ITP Racers Win at Heartland Challenge
ITP's Team Jacks Excavating Wins UTV 1000 Pro Class
Ontario, CA
(8/27/2015) - Team ITP Tires & Wheels competed at the 8th annual Heartland Challenge endurance race over the weekend in Carlisle, Iowa, and came away with two class wins (UTV 1000 and 30+) and another second-place finish.
"We couldn't be any happier with the victorious efforts put forth from the Pratt brothers and the Media Allstars team of Dale and Mark Batson," said Pat McGuire, ITP Public Relations / Race Support. "The Heartland Challenge is a unique and difficult course not only because it's a multi-hour endurance race format, but it runs at night and features both man-made and natural terrain obstacles. Our racers know ITP tires will continue to outperform other brands, especially when traction and puncture resistance are a necessity."
The Jack's Excavating / Can-Am / RacerTech / ITP team of brothers Marcus and Mouse Pratt came away with the UTV 1000 (Pro) class overall and victory at the annual off-road race. The four-hour UTV portion of the weekend event was held on Friday night and offered three classes for traditional SxS vehicles and another for single-seat vehicles. More than 60 entries competed in Iowa.
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Marcus (left) and Mouse Pratt have had recent success at the Heartland Challenge, having won the UTV 1000 (Open) class the last two seasons using ITP tires.
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The Pratt brothers completed 20 laps in just more than 4 hours to secure the class overall and UTV overall at the Heartland Challenge. Their time was more than seven minutes ahead of second place overall (UTV 900 class winner) and more than 10 minutes over the runner-up in the UTV 1000 class.
"Our ITP tires hooked up great. We ran 26-inch ITP TerraCross tires because they are a great, versatile, all-around tire in the mud, dry sections and really hook up good everywhere," said Marcus Pratt. "They have little roll, which also means great stability on a challenging course like the Heartland Challenge with its telephone poles, rock sections and woods. We wouldn't have won had it not been for our team, sponsors and, more specifically, our fabricator and mechanic Tim Muilenburg."
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The No. 99 Media Allstars / Yamaha / ITP team of Dale and Mark Batson, seen here navigating the man-made rock section, won the 30+ class at the 2015 Heartland Challenge in Iowa over the weekend.
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ITP had two other ATV teams competing at the 2015 Heartland Challenge. The Media Allstars team of Mark and Dale Batson, who also race for the team in the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series, competed on a No. 99 Yamaha YFZ outfitted with ITP Holeshot GNCC front tires and QuadCross XC rear tires. The tandem completed 22 laps in a time of 7:37:38 to win the class by a minute. That time was also good enough for 10th overall among all 76 ATV teams that participated.
A trio of racers also scored an impressive second-place finish in the A class riding the No. 133 JW Builders / Root River Racing Honda. Haedyn Mickelson, Dalton "Bubba" Hicks and Kyle Burman used ITP Holeshot GNCC tires, front and rear, on their ATV to record not only a podium finish in their class, but also a sixth-place finish in the overall ATV results. Their time of 7:38:26 was less than 30 seconds behind fourth place.
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(From left) The No. 133 team of Kyle Burman, Haedyn Mickelson and Bubba Hicks captured second place and sixth overall among all ATVs at the 2015 Heartland Challenge in Iowa |
About ITP:
In business for more than 30 years, ITP has become the world's #1 ATV/UTV aftermarket tire and wheel source. ITP utilizes its experienced staff of engineers, designers and technicians at its two American tire facilities in Clinton, Tenn., and Jackson, Tenn., to develop award-winning tire-and-wheel designs for virtually all ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. Numerous outlets distribute ITP tires across the United States and in more than 25 countries worldwide. For ITP's full-color catalog, call toll-free: 1-800-859-4740. www.itptires.com
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