Murray Racing/ Can-Am Second in BITD UTV Pro Class
OutdoorHub 12.11.13
The No. 1917 Murray Racing / Del Amo / Yoshimura / Can-Am® Maverick™1000R X® rs side-by-side team concluded the 2013 Best In The Desert season with a third-place podium finish at the double-points Henderson 250 series finale race in Nevada. The team, which finished on the podium at every round this year, totalled more overall points than any other team, but (after a throw out) tied for the UTV Pro (1900 P) class points title. However, due to tiebreaker, the Murrays had to settle for second overall, despite a very successful season.
“Derek, Jason and the rest of the Murray Racing / Can-Am team put in an outstanding effort with their Maverick 1000R side-by-side in the BITD, earning an extremely hard-fought, second-place finish,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “I know they are disappointed to lose the championship on a tiebreaker, but they had a wonderful season, tallying the most class points, scoring numerous podiums and winning the Vegas To Reno round. Those are huge accomplishments for any team and should provide inspiration for next season.”
The final round of the Best in the Desert racing series was held in frigid conditions, with temperatures at the start in the around 20 degrees, in Henderson, Nev. The course offered a mix of rock sections, big whoops and some fast, wide-open segments mixed in. The side-by-side teams were competing the same time as motorcycles and ATVs and would run roughly 120+ miles to the finish line.
The Murrays came into the BITD Henderson 250 finale with a seven-point lead in UTV Pro class (1900 P). The final event was also a double-points race, so a podium finish was of utmost importance for the Murrays. The Murrays finished the three-lap race in less than three hours (2:53:02.152), taking third overall. The team’s sixth podium finish of 2013, and 25th consecutive BITD finish, earned it 132 points toward the title. However, the two teams trailing the Murrays earned more points and were able to climb in the standings. After a throw out, the Murrays and another squad ended up tying for the UTV Pro class championship. A tiebreaker rule was used to determine the champion and factored in the results from round five (the most recent BITD Desert Challenge event). Due to their third-place finish at round five, the Murrays had to settle for second in the final standings.
“Our Can-Am Maverick was in the hunt every race this year and ran strong. We are proud to have such a strong season racing against the top factory teams,” said Derek Murray. “And we did so with a first-year model. We are appreciative to be racing the Maverick, as it’s reliable, fast and can handle the toughest conditions. We fought hard for the win, but came up a tad short. We are motivated to come back and push even harder in 2014!”
Two other Can-Am Maverick 1000R teams competed in the BITD Henderson 250. MB Motorsports / Can-Am racer Marc Burnett piloted his Monster Maverick side-by-side to eight overall in the class results in Nevada. Team Desert Toyz / Can-Am also raced in Nevada and ended up in ninth place. The top 10 finish secured driver Cory Sappington fourth overall in the 2013 Pro UTV class standings.
