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2007 MSR/Pro Taper/Suzuki/Yoshimura
ATV Race Team History
Chino, CA (3/2/2007) - Simply put, Team
MSR / Pro Taper / Suzuki / Yoshimura is the product of
a friendship. Somewhere between Brant Russell of Yoshimura,
Wayne Hinson of Hinson Clutches and Scott Wright of IMS
Products, the seed of an idea for an ATV team was planted,
nurtured and eventually grew into the powerhouse team
that we see in 2007.
Wayne Hinson is universally considered the “Godfather”
of ATV Racing. Once the mechanic of eight-time national
champion Gary Denton, Wayne became the owner of Hinson
Clutch Components and good friend of Brant Russell.
A casual conversation about ATV Racing that started
back in 2000, started to take wings in 2002 when Wayne
and Brant decided to get involved with Wayne’s
friend Jim Naccaratto and his Nac’s Racing Team.
The rider was Wisconsin native “Digger”
Doug Gust. That spring, Yoshimura supplied the pipes
and Hinson the clutches and a team was born.
In 2003 Suzuki’s Rod Lopusnak got behind the
team with some support and the seed started to grow.
Doug won the inaugural Pro Production title and came
close in the last year of the “Pro ATV”
class. In the meantime, IMS’s Scott Wright and
Doug Roll became involved in discussions about forming
up a proper team for the 2004 Season.
When the 2004 season started, Wayne’s old rider
Gary Denton, now with Weekend Warrior trailers, came
through with a nice transporter trailer, and Suzuki
jumped in with near factory level support and the ’04
season took off. IMS honcho Scott Wright helped line
up a “Who’s Who” of aftermarket suppliers,
and a strong team was born. Although it wasn’t
a full factory effort, it was the beginning of what
was to come. The racing was quite good and in the end
Gust dominated the competition, setting many win records
in the process. The main prize: The GNC Pro Production
title was captured. Few could deny that the highly modified
LT-Z450 Suzuki was the dominant machine that season.
In 2005 Team Suzuki Yoshimura showed up with a 53’
semi tractor-trailer Big Rig and with it the return
to full factory racing. The company that started it
all (Suzuki) had come full circle. Doug Gust had been
the instrumental key in this seemingly natural progression.
After all, Doug walked away with the GNC Grand National
champion title in 1999, GNC National Pro Production
title in 2003, the GNC MX Pro Production Championship
title in 2004.
2005 however proved to be a tough year. Doug’s
new teammate, Jeremiah Jones showed flashes of brilliance
and huge speed, but had bad luck, and struggled throughout
the year. Not reaching his stride till mid-season. Gust,
had a few early season crashes that had him racing injured
the entire 2005 Season.
2006 saw the venerable LT-Z racer retired and the revolutionary
new LT-R450 arrive. In spite of a slow start, Jeremiah
Jones soon came to love the new fuel injected Suzuki.
From mid season on, Jones was the man to beat as no
one could come close to his incredible raw speed.
Unfortunately, Jones suffered a career ending injury
at the Unadilla round. Doug went on, losing a controversial
ATVA title but winning the exciting new WPSA SuperQuad
Pro 450 title in its inaugural year.
2007 sees Doug, new teammate Dustin Wimmer, and the
Suzuki crew coming back to focus on the WPSA series.
Jeremiah Jones has a new job as Team Coordinator. With
the addition of MSR and Pro Taper, the team gets an
incredible shot in the arm to push it even further.
I the short span of seven years, ATC racing has gone
from a flicker of the imagination to full domination
for Yoshimura and Suzuki.
“Let’s go racing!”
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