The Can-Am X-Team has done it again, taking more podium positions than any other brand at the Australian ATV Motocross National Titles. The honours were won amongst the least modified classes, a testament to the performance of the mighty Can-Am DS450 and the quality of the Can-Am X-Team.
Can-Am X-Team riders from every corner of Australia ventured over to Murray Bridge, South Australia for what was to be the biggest ever Australian ATV race meeting in history. With 185 riders entering to try and take home a National Title the competition was extremely fierce.
Can-Am X-Team veteran and recent class entrant to the 45+ 
Vet’s division, Rick ‘Beery’ Beer, was the star of the show flogging the field every time he took to the track. ‘Pistol Pete’ Middleton put on a show as well, keeping it super clean to take out 3rd in the class. In such a competitive division, the double podium to Can-Am was a great achievement.
35+ Vets Class saw some tough competition as well, but mainly between Can-Am X-Team rider Darrell ‘Bullet’ Knight and Can-Am X-Team sub rider Rob ‘Boothy’ Booth, also on a DS450X. Boothy finally got the better of Bullet, managing to take the National Title without even winning a race, delegating Bullet to second place.
Young ‘Super Cooper’ Van Vliet pulled off a huge upset to all of the 2 stroke riders, proving the noise and smoke of the rice burners was no match for the smooth consistency of the mighty four stroke DS90X, taking Coop’s to a well earned 3rd place in Australia.
Pro Open was looking like another big one for the X-Team, with WA rider Chad McKay clearly the man to beat when it came to the evil whoops section at the Northern end of the track. The 21 year old was absolutely on fire all weekend until a massive get-off in the first race on day 2. His DS450X mx flew high into the air over the finish table top, throwing the rider clean off and landing hard on it’s rear grab bar. Any other machine would surely have been written off after such a horrific crash, but as McKay put it after the race, “I just hopped back on, started her up and kept on going. This would have to be the toughest and most reliable bike I have ever ridden”.
The speed and reliability of the mighty DS450XMX proved once and for all that even in completely bone stock form, it is every bit as good as the other Pro riders $20k+ highly modified race bikes. Chad not only took out 2nd place in the Pro Open class, but is now also the Australian Senior Production Class Champion. Not bad for a stock DS450X mx.
Australian ATV MX Championships X-Team Results
Production 1st place Chad McKay
Pro 2nd place Chad McKay
Vet’s 35+ 2nd place Darrell ‘Bullet’ Knight
Vet’s 45+ 1st place Rick ‘Beery’ Beer
Vets 45+ 3rd place ‘Pistol Pete’ Middleton
Junior 90 mod 3rd place ‘Super Cooper’ Van Vliet
Sub Riders
Vet’s 35+ Class 1st place Rob Booth
Congratulations to all competitors at the 2009 ATV Nationals, particularly to the Can-Am X-Team who continue to fly the Can-Am flag high above the rest.
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