Putting Utility Quads To The Test

While I realize it’s only July, October is a big month here at ATV Magazine, as it’s the month we hold our annual ATV Trials testing event. Like everything else in the magazine business, we’re always working several months into the future. It makes for some fun situations — sweaty wintertime photo shoots in the heart of the summer, trail riding in bone-chilling fall cold — and generally has us thinking far ahead. Thinking about it, it’s kind of surprising I don’t ever leave my house dressed in snow gear in August. That sounds like something I’d do.

ATV Trials 2008

If you read our magazine, you’ve undoubted heard about ATV Trials (check out a detailed blog on the subject HERE), as it’s a solid week of testing we do every year to test the latest and greatest utility, sport, 2-Up and crossover ATVs on the market. Many of the big comparison tests you read about happen at this event – allowing us to have things in the hopper for months like February, when the quad riding opportunities are a bit limited up here in Minnesota.

Salt bags are an easy way to test a machine's handling with serious weight on the cargo racks.

This year we want to put a new spin on our utility quad testing, and have been brainstorming new ways to really, really test the capabilities of large utility ATVs. Our many-rider test team always rides them in rugged conditions, not just riding hard, but also slowing down and paying attention to the little things actual owners will notice. We also test the machines using salt bags to put serious weight on the racks. It’s very surprising what some weight on the racks will do to a machine’s handling, while some hardly notice the added pounds.

Stability evaluation is also important, with off-camber riding specifically done to see how a machine handles uneven terrain. We’ve also pulled out the radar gun for the sportiest rigs, and it’s useful to compare the acceleration curves of similar machines. Some of these modern quads can really haul the mail! Again, this has been very helpful, but we want to take it further. But what do you do? [Read more]

Hatfield-McCoy Trails: Wayne County Update

The Hatfield-McCoy Trails has announced that its officials have recently met with the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers to discuss a new trail system. The U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers controls the East Lynn Dam Area in Wayne County, W.Va.

East Lynn Lake Area

Now, the trail system need to write a formal proposal, which includes both trail routes and trailhead sites. Once this is complete, Hatfield-McCoy with set the license agreements in place and begin construction.

For more info visit, TrailsHeaven.com or read the HMT blog

Huge $50,000 Purse At MotorcycleUSA.com Snowshoe GNCC

$10,000 Each For Motorcycle And ATV Afternoon Overall Winners
GNCC Press Release

Snowshoe, W.Va. (January 31, 2009) — Racer Productions, producers of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, announced today that the popular motorcycle content site www.MotorcycleUSA.com has obtained Title Sponsorship of the Snowshoe GNCC in West Virginia, and with it, will help provide a $50,000 purse for this year’s MotorcycleUSA.com Snowshoe GNCC on June 27 and 28.

The $50,000 purse guarantees $10,000 each for the winner of the bike and ATV overall afternoon races at the Snowshoe race, held at Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

“Thanks to the backing of MotorcycleUSA.com, we’re able to offer up the largest purse in the history of GNCC Racing,” said GNCC Trail Boss Jeff Russell. “We want to position Snowshoe as a unique event among all off-road races. With the terrain and atmosphere of the resort, combined with the big purse, we expect a race unlike any other.”

“For years we have provided race coverage of the GNCC Series. It is with great pride that we can now add our name to the list of impressive sponsors who support these events,” claims Ken Hutchison, Vice President, MotorcycleUSA.com, “and to be the title sponsor of the Snowshoe event in West Virginia makes it that much sweeter. We are very aware of what this event means to the state of West Virginia and their tourism department. We look forward to being a major participant in what is quickly becoming a classic event.”

“Without question, the GNCC is one of the premier off-road race series in the country,” explained Tim Clark, Marketing Director for MotorcycleUSA.com. “To become a sponsor and provide the holeshot money for the racers is a step we have been looking forward to for quite a while. These riders and their families are the backbone of off-road racing – it’s always good to support those who have helped make this sport as strong as it is.”

“Snowshoe is thrilled to once again be the site of one of the toughest races on the GNCC schedule,” said Bill Rock, President and COO of Snowshoe Mountain. “This partnership has been a rewarding relationship between two thriving West Virginia businesses, and the added excitement of the increased purse money will help increase participation and spectators. This one-of-a-kind race is a great opportunity not only for the racers and their families, but also for Snowshoe and the state of West Virginia.”

The MotorcycleUSA.com Snowshoe GNCC is unique within the off-road racing world. Snowshoe Mountain Resort, West Virginia’s largest ski facility, provides a stunning variety of trails and terrain to race on, and it also features hotels, condos, restaurants and entertainment right next to the track. Racers can walk from their hotel room to the race starting line in the resort’s village, and fans can travel to difficult sections of the course via the ski lift chairs.

The 2009 event, which takes place June 27 and June 28, is expected to gather more than 1,200 riders from all over the world, as well as several thousand spectators. For more information on the event, visit www.gnccracing.com.

The 13-round 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series begins with the Parts Unlimited River Ranch GNCC in River Ranch, Florida, which runs February 28 through March 3.

About GNCC Racing
The Can-Am Grand National Cross Country series is America’s premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1973, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,800 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. Riders compete for more than $3 million in prize money, which draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised and airs every Saturday and Thursday on the Versus Network. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.

About MotorcycleUSA.com
MotorcycleUSA.com is the most advanced and diverse motorcycle content site on the Web. For more than a decade, MotorcycleUSA.com has provided breaking industry news, comprehensive motorcycle tests, product reviews as well as race coverage for both street and dirt. We have more photographs, motorcycle specifications, rider impressions and online videos than any Internet publication. www.MotorcycleUSA.com – your one-stop source for all things moto.

About Racer Productions
A West Virginia-based motorcycle and ATV event Production Company, Racer Productions has been a leader in the off-road racing industry for more than 30 years. It’s repertoire of events includes the 13-round Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series, held since 1973; The Kawasaki/Monster Energy High Point National in Mount Morris, Pa., held since 1977; The ATV Dirt Days at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., held since 1985; The U.S. World Motocross Gran Prix at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa. in 1987; The Monster Energy/Kawasaki Steel City National, held since 1988; The ATV Stampede National Motocross at High Point Raceway, held since 1994; The AMA Pro ATV Open at Steel City in 2007; as well as numerous other amateur motocross events. In addition, Racer Productions staffs the prestigious Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, held since 1982. For more information, please visit www.racerproductions.com.

About Snowshoe Mountain Resort
Snowshoe Mountain is a four-season, Intrawest destination resort situated in the southern portion of the pristine Allegheny Mountains. Celebrating 35 Seasons, this 11,000-acre playground offers 1,500 feet of vertical drop for its expansive skiing and mountain biking terrain. With a mountain top village nearly one mile high in the sky, Snowshoe offers unique variety of lodging, dining and shopping options. A host of special events and activities make the West Virginia resort a destination for the entire family. For more information visit www.SnowShoeMtn.com

AN OHV TALE: HOW AN ENTHUSIAST HELPED FORM A CLUB, OPEN A NEW RIDING AREA, AND GO FOR HIS DEGREE IN OHV RECREATION

(Editor’s note; The following story is incredible on many facets. One is how someone can have a lifelong dream and strive for it year after year, asking questions, pursuing further education, and eventually coming within an arm’s length of reaching that goal. Another is how connections with certain people can once again, despite many years of no contact, pop up right out of the blue in an entirely different context. And finally, in order to get things done on a grand scale, this story proves that’s it a wise person who consults those who have “been there, done that”. So with all that in mind, enjoy the following OHV tale of Master Sergeant USAF Russ Hanson)

Russ Hanson started riding ATVs at age 13, and even then he imagined himself one day having a career involved with his favorite sport. “Of course I thought this was a crazy dream because unless I built them or raced them, I couldn’t really picture any way of accomplishing this.”
Hanson joined the military in 1992 and started racing ATVs with some success in his native northwest, but racing at that time wasn’t very popular so he reverted back to trail riding. “I heard about the ATV Jamboree in Richfield, Utah so a friend and I loaded up the quads and made the trek from Great Falls, Montana where I was stationed at the time. I think it was only the second year of the event. My friend had a 300EX and actually loaded up enough stuff to do the 4-day Mountain Man Marathon. You could barely see red plastic under the duffel bags and hundreds of bungees holding it all down. It was a sight to see!”
Russ continues, “Along this trek Max Reid (USFS) and Stan Adams (BLM) made an impression on me. They were our guides on the trail and they had full-time jobs managing OHV recreation. I thought ‘how can I do this too, how can I get into this line of work?’ But I was still new to the Air Force and not quite ready to get out and try something different. I packed up from Utah and went back to the military life, still dreaming about being more involved in OHV recreation somehow.
“When I got home I hooked up with the local OHV club in Great Falls which were primarily dirt bike riders. This is where I first met Russ Ehnes who was the club president. I wanted to branch off and start an ATV club because at the time four-wheeler recreation was exploding. With the help of Russ we started working on issues and having meetings. About the time we really started to make progress with the club I got orders to relocate to Hill AFB in Utah.”
While Hanson was based in Utah he naturally attended the Jamboree a few more times. “One year I pulled Max Reid aside and asked him how I could get a job doing what he does. He told me my best bet was to get a degree in the field of recreation or forestry. Another year at the Jamboree, we saw this Forest Service truck pulling a trailer with six ATVs. The ranger said they were going out to survey an area to see about connecting two trails. Of course I asked all kinds of questions about how he ended up getting this gig. Right then, there was no doubt this was what I wanted to do and I was determined to find a way. I knew I had to get back in school, but being active military I did not have the time plus there were no schools close enough for the degree I needed and online classes were still a thing of the future.”
Hanson’s next military stop was in California. He continued to try and find a school that had a degree program in outdoor recreation. “I was having no luck until one day I was thumbing through Dirt Wheels Magazine and saw a short article mentioning an organization called the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) and how they had helped create the college-level educational programs that I had been dreaming about. So I signed up for this series of online OHV recreation management classes that were available through Marshall University (West Virginia). These classes proved to be paramount to the next project which I was about to embark on.
“Soon thereafter I was trying to find a school where I could get a recreation bachelors degree online and ran across Northern Arizona University online Parks and Recreation Management degree program. This was, at the time, the only school to offer this degree online (editor’s note: Marshall University is only months away from offering their entire OHV Recreation Management series of courses online as well). This program is currently teaching me how recreation and leisure services impact society and how to apply what I learn to the OHV specific arena. I will be using the OHV management classes as my emphasis. I am now well on my way to earning a degree in the recreation field just like I have always wanted.”
Somehow, in the middle of all this activity, Hanson got involved with what would soon become a huge project right at the Vandenberg AFB where he was stationed in California. There had been an area to ride OHVs on the base but it had recently been shut down due to Unexploded Ordinance found on one of the trails! Also, the area was not managed at all making the OHV area very unpopular to the anti-motorized access crowd. “I kept asking when a new area was going to be opened with no one knowing or seeming to really care.” Vandenberg has 99,000 acres of land to work with.
“To get the ball rolling some of us OHV enthusiasts had an informal meeting to discuss the process of opening a new OHV area on the base. This very smart environmental compliance officer who just happened to be an avid Jeep recreationist led the meeting. He laid out everything that needed to be done in order to get an OHV park constructed. He mentioned things like NEPA, SHPO and all the planning and surveys that needed to happen, not to mention that we needed to sell the idea to base leadership.”
Soon after the officer told the group how to get the job done, he announced he didn’t have the time to help and asked for a volunteer. Russ says, “No one said a word. Then I was the sucker who said ‘I’ll do it.’ Besides, this is what I wanted to get involved with, right?
“We soon formed a club with help from the NOHVCC and their club starter kit. Then we proceeded to try to get base leadership behind the idea. We met with some key leaders who thought it would be a great idea and the planning started. This is where the Marshall OHV classes really came in handy! The information I gained in those classes gave me the ability to speak to the environmental officers with the confidence and expertise that I did, in fact, know what I was talking about.
“After a few months of planning we opened the first phase of the OHV park. With guidance from my Marshall University instructor (Dr. Raymond Busbee) I led the OHV club, operated the current OHV area and am currently in the process of planning, constructing and managing the second phase of the park.
“Unfortunately I was running into some resistance from the base environmental agency as the OHV park was something they were not completely on board with and were a bit apprehensive to the entire idea. Dr. Busbee told me I should contact the NOHVCC to see if they could be of assistance with this unique situation. He told me to contact Russ Ehnes, the Executive Director of the NOHVCC. I thought this name sounded familiar. I put two and two together realizing that the NOHVCC was headquartered in Great Falls; this must be the same Russ I worked with 14 years earlier with the ATV club! I called him up and sure enough it was him and he remembered me.
“After some planning the NOHVCC held an informative two-day OHV workshop here on base with Russ and several staff members and advisors in attendance. I felt this workshop would be just the thing to convince the bases’ environmentalist that an OHV park could be constructed and managed responsibly. It did just that. After the seminar, my primary biologist told me that the information provided convinced her that an OHV park could, in fact, be environmentally friendly. This workshop made me a better planner and manager also!
“We are now almost ready to start construction of the second phase after many months of planning. This park is a first of its kind on a military installation with all the amenities of a complete park such as a motocross track, kids play area, Jeep obstacle course, OHV trails and hill climbs. The facility will be opened exclusively to Vandenberg AFB employees and of course active duty military.”
One more issue popped up and Hanson once again turned to the NOHVCC for help. “Some people I work with felt that hunting and OHV recreation on the same land could not be compatible. NOHVCC Senior Coordinator Jack Terrell sent me an e-mail saying he could have a Forest Service representative send me a letter outlining some facts on the issue so that I could provide it as testimony that the OHV trails and hunting are compatible. A few weeks later I get this letter addressing my issues, and to my surprise it’s from Max Reid of the Utah Forest Service. This was the very same person who advised me years ago on how I could get into a career with OHV management!”
Hanson sums up this incredible story as nears the finish line with his ultimate goal, the same one he had many years ago as a teenager trail riding his ATV in the northwest woods. “This military installation OHV park is certainly a great success story, but the real success will come full circle when I get my degree in Recreation Management, retire from the Air Force, and get the career I have always dreamed about; working OHV issues in the great Utah trail system. Because of organizations like the NOHVCC, Forest Service, the BLM, Northern Arizona University and Marshall University I am prepared to do that very thing.”