Lewisburg, TN (08/20/2011) - Can-Amtalk.com/UXC Racing reclaimed the Pro Utility class championship at the 2011 GBC Heartland Challenge this past weekend after a grueling ten hours, while team sponsored racer Forrest Whorton exceeded all expectations to win the Ironman class.
The 10-hour Heartland Challenge is a true test of man and machine and the elements can have a huge impact on the outcome for many racers, but this year's conditions were optimal and allowed the Can-Amtalk.com/UXC Racing team of GNCC racers, Michael Swift, Cliff Beasley and Adam McGill to cruise to victory.
Cliff Beasley was the first racer out and was in third off the Le Mans style start. Beasley charged hard and made his way into second and took over the lead by the third lap. From there it was smooth sailing for the team as they extended their lead with each lap. "Our strategy was to have each member race for four laps before switching riders and it worked out pretty well for us," stated Michael Swift.
As the evening hours approached, visibility became an issue for some teams, but not for the Can-Amtalk.com/UXC Racing team. The team's PIAA lighting system worked amazingly well and lit the way for the team as they charged on through the night to take the Pro Utility class win. I can't thank all of our sponsors enough. Can-Amtalk.com has been great and given us a lot of support, so we are looking forward to working with them more in the future. Carbo Rocket was also a huge help for us. They had their representative out there passing out samples and helping to take care of our team as well. They really helped to make this a good event for us," stated Michael Swift.
The team completed 31 laps in a time of 10:16:10, which had them lapping their entire class at least twice. The team's solid performance also gave them seventh overall, and they were the only Pro Utility team to make it into the top ten overall. "I had wanted to do this event for a while now so it was a great experience for me to finally get the opportunity to race here and I have to thank Michael, Cliff and all the sponsors who helped me do that. I had a lot of fun and it was definitely a different experience riding a utility quad instead of a 450," stated Adam McGill, who got a lot of attention after the race with his podium burn out.
While the Pro Utility team did an excellent job, it was their sponsored solo rider, Forrest Whorton who grabbed everyone's attention in the Ironman class. The 52 year old racer went up against other racers half his age and smoked the competition. Whorton finished a total of 25 laps in a time of 10:08:15, four laps more than second place. Whorton's fellow racers, and spectators of the event, were so impressed with his performance that he was the only race participant to receive a standing ovation on the podium. "I have to give a huge thank you to the UXC Racing team, Carbo Rocket, my brother, and everyone who helped me out there. This was a great experience and I am very thankful to everyone that helped me out because they made this event a lot easier for me and helped me to take the win," said Whorton, who still remains humble despite his major achievement.
The Can-Amtalk.com/UXC Racing team had a very successful race and is looking forward to next year's Heartland Challenge and the opportunity to defend their championship title.
Team UXC Racing would like to thank all of our 2011 sponsors:
Can-Am, Maxxis Tires, Can-Amtalk.com, PIAA, Santor Design Co., Fox Racing Shox, CarboRocket, Paragon ATV, Tireballs Kal-Guard, Ricochet Offroad Armor, Spider Grips, Cycra, Rox, Evans Coolant, Fourwerx Carbon, SSI Decals, DP Brakes, Outerwears, ATR, Cool It Thermo Tec, Moto Pro Training, Fly, High-Tech, ATVRiders.com, Flexx, Scott, Twin Air, Rath Racing, Arai, Leatt, HMF, Hiper, America's Motor Sports, Bopp Racing Components, Cyclops, Mike Penland Racing, RB Components.
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