Can-Am Wins 12 Hours of La Tuque Endurance Race
OutdoorHub 06.04.12
Motoworks / Can-Am teammates Josh Frederick, Dillon Zimmerman and Collins Webster piloted their DS 450 ATV to the overall victory in front of more than 20,000 fans at the 2012 12 Hours of La Tuque in Quebec, Canada. The trio of racers, who all compete in the World Off-Road Championship Series on Can-Am ATVs, won by two minutes and finished a lap ahead of the competition in the Quad Pro class and were joined on the Pro class podium by another Can-Am racing team.
“It was great to see Josh, Dillon and Collins successfully team up to put the DS 450 on top of the podium and repeat as the Pro Class winner of the extremely challenging 12 Hours of La Tuque,” stated Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Not only did Team Motoworks / Can-Am post back-to-back titles, it was an all-time best finish for Can-Am at this race since its beginning in 2001, as two teams finished in the top three. In all, an astounding five Can-Am teams finished in the top 10.”
The 2012 course featured plenty of dust and whoops as well as a tricky sand section to keep riders on their toes for the 12-hour endurance event. The 11th annual event is held northeast from Montréal and consists of three, four-hour sessions (two in daylight and one in darkness). The object is to complete as many laps of the course as possible in each session. When a session ends, the race ATVs are impounded and cannot be worked on until the start of the next session. After 12 hours of racing, the team with the most laps completed wins.
Zimmerman started each leg for Motoworks / Can-Am and rode for 1.5 hours before handing off to Frederick, who also rode for 1.5 hours. Webster ran the final one-hour stretch, filling in for Jeremie Warnia, who could not attend due to a scheduling conflict. After the first segment and 65 laps, Team Motoworks / Can-Am held a slight two-lap advantage over second place after four hours of racing. The second portion of the endurance event was held at night. The team also finished that segment in roughly four hours with a two-lap advantage over second place. In the final stage, Team Motoworks / Can-Am overcame an engine issue late in the race to finish second, completing 61 laps. With their previous wins and the one-lap cushion, the team won the 2012 12 Hours of La Tuque.
“The race went pretty smooth for us for the most part,” said Frederick. “We ran into a slight issue late in the last session, but we hung in there and still took the win. This is a really great event. It is very unique and to take our second win was icing on the cake for me.”
The Can-Am / RP Evolution team of Richard Pelchat (Quebec), Adrien Mangieux (France), and Frederic L’heureux (Quebec) finished third despite having to find a last-minute replacement rider for the event. Earning fourth was the Can-Am / Contant / Elka team of Maximilien Freud (Germany) David Tusl (Czech Republic) and Eric Lamontagne (Quebec).
Pro MX Sport Junior / Can-Am won the Amateur category aboard a DS 450. It was joined on the podium by the Can-Am team of Les Équipement Beaver, which was third. During the side-by-side vehicle exhibition event, a Can-Am Commander™ team earned a very respectable third-place finish competing against eight other models.
