A little Guam Atv history
Atv’s have been a part of the off-road scene on Guam since the first Honda 3 wheelers were produced. The first two fellows to kick off the atv racing on Guam were Kevin Nace and Roberto Pitter both on Honda 250R 3 wheelers back in 1985 at a quarter mile dirt flattrack exhibition. So exciting were the two racing full throttle around the course that by the next scheduled racing event the atv race scene had tripled to 6 competitors which included several Suzuki LT 250 four wheelers. The atv scene just grew from that point on to include a major annual event the Guam Smokin Wheels with both U.S. riders and riders from Japan competing against the local talent in a 2 hour off –road atv endurance, quarter mile flattrack racing, and supercross.. Top riders such as Dean Sundahl, Charlie Shepard, and even the living legend Gary Denton all have raced and won here on Guam racing against the best the island and Japan had to offer.
In the past several years Guam has become a part or a stop on the All Japan Atv Championships with up to ten 40 foot containers loaded to the hilt with atvs and equipment being brought in from Japan as part of the Japan Championships. It is quite the atv event here in the Pacific.
2006
For 2006 the atv scene has seen a huge growth as the island has been in a build up of military persons along with their dependants. Trail riding, racing, and the number of spectators seem to get better and better with each passing month. Guam is enjoying an atv growth boom and it just seems to be getting better and better. Check out final points standings here.
For 2006 the atv race scene has had races during the islands hosting of the UAM/FIM Asian Super-cross Championships, Round 1 of the All Japan Atv Championships, the ten round Guam Moto-X Championships, Village fiesta motocross events and local GMAC sanctioned TT racing held under the stadium lights on Saturday nights.
2007
With the conclusion of the 2006 Guam Moto-X Championships Guam’s atv racers have a lot to look forward to as the 2007 year rolls upon them with a ten round Guam Moto-X Championship Series that promises exciting new track layouts, better prizes, more participants, more local media and international coverage, and bigger crowds entering into the grandstands.
Besides the Guam Moto-X Championship series several large international events are also back on the schedule for 2007 like the UAM-FIM Asian Motocross Championship round which is televised into an approximate half billion households through out Asia and the Pacific, the Pacific Minibike Championships and the Guam Smokin Wheels also a televised event which promises again to bring out the best riders from Japan and Asia.
The Guam atv racers will take a local break in the racing program and be loading up their machines into shipping containers in July to travel to the Pacific island of Saipan to participate in the Marianas Racing Associations annual Pacific Motocross Championships where Guam has gone undefeated in the Open Atv class since 1986.
With all that going Guam’s atv racers will also have several local Fiesta races and TT races to participate in during 2007.
We hope to submit race reports, rider interviews with profiles along with photos from all the events in which Guam’s atv racers participate in to Atv Exposed Magazine so as to share our fun of atv racing from Guam with all of you.
Thank you
GMAC PIO
Rob Bucek
torque@guam.net
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