{"id":400415,"date":"2020-12-15T16:19:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T21:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=400415"},"modified":"2020-12-15T16:19:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T21:19:43","slug":"yamaha-blu-cru-racers-secure-multiple-national-championships-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/yamaha-blu-cru-racers-secure-multiple-national-championships-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Yamaha bLU cRU Racers Secure Multiple National Championships in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nPodium-Proven YXZ1000R, YFZ450R, and YZ250FX Racers Claim Victories Nationwide
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MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Yamaha Motor Corp., USA<\/a>\u2019s Side-by-Side (SxS), ATV, and off-road motorcycle bLU cRU<\/em> racers wrapped up the 2020 racing season, locking in several national championships and finishing on the podium across numerous series, including Championship Off-Road, ATV Motocross (ATV MX) and the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) racing series.<\/p>\n

The Championship Off-Road series\u2019 inaugural year capped off with bLU cRU<\/em> racer, CJ Greaves, finishing the season in his Greaves Motorsports \/ Yamaha \/ Monster Energy \/ Maxxis YXZ1000R with multiple championships after taking both the Pro Stock SxS and Pro Mod SxS titles for a combined $25,000 in bLU cRU<\/em> bonuses. Battling with Greaves in the Pro Mod SxS class and keeping the standings close all year, Powersports 1 \/ Beyond Redline YXZ1000R driver, Rodney VanEperen, finished the season strong with a first-place finish at the final round, enough to secure second overall, just shy of Greaves by a mere six points.<\/p>\n

In the second-annual SXS Sports \u201cKing of the Elements\u201d three race series, featuring closed-course tracks held on dirt and ice, the pure sport YXZ1000R secured both the Pro Stock and Sportsman championships with drivers VanEperen and Dylan Marquardt, respectively.<\/p>\n

In the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series\u2019 Production 1000 UTV class, Brock Heger secured eight podium finishes and three first-place finishes over the course of the season in his BH Motorsports \/ Maxxis \/ Weller Racing YXZ1000R for second overall.<\/p>\n

GNCC\u2019s reigning XC1 Pro ATV champion, Walker Fowler, clinched his sixth-straight title and the $10,000 bLU cRU<\/em> championship bonus following his podium finish at round 11 on his Mark Notman-prepared WFR \/ GBC \/ Fly Racing YFZ450R, leading with 301 points and six first-place finishes \u2013 one of which included his 60th<\/sup> career win. Fowler was also awarded GNCC\u2019s prestigious \u201cATV Rider of the Year\u201d award at the series\u2019 year-end banquet. Fellow Yamaha bLU cRU<\/em> YFZ450R racers Brycen Neal and Cole Richardson secured a podium sweep for Yamaha, finishing the season in second and third, correspondingly. Between Fowler, Neal, and Richardson, the YFZ450R solidified its podium-proven prowess in the GNCC series, finishing first in all but one round, aiding in Yamaha capturing the GNCC\u2019s ATV Manufacturer\u2019s Cup for 2020.<\/p>\n

BABS Racing\u2019s Becca Sheets also clinched the GNCC\u2019s WXC Bike championship at the 11th<\/sup> round, with six class wins on her YZ250FX. AmPro Yamaha Racing\u2019s Rachael Archer captured her first WXC Bike win on her YZ250FX at the eighth round, along with the next four thereafter, finishing 2020 in second overall, even after missing the final round due to a season-ending injury incurred while capturing her fifth win. AmPro Yamaha Racing\u2019s YZ250FX racers, Mike Witkowski and Cooper Jones finished second in XC2 and 150B, respectively. After taking a few races off and switching to Yamaha late in the season at the ninth round, AmPro Yamaha Racing\u2019s Steward Baylor Jr. started and finished strong with all podiums on the new setup, mounting four overall wins and a second-place finish on his YZ450FX in the XC1 Pro Bike class. Baylor aims to be a solid GNCC championship contender for the bLU cRU<\/em> in 2021 and already secured his place with the AmPro Yamaha Racing team for the next two years, alongside the returning Layne Michael, Witkowski, and Archer.<\/p>\n

In support of GNCC\u2019s annual \u201cpink race\u201d at the Yamaha Racing Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, raising breast cancer awareness and funding local breast cancer care and research, Yamaha once again returned as a major contributor to the effort, committing $50 for each class win on a Yamaha, and an additional $50 for each 2020 Yamaha championship. This year, with 29 national championships and 35 race-day wins, Yamaha donated over $3,000 supporting the local Faith Alliance Fund, held at the Montgomery County Community Foundation.<\/p>\n

Closing the season at this year\u2019s virtual GNCC banquet, Yamaha awarded payout and prize opportunities to eligible bLU cRU <\/em>racers competing in the majority of the XC2, Junior A, College A, Junior B, and College B ATV class rounds. Yamaha\u2019s bLU cRU<\/em> contingency for the overall winners of these GNCC classes were as follows:<\/p>\n