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BRP's 2008 Can-Am RACE TEAMS TAKING SHAPE
Several Big Names Have Signed to Race Can-Am ATVs Next Season

Valcourt, Canada (10/24/2007) - In 2007, BRP took the strong Can-Am racing heritage back to the race track as the company fielded Can-Am X-Teams in both the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) race series and the World Powersports Association (WPSA) ATV Tour. With multiple championships in GNCC racing and a manufacturer's title in the WPSA series, BRP has proven it is serious about racing ATVs.

In 2008, the manufacturer's position is reaffirmed as it signed top pro riders and will go back to the track with an even stronger racing effort on both the West and East Coasts. In addition, BRP will not only return with its race-bred line of Can-Am Outlander and Renegade ATVs, but it will also race the technologically advanced DS 450TM sport ATV.

"We had spent this last season looking at the top racers in every major ATV series across North America" said Del Bohlman, product, media relations and racing manager, Can-Am ATV, BRP, "and I am happy to say that we have found and signed racers and teams that match the essence of Can-Am: a passion for performance. We are looking forward to Can-Am ATVs winning championships next year, and with our line up, we feel we will win."

Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team - WPSA
On the WPSA ATV Tour, BRP once again will partner with Minnesota-based Warnert Racing and will field a team out of its Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team semi. Like last year, the team will compete in the highly competitive QuadTerrain Challenge (QTC), but will also field racers in the SuperQuad Pro 450 class.

Racing SuperQuad Pro 450 for Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will be reigning champion John Natalie. This multi-time ATV champion will race a DS 450 in defense of his 2007 championship. He says he has one goal in mind: "to win championships". He will also race selected ATVA GNC races on non-conflicting race weekends. Natalie is known as the "Ironman" because of his unrelenting strength and tenacity on the race track: combined with the DS 450 ATV, this will be a hard combination to beat.

Racing alongside Natalie in the SuperQuad Pro 450 class will be up-and-coming racer Cody Miller. As the 2007 SuperQuad Pro-Am 450 champion, Miller knows what it takes to be fast enough and consistent enough to win a championship. He brings that skill and poise to the Pro class in 2008 and will be a force to be reckoned with on his DS 450.

In the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock class, Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will field Rory Beckman. Beckman was a top-three racer in the QTC class last year and will contest for a championship aboard an Outlander 650 ATV in 2008. He is considered one of the smartest and fastest racers on the course and is always a threat to win.

Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team – Can-Am GNCC
The Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team effort in the GNCC series will be substantial with a few new faces for 2008. In addition to contesting in several utility classes and the U2 class, the Can­Am X-Team will field riders in the XC 1 class aboard DS 450 ATVs.

Chris Bithell will race his DS 450 in the woods across the eastern United States in the XC 1 Pro class. Bithell is a young racer who has quickly established himself as one of the fastest GNCC racers. In addition to GNCC duty, Bithell will also race selected WPSA QTC events in 2008.

Warnert Racing will have one other pilot in the XC 1 Pro class, Chris Jenks. This woods racer has made a name for himself in the afternoon sessions jumping from the Pro-Am ranks to the Pro class two years ago. Last year, Jenks took the overall two times in a row. Next year the racer looks forward to the championship battle aboard a DS 450.

Scott Kilby will focus on the GNCC campaign in the 4x4 Open class aboard his Outlander 800 ATV. Kilby is one of the hardest workers on the course and will contest for wins and championships in 2008.

Coming fresh off a championship GNCC season in the 4x4 Open class, Rick Cecco will switch machines and race a Can-Am Renegade 800 in the U2 class. Cecco finished the 2007 season strong with a championship in the 4x4 Open class; he looks forward to another championship in a new class.

Contesting the 4x4 Limited class aboard an Outlander 800 for the Warnert Racing / Can-Am X-Team will be Michael Swift. This focused racer has numerous GNCC championships under his belt, and will be the defending champion in the class for 2008. He will be a threat to "three-peat" in the class.

Finally, in the GNCC 4x4 Lites class, Cliff Beasley was unstoppable aboard his Outlander 500. For 2008, he will defend his class championship against a host of other racers who will be out to beat him from the moment the flag drops.


Epic Racing / Can-Am X-Team - WPSA / ATVA/AMA
The roster of the 2008 Epic Racing / Can-Am X-Team is quite impressive and features three of ATV racing's brightest stars. The team will contest both the ATVA/AMA GNC series and the WPSA series aboard DS 450 ATVs.

Many have said that Jeremy Lawson has the most potential of any 450-class racer who throws a leg over an ATV today. As a multi-time ATVA/AMA GNC champion and the runner up to the Pro class championship last year, Lawson will bring his speed and stamina to BRP Can-Am aboard a DS 450 next year.


Greg Gee won the WPSA 16-24 class and just barely missed winning the SuperQuad Pro-Am 450 class, edged out by Cody Miller. Gee is one of the fastest racers in North America as he regularly races against the best ATV racers both Canada and the United States have produced. Gee already got a taste of the DS 450 ATV and took it on the podium on its very first MX race at the Montreal SuperCross last September.

As a past WPSA Pro-Am champion, Sage Baker has what it takes to win. In 2008, he will bring that knowledge to the track aboard a DS 450 in both ATVA/AMA GNC and WPSA races. Baker will be a constant threat to win races throughout the season.

Team MPR - Can-Am GNCC
As one of the most recognized names (and faces) in ATV racing, Mike Penland has always brought his wit, skill and determination to the GNCC course. Before the race starts, one can usually spot his distinctive straw hat and moustache making its way throughout the line as he offers last-minute advice to nervous racers, or a kind word to someone he has not seen in a while.

Once the flag drops, however, Penland is one of the best racers on the course. He is a multi-time champion from the deserts of the Baja Peninsula to the woods of the eastern United States. He returns to Can-Am racing aboard an Outlander 800 in the 4x4 Limited class; he will be seeking his unprecedented twelfth GNCC championship!

As Mike Penland's son, Hoyt Penland has been around ATV racing just about his entire life. He joins his father on the GNCC series where he will ride a Renegade 800 in the competitive U2 class. Hoyt looks to build on his experience gained during the 2007 season and contest for the class championship in 2008.

Team MPR's racer in the 4x4 Open will be Jacob Kirst. Like last season, Kirst will race an Outlander 800 ATV in the class. Kirst earned several top-three finishes in the 4x4 Open class and plans on winning the class next season.


Team Motoworks Racing - WORCS /ITP Quadcross
Both Josh Frederick and Jeremy Schell were closely involved in the testing and development of the DS 450 ATV. These two racers have more time on the machine than any other racers and will continue to test and win on the 450 next year. They join a new team to the Can-Am X-Team fold, Motoworks. The team will be based out of Lake Elsinore, Calif., and will be Can-Am racing's West Coast team.

Frederick's name is already etched in Can-Am history as he piloted the DS 450 to its first race win (in its inaugural race) at the WORCS race near Olympia, Wa. This year, Frederick will race in both the WORCS series and Quadcross series on the DS 450 ATV.

For racer Jeremy Schell, he has seen the DS 450 go from a rough draft to a polished, race-prepped ATV. Schell is second in points behind team mate Frederick for the 2007 WORCS series and looks forward to challenge for Quadcross and WORCS championships next year on a DS 450.

About BRP
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorized recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski Doo® and Lynx™ snowmobiles, Sea Doo® watercraft and sport boats, Johnson® and Evinrude® outboard engines, direct injection technologies such as Evinrude E TEC®, Can Am™ all-terrain vehicles, Rotax® engines and karts.


www.can-am.brp.com

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