News

San Diego, CA- 2/1/12 - UTVUnderground.com is proud to announce the release of our latest video project done in conjunction with sponsor Pro Armor. The short film now dubbed "The Movie" was produced during the 2012 Soboba GP weekend which was held the first weekend in January 2012 at the Soboba Indian Reservation. Together Pro Armor and UTVUnderground.com set out to create a video piece that did justice to the awesome event and race that the Soboba GP is and was.  From the now famed "Soboba Leap" jump contest to the exciting land rush start to the big race, UTVUnderground and Pro Armor were there to cover it all.

 Valcourt, Québec, February 1, 2012 – Dirt Trax Magazine, a North American ATV and off-road publication, has named three Can-Am off-road vehicles as 2012 Best In Class winners. The models, named in its latest issue currently on newsstands, are: 2012 Can-Am Outlander 1000 XT, Can-Am Renegade 1000 and the Can-Am Commander 800R.

Minneapolis, February 2, 2012 –Polaris comes into the 2012 race season with teams competing in the Grand National Cross Country series (GNCC), World Off-Road Championship series (WORCS), Best in the Desert (BITD) and Mud racing. Polaris also will continue to offer their ATV racing contingency program and has added a Side-by-Side contingency for the BITD series.

The U.S. Forest Service has released the Record of Decision and the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that addresses issues stemming from a lawsuit in federal court over gun hunting and snowmobiling in the Huron-Manistee National Forests.

Minneapolis, February 1, 2012 –RJ Anderson and his Walker Evans, Holz Racing Products built RZR XP started 2012 with a bang winning the Soboba GP UTV race and also broke the record for the longest jump in a factory-powered side-by-side at 151 feet!

I am sure many of you have followed the twists and turns of Winter Use Planning processes for the last twelve plus years.  There have been many.  In addition, the continuing legal battles in the Washington D.C. and Wyoming courts have yet to come to a conclusion that both sides will accept.

Lima, Peru,January 24, 2012 — BRP's Can-Am ATV and side-by-side teams reached their respective class podiums in the 34th edition of the most famous rally in the world, the Dakar Rally.  

This year's edition, noted by some as "the most challenging Dakar thus far," kicked off in Mar del Plata-Argentina, leading 30 hopeful ATV racers through approximately 9,000 kilometers (5,592 miles) of unparalleled terrains across Argentina, Chile, and finally, Peru.

This update just in from Douglas County, Nevada, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to hear a presentation on the components and framework of the Douglas County Conservation Bill on February 2, 2012.  Public comment will be heard on the item, but no action will be taken.  Public comment will also be taken at the Douglas County Board of Commissioners' February 16, 2012, meeting, at which time the Board may consider taking action.

Official Team Polaris/Xtreme Plus participated for the first time ever at the Dakar 2012, the world’s toughest off-road race. After having developed a special new FIA class (T3) for the RZR, the Polaris/Xtreme Plus Team had run some tests in several events, and won the Dakar Series, in Russia, in July 2011.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Yuma Field Office will hold an open house on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, to update the public on the La Posa Travel Management Plan (TMP).  The open house will be held at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) building located at 235 East Ironwood Street; Quartzsite, Arizona, from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Spartanburg, SC – In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, KYMCO USA is advising the general public of a potential safety defect found on the KYMCO UXV 500/500i, UXV 500/500i LE and UXV 500/500i SE models. All vehicles produced for model year 2009 – 2011 and a limited number of 2012 models are affected. (See below for more details.) This potential hazard can cause serious injury or death if not repaired by an authorized KYMCO dealer.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced the release of the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for a new Forest Planning Rule. The Planning Rule is a set of regulations which governs how the U.S. Forest Service develops individual Forest Plans.  Forest Plans provide a broad management framework which often guides subsequent OHV-related project level planning. The agency's press release is HERE. The Rule is HERE

Valcourt, Québec, January 20, 2012 – Looking to build upon its unprecedented racing success in 2011 – a season that saw two Pro-class championships, two manufacturer’s cup titles, several amateur-class titles and a successful debut with the Commander side-by-side racing efforts — BRP will again field a team of Can-Am racers on both ATVs and side-by-sides in off-road racing series in the U.S. and Canada in 2012.

On January 9, 2012, BRC blasted a national land use update on the sage grouse issue and promised you an action alert. We are working hard assessing impacts to recreation and comment suggestions. We will have an update out soon.

Our partners over at the New Mexico Off Highway Vehicle Alliance (NMOHVA), just sent us a their latest Access Alert on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carlsbad Field Office's upcoming workshops.

The Coronado National Forest, located in southeastern Arizona, is considering changes to the designated road system. Now that travel analysis plans and proposed actions have been developed, the Forest Service is inviting public input and collaboration on the next phase of the travel management process.

San Diego, CA- 1/20/12 - UTVUnderground.com along with the industries top media outlets were invited to Parker, AZ in early January by Polaris Industries for a special event surrounding Polaris' newest sport model UTV. Polaris staff unveiled the new 2012 Polaris RZR-4 XP900 in spectacular fashion and during one of the area's busiest weekends. 

Morgantown, W.Va. (January 18, 2012) - The ATV Promoters Group (ATVPG) announces today a change in the location of the opening round of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series. Round one, originally scheduled for March 24-25 at Millcreek in Pell City, Ala., will now take place the same weekend at Aonia Pass Motocross in Washington, Ga.

BRC just received an email from Mike Swenson, Executive Director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance (USA-ALL), with a quick note about an upcoming conference call with Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey that is open to the public.

CYPRESS, Calif. – January 17, 2011 – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.’s, OHV Access Initiative today announced the fourth quarter 2011 awards totaling more than $96,000 for seven projects supporting safe, responsible OHV riding and open, sustainable OHV access to trails and riding areas across the country.

The all-new RANGER RZR® Doors offer the best in install, comfort, quality and style. This door kit includes two lightweight aluminum doors with top nets, all mounting hardware and installation instructions. Key features include:

BRC just received an email from Shirley Leeson, Vice President of the American Lands Access Association (ALAA), asking us to remind all our members and supporters about their upcoming meeting in Quartzsite, Arizona.

Minneapolis, January 11, 2012 – Polaris Industries today announced the company’s new limited edition ATV and Side-by-Side offerings. All units will be available in dealerships in February.

Our partners over at the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) have announced the schedule of Webinars and OHV Recreation Management Courses being offered in 2012.

I have pasted in a copy of their announcement below; please take a couple of minutes to read over the information.

BRC just received an email from Sandra Mitchell with the Idaho Recreation Council (IRC) regarding a couple of upcoming open houses about  the North South Motorized Route from Avery, Idaho, to Elk City, Idaho.

We've pasted the information below. Please take a minute to read the alert, take action and then pass it along to friends, family and riding buddies.

The Forest Service has announced the release the Travel Management Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Tonto National Forest for public review and comment. A 30-day public comment period began on January 6, 2012. Comments will be accepted through February 5, 2012.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will present information about its inventory of public lands containing wilderness characteristics in the Bighorn Basin at a meeting hosted by the Washakie County Commission and the Washakie County Conservation District. This cooperating agency meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, from 9 am to 5 pm at the Worland Community Center, and is open to the public.

The Forest Service is asking for public input on a proposed draft of the revised Shoshone National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) during an informal 30-day review period. Comments will need to be submitted by February 2, 2012.

The Clearwater National Forest has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the Travel Planning project. BRC is tearing into it, and it doesn't look good. The Clearwater has decided to include mountain bikes and snowmobiles in this plan -- so this is a very big deal.

 The Forest Service has announced the release their Draft Revised Land Management Plans (Forest Plan) and Draft Environmental Impact Statements (DEIS) for the Kootenai National Forest for public review and comment. A 90-day public comment period starts on January 6, 2012, (with publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register). Comments will be accepted through April 5, 2012.