A Hooper Bay resident and others who fought to keep four-wheelers from destroying important bird nests and berry patches have won a national award.
The village’s ATV Trail Project Partnership, which helps keep riders from damaging tundra, was one of 21 projects across the country recognized for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Cooperative Conservation Award.
The project began several years ago when elders in the village of 1,200 began noticing a decline in black brant numbers, an important subsistence food, as well as berries, according to a nomination letter submitted by the National Park Service.
Villagers and the Sea Lion Corp., working with the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, completed a survey showing that ATV tires were smashing nests, scarring tundra and chewing up wetlands.
Educational efforts, including two-person outreach teams camped near hunting grounds, raised awareness about avoiding sensitive areas. ATV riders began following paths instead of cruising openly across the tundra, and black brant numbers recovered quickly, the nomination letter said.
To create a trail protecting wetlands near the village, Hooper Bay residents worked with the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program in the National Park Service. They also worked with the National Resource Conservation Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The trail, built from a system of interlocking plastic grids called Geoblock, crosses sensitive wetlands from the village’s edge and travels half a mile to a ridge.
The benefit of the porous trail is that it encourage ATV riders to stay on one path, in part because riders can travel quickly on it and won’t be bogged down in mud, said Ryan Maroney, NRCS community planning coordinator in Bethel.
Maroney is one of the award winners. The others are William Naneng with the Sea Lion Corp. in Hooper Bay, former refuge manager Michael Rearden and Doug Staller, refuge manager.
The Sea Lion Corp. and Hooper Bay residents plan to extend the trail another eight miles to protect more areas
by:Alex DeMarban
How To Dispose Of Your Old ATV Tires
When it comes time to replace your old and worn ATV tires, many riders are eager to purchase new tires, but many are unaware what to do with the old ones. Regardless where you live, throwing old tires in a body or water or natural environment is improper—and in many cases illegal—since the tires can corrupt nature. When disposing of your old ATV tires, be sure to do so in a proper and legal manner that will not negatively impact the environment for future generations.
More and more often, tires are being recycled and formed into all sorts of new products. From park benches to carpets, recycled rubber is a durable and economical product. When you are faced with the decision what to do with your old ATV tires, look to your local recycling company to see if rubber is accepted. Although you may not be able to place your tires to the curb if you community is involved with curbside recycling, the recycling plant may be able to take the tires off your hands. Look to the phonebook or internet to find a recycling facility near you and make a quick visit or telephone call to see if your tires are able to be recycled.
Most tire stores that provide you with new tires for your ATV will be able to take your old ones. Before you make the change, be sure to ask the tire center what they do with old tires if you are concerned about the environmental impact unused rubber causes. Also, there may be a slight fee involved with properly disposing of your old tires, so know this amount upfront in order to prevent any surprises at the cash register. The state in which you live may have certain regulations or fees involving tire disposal, and this is often incorporated into your bill and is listed separately from the cost of the new tires or the labor to install the tires on your ATV.
If your old tires still have life in them, consider giving them to a friend or family member with an ATV. Keep in mind that old tires should only be used if they still have ample tread and are able to ensure the vehicle can be driven safely. Also, consider selling your old ATV tires so that you can use the profits to buy a new set. Look to your local newspaper and list a classified advertisement or turn to the internet with sites like Ebay or Craigslist to sell your tires. These are great resources and you may even find a new set of ATV tires listed at a more economical price than offered at your local tire store.
About Author:
Bill Carmel works with ATVs
More and more often, tires are being recycled and formed into all sorts of new products. From park benches to carpets, recycled rubber is a durable and economical product. When you are faced with the decision what to do with your old ATV tires, look to your local recycling company to see if rubber is accepted. Although you may not be able to place your tires to the curb if you community is involved with curbside recycling, the recycling plant may be able to take the tires off your hands. Look to the phonebook or internet to find a recycling facility near you and make a quick visit or telephone call to see if your tires are able to be recycled.
Most tire stores that provide you with new tires for your ATV will be able to take your old ones. Before you make the change, be sure to ask the tire center what they do with old tires if you are concerned about the environmental impact unused rubber causes. Also, there may be a slight fee involved with properly disposing of your old tires, so know this amount upfront in order to prevent any surprises at the cash register. The state in which you live may have certain regulations or fees involving tire disposal, and this is often incorporated into your bill and is listed separately from the cost of the new tires or the labor to install the tires on your ATV.
If your old tires still have life in them, consider giving them to a friend or family member with an ATV. Keep in mind that old tires should only be used if they still have ample tread and are able to ensure the vehicle can be driven safely. Also, consider selling your old ATV tires so that you can use the profits to buy a new set. Look to your local newspaper and list a classified advertisement or turn to the internet with sites like Ebay or Craigslist to sell your tires. These are great resources and you may even find a new set of ATV tires listed at a more economical price than offered at your local tire store.
About Author:
Bill Carmel works with ATVs
ATV enthusiasts worry about restricted access to public lands
This morning's Gazette Times takes a look at the conflict between federal regulators and the swelling ranks of ATV users. Consider this: the Forest Service estimates 11 million riders visit public lands each year. The former Forest Service chief declared unmanaged ATV use "one of the top threats facing the agency." Read more about the debate!?
Line in the sand
By Bennett Hall
Corvallis Gazette-Times
FLORENCE — The sun is shining, the temperature is pushing 60 and a swarm of dirt bikes, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles is buzzing all over the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
Can this really be February in Oregon?
Better believe it. In fact, even when the weather is less than ideal, President’s Day weekend traditionally signals the start of the off-highway vehicle riding season at the Oregon Dunes, where OHV enthusiasts account for an estimated 750,000 visitor days a year.
“Isn’t this cool?” marvels Lindy Minten, taking in the scene from the saddle of her sport quad, a four-wheeled ATV with big balloon tires and a powerful engine. “This is what we love.”
Minten and her family, who have a farm near Scio, trek to the coast a half-dozen times a year to spend anywhere from four to 10 days camping with friends and playing in the sand with their four-wheelers in this sprawling recreation area managed by the Siuslaw National Forest.
But the Forest Service is rewriting its regulations for off-highway vehicles, and riders fear they could lose access to some of their favorite spots.
Up to now, national forest lands have been open to OHV use unless specifically closed. Under the agency’s new Travel Management Rule, only designated roads, trails and cross-country areas will be open.
“We just did a huge flip-flop,” said Minten, who works with a number of OHV groups to advocate for riders’ rights. “We’re locking people out.”
Off-highway vehicles have exploded in popularity in recent years. According to an industry estimate, annual sales of ATVs and dirt bikes tripled from 1995 to 2003, bringing the total number in use to 8 million nationwide.
OHV use on public lands has grown at the same time, with the Forest Service now estimating 11 million rider visits a year.
The surge in off-roading prompted former Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth to declare unmanaged OHV use one of the top threats facing the agency and led to the Travel Management Rule. That rule is now being implemented in the nation’s 155 national forests, including 13 in Oregon.
For the most part, off-roaders accept the need for better management of their fast-growing sport. But they’re also mobilizing to defend their turf.
“Our group and virtually all of the organized OHV community supported the rule,” said Brian Hawthorne of the BlueRibbon Coalition, a national riders’ organization. “We’re in the mode of trying to accommodate off-road recreational use, rather than restrict it.”
Implementing the Travel Management Rule is a painstaking exercise, with each national forest soliciting public input to produce maps showing proposals for designated riding areas. More feedback is then taken before a final decision is made.
The deadline to complete the process is 2010, and planning is well under way in the two national forests that bracket the mid-valley — the Siuslaw on Oregon’s central coast and the Willamette in the central Cascades.
Of the two, the Siuslaw is farther along. Forest officials have published provisional maps showing designated riding areas and hope to make a final decision by the end of this year, after another round of public comment.
For now, no management changes are proposed for the Siuslaw’s most popular off-road areas, the 1,000-acre Sand Lake area north of Lincoln City and the 29,000-acre Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, which hopscotches down the coast between Florence and Coos Bay.
A skirmish is shaping up over two smaller dune fields just north of Florence, 250-acre Joshua Lane and 50-acre Collard Lake. While little known beyond the immediate area, both are popular with local riders — but less so among the neighbors, who complain about noise, littering and rowdy behavior.
Unlike Sand Lake and the Oregon Dunes, neither area has parking lots, staging areas or camping facilities, while both have some sensitive plant species. The current proposal calls for closing Joshua Lane and Collard Lake to motorized access.
OHV riders are also concerned about losing access to some unpaved Forest Service roads. Under the Travel Management Rule, forests are considering closing some “key” roads to ATVs and dirt bikes. With more users in the forest and less money available to keep roads clear of brush, forest officials are worried about accidents.
“It’s a safety issue,” said Frank Davis, the Siuslaw’s project leader.
Riders see it differently. Some of the roads up for closure in the Siuslaw, they say, are used by hunters or by OHVers looking to link up scattered riding areas. To them, closing roads is another sign that their fast-growing sport is being marginalized by public land managers.
“By the time they forbid us on the so-called key road system ... we won’t have anything left,” said Ron Phillips, president of the Mount Baber ATV Club, a mid-valley group that claims close to 1,000 members. “And there’s no plan to build (new) ATV trails in the forest.”
Off-roaders have similar concerns in the Willamette National Forest, where OHV use is concentrated in two places, Huckleberry Flats and Santiam Pass. Willamette officials are still gathering public input for their initial travel management proposal, but those two areas are being addressed under a separate planning process.
Huckleberry Flats, off Highway 58 near Oakridge, is a well-developed trail network with 33 miles of marked routes for ATV and dirt bike riders. An additional 30 miles of trails are planned over the next several years.
The area is exclusively for motorized recreation, and there are few if any conflicts with other users.
That’s not the case at Santiam Pass, where OHVs compete for space with campers and anglers at Big Lake and with hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. The Mount Washington and Three Sisters wilderness areas also border the pass.
Forest officials have no plans to kick ATVs and dirt bikes out of the pass. Instead, they’re proposing several alternative plans to create an organized trail system.
“What’s developed is a mishmash of pioneered-in routes and user-created trails,” said Steve Otoupalik, a district wilderness and trails manager for the Willamette National Forest. “By identifying a trail system we’re meeting the expectations of two user groups, OHVers and hikers.”
Some people, however, aren’t sure those conflicting expectations can be entirely reconciled.
Corvallis resident Randy Rasmussen, a recreation policy specialist with the American Hiking Society, said he stopped taking his family camping at Big Lake after it became a magnet for off-roaders.
“You can see the Three Sisters, the beautiful lake — and then the motors whine and kids come by doing wheelies,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody should be able to use public lands, but you shouldn’t be allowed to ruin it for everyone else.”
Officials of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics share those concerns. OHV use, they say, can damage wildlife habitat and disrupt breeding activity, tear up sensitive plants and cause conflicts with other forest users.
“There’s a difference in values here,” said James Johnston, a policy analyst for the advocacy group. “Some people want to ride around and make a lot of noise, and some people want peace and quiet.”
Still, it’s clear that off-road recreation is here to stay. A 2005 Forest Service survey estimated that 23.8 percent of Americans 16 and over engaged in some form of OHV use, including more than 580,000 Oregonians.
The state Parks & Recreation Department manages an ATV program with a
$4 million annual budget derived from permit fees and a share of the gas tax. Among other things, the program will fund up to 80 percent of land acquisition and trail-building costs for new riding areas.
Program manager Ron Price reports that grant requests from federal, state and county agencies are on the rise. “We’re looking for opportunities wherever we can,” he said.
Forest Service officials say they’re well aware of the demand for more off-road recreation opportunities — and the conflicts that can arise with other forest visitors.
“As public land managers, we’re always trying to balance the impacts for all kinds of recreational uses,” said Judith McHugh, a public affairs specialist for the Willamette National Forest. “Because we’re managing for everyone.”
Bill Blackwell, a deputy district ranger on the Siuslaw National Forest, said managing those conflicting demands just goes with the territory.
“If you work for any public agency long enough, you understand you’re not going to make everyone happy,” Blackwell said.
“You’ve got to listen to people because sometimes they come up with better ideas than what you have — but in the end you have to do what’s best for the national forest.”
Bennett Hall can be reached at 758-9529 or bennett.hall@lee.net.
The sun is shining, the temperature is pushing 60 and a swarm of dirt bikes, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles is buzzing all over the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
Can this really be February in Oregon?
Better believe it. In fact, even when the weather is less than ideal, President's Day weekend traditionally signals the start of the off-highway vehicle riding season at the Oregon Dunes, where OHV enthusiasts account for an estimated 750,000 visitor days a year.
"Isn't this cool?" marvels Lindy Minten, taking in the scene from the saddle of her sport quad, a four-wheeled ATV with big balloon tires and a powerful engine. "This is what we love."
Minten and her family, who have a farm near Scio, trek to the coast a half-dozen times a year to spend anywhere from four to 10 days camping with friends and playing in the sand with their four-wheelers in this sprawling recreation area managed by the Siuslaw National Forest.
But the Forest Service is rewriting its regulations for off-highway vehicles, and riders fear they could lose access to some of their favorite spots.
Line in the sand
By Bennett Hall
Corvallis Gazette-Times
FLORENCE — The sun is shining, the temperature is pushing 60 and a swarm of dirt bikes, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles is buzzing all over the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
Can this really be February in Oregon?
Better believe it. In fact, even when the weather is less than ideal, President’s Day weekend traditionally signals the start of the off-highway vehicle riding season at the Oregon Dunes, where OHV enthusiasts account for an estimated 750,000 visitor days a year.
“Isn’t this cool?” marvels Lindy Minten, taking in the scene from the saddle of her sport quad, a four-wheeled ATV with big balloon tires and a powerful engine. “This is what we love.”
Minten and her family, who have a farm near Scio, trek to the coast a half-dozen times a year to spend anywhere from four to 10 days camping with friends and playing in the sand with their four-wheelers in this sprawling recreation area managed by the Siuslaw National Forest.
But the Forest Service is rewriting its regulations for off-highway vehicles, and riders fear they could lose access to some of their favorite spots.
Up to now, national forest lands have been open to OHV use unless specifically closed. Under the agency’s new Travel Management Rule, only designated roads, trails and cross-country areas will be open.
“We just did a huge flip-flop,” said Minten, who works with a number of OHV groups to advocate for riders’ rights. “We’re locking people out.”
Off-highway vehicles have exploded in popularity in recent years. According to an industry estimate, annual sales of ATVs and dirt bikes tripled from 1995 to 2003, bringing the total number in use to 8 million nationwide.
OHV use on public lands has grown at the same time, with the Forest Service now estimating 11 million rider visits a year.
The surge in off-roading prompted former Forest Service chief Dale Bosworth to declare unmanaged OHV use one of the top threats facing the agency and led to the Travel Management Rule. That rule is now being implemented in the nation’s 155 national forests, including 13 in Oregon.
For the most part, off-roaders accept the need for better management of their fast-growing sport. But they’re also mobilizing to defend their turf.
“Our group and virtually all of the organized OHV community supported the rule,” said Brian Hawthorne of the BlueRibbon Coalition, a national riders’ organization. “We’re in the mode of trying to accommodate off-road recreational use, rather than restrict it.”
Implementing the Travel Management Rule is a painstaking exercise, with each national forest soliciting public input to produce maps showing proposals for designated riding areas. More feedback is then taken before a final decision is made.
The deadline to complete the process is 2010, and planning is well under way in the two national forests that bracket the mid-valley — the Siuslaw on Oregon’s central coast and the Willamette in the central Cascades.
Of the two, the Siuslaw is farther along. Forest officials have published provisional maps showing designated riding areas and hope to make a final decision by the end of this year, after another round of public comment.
For now, no management changes are proposed for the Siuslaw’s most popular off-road areas, the 1,000-acre Sand Lake area north of Lincoln City and the 29,000-acre Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, which hopscotches down the coast between Florence and Coos Bay.
A skirmish is shaping up over two smaller dune fields just north of Florence, 250-acre Joshua Lane and 50-acre Collard Lake. While little known beyond the immediate area, both are popular with local riders — but less so among the neighbors, who complain about noise, littering and rowdy behavior.
Unlike Sand Lake and the Oregon Dunes, neither area has parking lots, staging areas or camping facilities, while both have some sensitive plant species. The current proposal calls for closing Joshua Lane and Collard Lake to motorized access.
OHV riders are also concerned about losing access to some unpaved Forest Service roads. Under the Travel Management Rule, forests are considering closing some “key” roads to ATVs and dirt bikes. With more users in the forest and less money available to keep roads clear of brush, forest officials are worried about accidents.
“It’s a safety issue,” said Frank Davis, the Siuslaw’s project leader.
Riders see it differently. Some of the roads up for closure in the Siuslaw, they say, are used by hunters or by OHVers looking to link up scattered riding areas. To them, closing roads is another sign that their fast-growing sport is being marginalized by public land managers.
“By the time they forbid us on the so-called key road system ... we won’t have anything left,” said Ron Phillips, president of the Mount Baber ATV Club, a mid-valley group that claims close to 1,000 members. “And there’s no plan to build (new) ATV trails in the forest.”
Off-roaders have similar concerns in the Willamette National Forest, where OHV use is concentrated in two places, Huckleberry Flats and Santiam Pass. Willamette officials are still gathering public input for their initial travel management proposal, but those two areas are being addressed under a separate planning process.
Huckleberry Flats, off Highway 58 near Oakridge, is a well-developed trail network with 33 miles of marked routes for ATV and dirt bike riders. An additional 30 miles of trails are planned over the next several years.
The area is exclusively for motorized recreation, and there are few if any conflicts with other users.
That’s not the case at Santiam Pass, where OHVs compete for space with campers and anglers at Big Lake and with hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. The Mount Washington and Three Sisters wilderness areas also border the pass.
Forest officials have no plans to kick ATVs and dirt bikes out of the pass. Instead, they’re proposing several alternative plans to create an organized trail system.
“What’s developed is a mishmash of pioneered-in routes and user-created trails,” said Steve Otoupalik, a district wilderness and trails manager for the Willamette National Forest. “By identifying a trail system we’re meeting the expectations of two user groups, OHVers and hikers.”
Some people, however, aren’t sure those conflicting expectations can be entirely reconciled.
Corvallis resident Randy Rasmussen, a recreation policy specialist with the American Hiking Society, said he stopped taking his family camping at Big Lake after it became a magnet for off-roaders.
“You can see the Three Sisters, the beautiful lake — and then the motors whine and kids come by doing wheelies,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody should be able to use public lands, but you shouldn’t be allowed to ruin it for everyone else.”
Officials of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics share those concerns. OHV use, they say, can damage wildlife habitat and disrupt breeding activity, tear up sensitive plants and cause conflicts with other forest users.
“There’s a difference in values here,” said James Johnston, a policy analyst for the advocacy group. “Some people want to ride around and make a lot of noise, and some people want peace and quiet.”
Still, it’s clear that off-road recreation is here to stay. A 2005 Forest Service survey estimated that 23.8 percent of Americans 16 and over engaged in some form of OHV use, including more than 580,000 Oregonians.
The state Parks & Recreation Department manages an ATV program with a
$4 million annual budget derived from permit fees and a share of the gas tax. Among other things, the program will fund up to 80 percent of land acquisition and trail-building costs for new riding areas.
Program manager Ron Price reports that grant requests from federal, state and county agencies are on the rise. “We’re looking for opportunities wherever we can,” he said.
Forest Service officials say they’re well aware of the demand for more off-road recreation opportunities — and the conflicts that can arise with other forest visitors.
“As public land managers, we’re always trying to balance the impacts for all kinds of recreational uses,” said Judith McHugh, a public affairs specialist for the Willamette National Forest. “Because we’re managing for everyone.”
Bill Blackwell, a deputy district ranger on the Siuslaw National Forest, said managing those conflicting demands just goes with the territory.
“If you work for any public agency long enough, you understand you’re not going to make everyone happy,” Blackwell said.
“You’ve got to listen to people because sometimes they come up with better ideas than what you have — but in the end you have to do what’s best for the national forest.”
Bennett Hall can be reached at 758-9529 or bennett.hall@lee.net.
The sun is shining, the temperature is pushing 60 and a swarm of dirt bikes, dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles is buzzing all over the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.
Can this really be February in Oregon?
Better believe it. In fact, even when the weather is less than ideal, President's Day weekend traditionally signals the start of the off-highway vehicle riding season at the Oregon Dunes, where OHV enthusiasts account for an estimated 750,000 visitor days a year.
"Isn't this cool?" marvels Lindy Minten, taking in the scene from the saddle of her sport quad, a four-wheeled ATV with big balloon tires and a powerful engine. "This is what we love."
Minten and her family, who have a farm near Scio, trek to the coast a half-dozen times a year to spend anywhere from four to 10 days camping with friends and playing in the sand with their four-wheelers in this sprawling recreation area managed by the Siuslaw National Forest.
But the Forest Service is rewriting its regulations for off-highway vehicles, and riders fear they could lose access to some of their favorite spots.
Jon Mitchell Racing Welcomes Three New Sponsors
TEXARKANA, Texas -- Jon Mitchell Racing is proud to announce three new sponsors, and welcome them on board for the 2008 Racing Season!
The three new sponsors include Hoosier Tire, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, and True Flow Performance Air Filters.
Hoosier Tire is a Indiana-based manufacturer of various types of race tires including oval track asphalt, oval track dirt, drag racing, road racing and ATV tires. Their website is http://www.hoosiertire.com/
Pro-Blend Motorsports Products is a company which started over 20 years ago in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, began pioneering and developing a technology that today is referred to as the science of metal preferential characteristics. The results of this development program culminated in products that were hailed by various industries as "break-thru" products and were so advanced that even today are universally recognized as "the standard" by which all others are compared. You can view their website at http://www.pro-blend.com/
True Flow Performance Air Filters are designed to get the most performance for your vehicle. True Flow Performance Air Filters is dedicated to getting you the best air flow, horsepower and fuel efficiency while protecting your engine. You can view their website at http://www.trueflow.com
When asked about picking up the new sponsors, Jon said "It's a really good thing to pick these sponsors up. Every little bit helps. I'm happy that they came on board with us, and hope that we can continue to pick up new sponsors, and do good for them all this year"
Hoosier Tire, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, and True Flow Performance Air Filters has been added to an already impressive sponsorship list which includes: GRT By Catman, W&W Timber, Marion Towing, JFR Graphics, GRT Race Cars, GRT Fab, Performance Powder Coating, J&J Motorsports, Bell Helmets, BSB Manufacturing, Duralite Wheels, Hawk Performance Break Pads, Hoosier Tire, Integra Shocks and Springs, Brodix, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, True Flow Performance Air Filters, Stealth Carburetors, Bert, Simpson, Outpace, Schoenfield, Kenneth's High Performance, Big Worm Motorsports, Franklin Rear Ends, Cam Motion, RCI, Port City Racing, Woodward Steering and Wilwood, Dyers Top Rods, ASI Racewear, Pectol Motorsports, Two Rivers Agri Service, Ark La Tex Driveshafts, Schafers Racing Oil, and Victory Lane Web Designs
More sponsors are always welcome at Jon Mitchell Racing, and for more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jon Mitchell at 903-277-8873
For more information and the latest news on Jon Mitchell Racing, visit their website at http://JonMitchellRacing.com
by Luke Matheson, Jon Mitchell Racing
The three new sponsors include Hoosier Tire, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, and True Flow Performance Air Filters.
Hoosier Tire is a Indiana-based manufacturer of various types of race tires including oval track asphalt, oval track dirt, drag racing, road racing and ATV tires. Their website is http://www.hoosiertire.com/
Pro-Blend Motorsports Products is a company which started over 20 years ago in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, began pioneering and developing a technology that today is referred to as the science of metal preferential characteristics. The results of this development program culminated in products that were hailed by various industries as "break-thru" products and were so advanced that even today are universally recognized as "the standard" by which all others are compared. You can view their website at http://www.pro-blend.com/
True Flow Performance Air Filters are designed to get the most performance for your vehicle. True Flow Performance Air Filters is dedicated to getting you the best air flow, horsepower and fuel efficiency while protecting your engine. You can view their website at http://www.trueflow.com
When asked about picking up the new sponsors, Jon said "It's a really good thing to pick these sponsors up. Every little bit helps. I'm happy that they came on board with us, and hope that we can continue to pick up new sponsors, and do good for them all this year"
Hoosier Tire, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, and True Flow Performance Air Filters has been added to an already impressive sponsorship list which includes: GRT By Catman, W&W Timber, Marion Towing, JFR Graphics, GRT Race Cars, GRT Fab, Performance Powder Coating, J&J Motorsports, Bell Helmets, BSB Manufacturing, Duralite Wheels, Hawk Performance Break Pads, Hoosier Tire, Integra Shocks and Springs, Brodix, Pro-Blend Motorsports Products, True Flow Performance Air Filters, Stealth Carburetors, Bert, Simpson, Outpace, Schoenfield, Kenneth's High Performance, Big Worm Motorsports, Franklin Rear Ends, Cam Motion, RCI, Port City Racing, Woodward Steering and Wilwood, Dyers Top Rods, ASI Racewear, Pectol Motorsports, Two Rivers Agri Service, Ark La Tex Driveshafts, Schafers Racing Oil, and Victory Lane Web Designs
More sponsors are always welcome at Jon Mitchell Racing, and for more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Jon Mitchell at 903-277-8873
For more information and the latest news on Jon Mitchell Racing, visit their website at http://JonMitchellRacing.com
by Luke Matheson, Jon Mitchell Racing
Product Review: BRP Apache ATV Track
By Scott Monroe
When I was first contacted about the possibility of reviewing the Apache Track system, I was more than a little excited. The first thing that went through my mind were several questions that needed to be answered. How well would they work in our deep Alaska snow and extreme cold? How would they steer, and alter the way my Outlander handled overall? Most importantly how much fun would they be while still being useful for utility work?
If a person is an avid ATV forum participant, then you are well aware of the evolution of products that are now available for ones ATV. The Apache Track system was introduced by:Can-Am BRP
When I was first contacted about the possibility of reviewing the Apache Track system, I was more than a little excited. The first thing that went through my mind were several questions that needed to be answered. How well would they work in our deep Alaska snow and extreme cold? How would they steer, and alter the way my Outlander handled overall? Most importantly how much fun would they be while still being useful for utility work?
If a person is an avid ATV forum participant, then you are well aware of the evolution of products that are now available for ones ATV. The Apache Track system was introduced by:Can-Am BRP
to open up their ATV market to more winter use and more importantly winter fun! Now most of us are guilty of taking our ATV's out in the middle of freezing winds and winter snows to see just how far our tires, chains and lift kits will get us. Often times we find ourselves not getting nearly as far as we would probably like. Of course that means we end up stuck more often then not and find ourselves working more than having fun.
Thanks to BRP's Apache Track system the terrain in which ones ATV can conquer in the winter has been greatly expanded and simplified.
Apache Track Facts:
Weighing in at just a bit over 68 lbs per track set (rear came in right at 68lbs and the fronts at 70lbs to be exact), a person is adding a fair amount of weight to ones machine compared to tires / rims. Considering the aluminum wheels and tire combination that comes with the XT package weighed in right at an average of 35lbs. In essence you are adding right at double the weight by going from the OEM tires and rims to the Apache Tracks.
But don't panic just yet, because here is the rest of the story! Even with those extra pounds you will stay on top of the snow better then any tire / wheel combination out there could ever hope to achieve. Not to mention stay right with many trail snow machines out there when it comes to going through the deep stuff.
Sitting on hard pack snow, I took the length and width of the track sitting in the snow and came up with the following average footprint per track of 2.5 square feet. Take that by four tracks and your ATV now has right at 10 square feet of tracks ready to keep you and your ATV on top of the snow. Compare that to the best OEM / aftermarket tires out there and one is doing well to come up with anything over .9 square feet per tire. What this all means is this: the Apache Tracks will more than double the area in which you and your quad will drive upon in the snow compared to tires.
Remember, the above figures were with the Apache Track on hard pack and the area in which they cover only becomes greater as they get into deeper snow. With a track length of just over 30 inches and a width of 11.5 inches per track, you are in for some real flotation. Not to mention the increased ground clearance of 12.5 inches in front and 14 inches everywhere else, you will become even happier that you are now riding on a wheelbase that measures in at 53.5 inches (compared to approx. 48 inches with OEM tires / rims). This extra width really helps keep the quad stable during off chamber situations and high-speed trail riding.
For the rest of this article and additional photos, follow this link to www.atvfrontier.com.
Thanks to BRP's Apache Track system the terrain in which ones ATV can conquer in the winter has been greatly expanded and simplified.
Apache Track Facts:
Weighing in at just a bit over 68 lbs per track set (rear came in right at 68lbs and the fronts at 70lbs to be exact), a person is adding a fair amount of weight to ones machine compared to tires / rims. Considering the aluminum wheels and tire combination that comes with the XT package weighed in right at an average of 35lbs. In essence you are adding right at double the weight by going from the OEM tires and rims to the Apache Tracks.
But don't panic just yet, because here is the rest of the story! Even with those extra pounds you will stay on top of the snow better then any tire / wheel combination out there could ever hope to achieve. Not to mention stay right with many trail snow machines out there when it comes to going through the deep stuff.
Sitting on hard pack snow, I took the length and width of the track sitting in the snow and came up with the following average footprint per track of 2.5 square feet. Take that by four tracks and your ATV now has right at 10 square feet of tracks ready to keep you and your ATV on top of the snow. Compare that to the best OEM / aftermarket tires out there and one is doing well to come up with anything over .9 square feet per tire. What this all means is this: the Apache Tracks will more than double the area in which you and your quad will drive upon in the snow compared to tires.
Remember, the above figures were with the Apache Track on hard pack and the area in which they cover only becomes greater as they get into deeper snow. With a track length of just over 30 inches and a width of 11.5 inches per track, you are in for some real flotation. Not to mention the increased ground clearance of 12.5 inches in front and 14 inches everywhere else, you will become even happier that you are now riding on a wheelbase that measures in at 53.5 inches (compared to approx. 48 inches with OEM tires / rims). This extra width really helps keep the quad stable during off chamber situations and high-speed trail riding.
For the rest of this article and additional photos, follow this link to www.atvfrontier.com.
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