they got Penland on the Outy 800 early last year, I wouldn't doubt another really big name will be stepping onto the new 450 for the start of the '07 GNCC season!

 

Ever hear of Brian "mud n ur i" Morris?? LOL!

 

hey there ya go, pair him up with Chris "Hightower" Deakins, now there's an unstoppable team!

 

I'd love to see Matt Smiley riding a Can-Am. Word is, he too wants to win! That won't happen on a Predator. No offense to anyone.

 

It doesnt matter what hes riding, its mainly rider skill that wins a race.

 

I might normally agree with that. However, I know from first hand experience I went from middle of the pack to podium finish everytime after switching from the DS to the YFZ. So in GNCC style racing, the machine has a lot to do with everything.
Again, no offense to anyone, but the Pred and the Outlaw are bigger in comparison. The little things make a big difference towards the checkered.
Matt Smiley is a super person and very talented rider. Polaris, I believe, let him down with the Outlaw.
This 450 Can-Am may be a dud, too. We'll see

 

Again, no offense to anyone, but the Pred and the Outlaw are bigger in comparison. The little things make a big difference towards the checkered.
Matt Smiley is a super person and very talented rider. Polaris, I believe, let him down with the Outlaw.
This 450 Can-Am may be a dud, too. We'll see
>>>>>>>>>>

How many people are racing GNCC or anything like that though? I bet MOST riders never will.

 

i was told it will surprize everone, imn all areas. its supposed to be able to blow off all the 450's

 

XC racing and MX racing are huge. There are more throughout the country than you think. MX is probably bigger, but you can't forget the WORCS series and so many other states that have non-profit clubs that hold harescrambles.
As far as BRP/Can-Am, I think the R&D that goes into a machine before production, is like no other. I heard 3 years. So, if this thing has been in the works for that long, it probably is one sweet, well thought out machine.
I just wish I knew what the heck it was! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

 

GNCC is huge east of the mississippi. Every riding park holds XC events all summer long. Hare Scrambles are extremely common. In the little podunk white bread town of Crawfordsville Indiana the last GNCC event of the year is held in October, called the Ironman. It has around 800 riders every year, half are from all over the eastern half of the country, the other half are simply locals. 400 locals from a backwoods county. And the spectator turnout is massive. This is one example, there are a multitude of events with similair turnouts.

East of the Mississippi GNCC style riding is what we have, and although not everybody races it, everybody that rides, rides the same type of terrain it offers. So we all look to the GNCC races to see what works best for our own trails. The magazines cover GNCC events like crazy, and the average weekend rider looks to them for info regularly. Quite simply, if a new bike is not doing well in GNCC, they will not sell as many as they'd like.

the DS is the only quad that I can think of that was engineered for the broad expansive desert and dunes out west, right out of the box. And therefore it is not at all ideal for XC. the Outlaw is specifically designed for XC, and it is a very practical and functional suspension setup for woods trails at a moderate pace, but when it comes to all out racing the idependent rear suspension falls short, it slows you down in the corners with too much roll. this may not be a problem for the average rider, but he still cares and the comment in the above paragraph will apply.

Not to mention bike weight - GNCC is where is matters the most, towards the end of a 2 hour nonstop race you are extremely worn out, and then when you get the bike hung up in a deep rut or high centered on a root or trench, you gotta muscle it out. you'd be surprised how hard it is to lift a DS or a predator for that matter, after being so fatigued, no words can describe how week you are at this point, and shedding 50 pounds or more off the bike is god sent.