ATVriders.com:: How does the shift mechanism work on the YXZ 1000R?
Dustin Nelson: Forward is downshifting and back is upshifting. It works very similarly to a quad or a dirt bike. It’s very simple for anyone that’s been into sport vehicles. I think people will adapt to it very quickly.

ATVriders.com: You have had plenty of experience with shifting in the SR1 races, so how is that going?
Dustin Nelson: SR1 is going really well. We’ve won a lot of races this year and we have one second. The shifting is very similar to my SR1, so I feel really at home in this car.

ATVriders.com: What are your plans for racing going forward this year?
Dustin Nelson: For this year, we’re going to do the last WORCS race. Next year is still up in the air. I think we’ll be doing the Lucas Regional Series and we may be back here in WORCS. We may also do some Best in the Desert. I’m not sure. I have to wait for the guys to tell me where to go.

All eyes were on the new Yamaha YXZ 1000R in its racing debut

ATVriders.com: How exciting is it for you to be on the box in your first time back?
Dustin Nelson: I don’t think I left WORCS ATV on the box, so it’s good to come back to WORCS and get on the box. It makes it more exciting that we were running a brand new car in pretty stock trim. I think there’s a lot more to be gained. I want to win every race. I will keep working on it, and see if we can come back on top.

ATVriders.com: Let’s not forget about you also taking the win today in Yamaha Wolverine.
Dustin Nelson: The Wolverine is a project that Weller Racing has been working on. We weren’t sure when we were going to have a YXZ to race, so we started with the Wolverine. It was pretty fun. The car is definitely built better than its engine at this point. It was a fun race and the car held up really well. The car looks awesome. Jason did a great job painting it and building it.

Weller Racing custom built Dustin Nelson a Yamaha Wolverine

ATVriders.com: What changes did you make to the Yamaha Wolverine?
Dustin Nelson: Weller Racing added some long-travel A-arms and changed the suspension mounts. They put some bigger Fox Shocks on it. Jason tried to make it a little more aggressive for off-road racing instead of just off-road playing. I think he was definitely successful. The engine is what it is. It’s a 708 so it’s not going to make huge power. I think on time today we would have won the 900 Class, so the machine is pretty impressive on what it can do. It may not be super-fast point to point, but overall, on this track, it ripped today.

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