you in on all the details and let you know if Can-Am’s plan worked. Let’s first get a little background on the machine and its capabilities.

From the May/June 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine.

From the May/June 2012 issue of ATV Rider Magazine.

Story and photos by Karley Brown

Few series have seen the longevity and continued success of longtime ATV MX frontrunner John “Ironman” Natalie. Hailing from Pennsylvania, Natalie wrapped up the 2011 AMA ATV MX Championship for Team Motoworks/Can-Am aboard his trusty DS 450. In preparation for the 2012 season, we caught up with Natalie to make him the next ATV Rider Exit victim.