OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[Country Boy!!]

Austin, TX - 2008 has been a battle for supremacy in the 450 Sport class of ATVs. The Japanese manufacturers, who have been dominating the top segment of racing quads since the 1980’s, have come under hard pressure from three companies from the U.S., Austria, and Canada that are all determined to take over the reigns of this all-important class of competition ATVs.
Polaris, who has been pushing their big bore race quads for the last few years, used the shared technology of new partner KTM to offer their first 450cc racing machines utilizing the Austrian company’s proven powerplants. KTM unleashed a 450 of their own, showing well in their first full year of quadcycle production with a reliable machine and good race results.



For 2009, BRP Can-Am has expanded its DS450 ATV offering to three models with the base DS450(center) along with the DS450X XC(left) and DS450X MX(right), so serious sport ATV riders / racers can purchase an ATV equipped and ready for either motocross or cross-country track

The challenger that has taken on all aspects of the sport quad spectrum is Can-Am, who unveiled their DS450 after several years of development and secrecy. Can-Am completely reconfigured several major components of standard racing quads whose designs had been seemingly etched in stone for years. Then they took their creation and threw it head first into every major racing series in the U.S. at the hands of experienced riders in an attempt to completely upset the existing ATV racing hierarchy. While the results have not always been up to the level they had hoped for, it is very hard to argue the fact that Can-Am has shown their goal is within reach and their dedication to achieving it is unquestionable.

Can-Am’s onslaught of all the major racing series in the U.S. is unprecedented. After years of dominating in the GNCC Series in most of the utility classes, in 2007, Can-Am debuted the DS450 in the WORCS Series with Josh Frederick claiming his first Pro ATV Championship on the DS450, and for 2008, Can-Am expanded its racing focus beyond to all the nationally recognized series with race teams in the ITP Quadcross, GNCC, WORCS, and AMA Pro ATV Motocross Nationals.


For 2008, Motoworks / Can-Am's Josh Frederick wraps up his 2nd straight WORCS Pro ATV Championship on the BRP Can-Am DS450

In the AMA Pro ATV Motocross Nationals, John Natalie and Jeremy Lawson have delivered moto wins and podiums against the tried and true Japenesse manufacturers. Also, in the WORCS Series, Motoworks’ Josh Frederick has once again wrapped up the Pro ATV Championship with five wins under his belt, and teammate Brandon Smith has excelled in the ITP Quadcross Series with fives wins, and finished in the 2nd spot on year followed by Josh Frederick.


John Natalie Jr earned Can-Am their 1st Moto Win on the DS450 at Round 3 of the AMA Motocross Nationals, and Natalie secured the 1st Podium finish at Round 5 After a slow start, the Pro GNCC racers dialed in the DS450 for the 2nd half of the race season with Chris Bithell claiming the win at the Unadilla GNCC on the DS450

Warnert Racing’s Chris Jenks and Chris Bithell struggled early in the GNCC season dialing in the DS450 for 2 hours of abuse, but the pair headed into the summer break with two top 10 overall finishes at Mountain Ridge, and Bithell claimed the first Pro GNCC win for the DS450 at Unadilla, and he followed it up with a sixth and fifth place finish to end out the 2008 season. All this racing breeds development, and the things that Can-Am has learned this year have been applied to their 2009 DS450 EFI. Already a cutting edge machine, small refinements have made the newest DS 450 even more of a contender in any ATV arena
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