Eight days after walking out of the ICU with my own injuries, I watched as Peris Rosen painfully under rotated a front flip at X Games 16. The same night I watched Cameron Sinclair win Best Trick gold by stomping a perfect double backflip, the same trick that nearly ended his life less than a year ago. Rosen would return to X Games with only minor injuries but all of this begs the question; why?
Why do we do what we do? It’s certainly not smart. Willingly lofting oneself up to thirty feet in the air at distances greater than 70 ft certainly isn’t conducive to long life and good health. Read more...
In a true underdog story, the Zakowski Motorsports/All Terrain Research team has walked away with the Pro-Utility win at the 3rd annual GBC Motorsports Heartland 10-Hour Challenge. After soaring temperatures in the mid nineties and almost 100 percent humidity, the trio of GNCC championship chasers Zac Zakowski, Kevin Tranthem, and Scott Kilby sacrificed everything they had in order to pull off the win, finishing an amazing 36m: 26s ahead of 2 time Heartland Challenge champs.
The day started off decent with team head, Zac Zakowski, performing the le-mans style start and heading into the woods 3rd. After a mere mile or two Zakowski had overtaken the lead and continued to put some distance between him and 2nd. Read more...
This year marks the 3rd annual Heartland Challenge located in Carlisle, IA. The 10 hour team race is a true test of man and machine, thinning out the men from the boys. That is why All Terrain Research is proud to announce their alliance with Pro-Utility team, Zakowski Motorsports, in their attempt to bring home the Pro class win. With all 3 racers on the team being Can-am X-Team Riders things are looking very good for the intense race. The team consists of host and rider Zac Zakowski, currently holding 2nd place in 4×4 Open, 4×4 limited rider and 7 time GNCC champ Scott Kilby, and 4×4 Lites points leader Kevin Tranthem. The team will be racing on Zakowski Motorsports prepped Can-am Outlander 800 Efi Atvs. The quads will be strutting many custom products from ATR in order to hold up to the brutal race. Read more...
These days there is rarely a dull moment in my life, even while recovering from a near life ending injury. While practicing in Texas recently I managed to land myself short of the “sweet spot” and in the ICU. Injuries sustained included a broken shoulder, a fractured skull and a rather large gash to the back of my head. All things considered my time in the hospital wasn’t all that unpleasant but after sitting in bed for ten days, I was ready to get out and back on my feet. Little did I know the excitement I was in for, before I would ever even make it back home. Read more...
Our Can-Am Renegade & Outlander HD Tie Rods are CNC machined from ¾” high strength steel and are finished in Yellow Zinc Chromate to protect from corrosion. Flat spots are milled into the tie rods for easy steering adjustment. These are a must have item for Can-Am Renegades & Outlanders with lift kits and oversized tires where the stock tie rods are easily bent. This is a complete tie rod kit also including ATR Tie Rods and HD Tie Rod Ends from All Balls Racing.
It was a unique weekend for round 9 of the GNCC circuit this past Saturday, as everyone made the trip to the famous Snowshoe Mountain Resort in West Virginia. Team rider Zac Zakowski had an astonishing race to end on as we head into summer break. Zac took the holeshot on the Grand Prix style start and would hold onto the lead for the entire first lap. After battling fiercely all day on the very treacherous West Virginia track, swapping for the lead multiple times during the day, Zac would finish a close 5 seconds behind first place to bring home the silver and a successful 5th overall Read more...
Menasha, WI: It was another nail-biting weekend as team pilot and Can-am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski fought neck and neck for the lead at the fast paced Ohio track for round 8 of the GNCC Circuit. Zac came out of the gate in a strong 3rd place position before nudging by 2nd heading into the woods. After leading at different times during the day, Zac finished 2nd in class and a very successful 8th overall. Another strong weekend leaves Zac sitting in 2nd for points and an estimated national rank of 6th overall in the morning class! Read more...
I met Jake French in the 8th Grade. The new kid stuck out like a sore thumb in my class of twenty five. The first thing I noticed of course was the Jeremy McGrath T shirt he was wearing. “You ride?” I asked. He said “yup” and the rest is history. Jake and I were fast friends and spent much of the next five years irritating our classmates with our moto-minded conversations and riding every chance we got. If we weren’t riding we were planning our next outing or reminiscing about one of the previous ones. Read more...
ATR sponsored Factory Can-Am rider, Zac Zakowski had an astonishing weekend in Somerset, PA this weekend. After grabbing the holeshot, Zac went on to battle for the lead in the deteriorating track conditions. Zac wound up clinching 2nd in the 4×4 Open Class. After many bottlenecks, Zac also finished 2nd overall, his best overall finish to date; thus landing Zac and Zakowski Motorsports their first overall podium in what we hope to be a long career. Read more...
Once upon a time, I conquered the back flip on a trampoline. Some years later I witnessed my first motorcycle back flip and was truly amazed. Last fall while in Vegas, I watched Caleb Moore pull back flip after back flip on his quad and only one word came to mind; burly. What’s more is after a few attempts he started throwing flip variations. What was equally as exciting was witnessing the group of dirt bike riders nodding their heads in approval and exclaiming their awe for what they to had just witnessed. No one can deny the legitimacy of quad freestyle. Read more...
Six months ago I was gainfully employed at Columbia River Bank, one of the finer banking establishments in The Dalles, Oregon. As a Credit Analyst for their commercial lending department, I spent my days scouring credit reports and tax returns, analyzing each applicant’s ability to repay a loan. To the analytical mind, this would seem a dream job. For myself, though I studied Accounting in college, the suite and tie coupled with sitting behind a large oak desk was not my ideal career path. What’s more, as the economy slowing began dwindling, the banking industry as a whole became less than stable. Read more...
The heat and dust at round six of the 2010 GNCC series caused problems for many racers, but Cecco Racing’s Rick Cecco overcame those obstacles to claim a solid second in the 4×4 Open class.
Cecco got off to a great start, taking an early lead as racers headed into the woods. Cecco would pace himself and held his lead for four miles before dropping back to second. While in second the heat and the dust started to become a factor and interfered with proper breathing and visibility, but Cecco pressed on and scored his fastest lap time in the third lap with a time of 28:32.172. Read more...
Menasha, WI: It was a dust storm to the equivalent of the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930’s this past weekend at round 6 of the GNCC circuit. Can-am/X-team rider Zac Zakowski succumbed to a long day fighting a tight track, chokingly dusty conditions, and handling woes to finish 4th in class and 35th overall. After pulling a 4th place start, Zac settled into his current position till the dust settled which seemed to be the case with everyone. Read more...
Menasha, WI: After a grueling mud race in Tennessee for the GNCC’s, Zac Zakowski had another motivating weekend down in Iowa at the IATVHSS round 1 in Spragueville, Iowa. Zac took the holeshot, and after some first lap bottlenecks was able to regain the lead until the end of the race. Thus, claiming the Open Utility win. Read more...
It seems every week I’m able to experience something new for the first time and it’s usually something I never dreamed I’d get to experience. My first month in California I attended the Baja 1000 with Wes and the entire Matlock Racing team. I got to ride Ocotillo Wells with Mike Metzger and some of his crew for an event he was putting on. Most recently I was able to be involved in my first magazine shootout between several very built race quads. Read more...
Shermansdale, PA – ATR sponsored rider Rick Cecco battled the elements at round number five of the 2010 GNCC series to take a solid second in the 4×4 Open class.
Cecco came off the line out front, but things got tricky going into the woods and Cecco would find himself in third in the first lap due to the wet and muddy conditions.
Thick mud and bottlenecks were plentiful at Loretta Lynn’s, so Cecco took his time and rode smart in the first lap. In lap three, he was able to take over second place when Daryl Rath would fall back. Read more...
I do not race. I’ve lined up on an actual racecourse three times in my life and have been ill equipped each time. My first experience was in 2006 aboard a nearly stock LT250R. I was home on summer break from college and my dad suggested I give racing a try. The fellow running practice must have sensed my inexperience as he approached me and kindly suggested that I practice with the “old farts and women.” You can imagine how that experience went. Read more...
Round 5 of the GNCC circuit was a rough one this weekend for everyone in Tennessee. Torrential downpours all Friday night along with hail and tornado warnings for Saturday proved to be paying its toll on everyone. Can-am Rider Zac Zakowski was among many others to experience problems in the monsoon like weather and mud. Zac nearly had the holeshot, but sufficed to the mud and fell back to 4th heading into the woods. After a long day of battling for the lead in the mud Zac had fallen victim to a broken steering component on the last lap, causing him not to finish and end up 8th in class and 75th overall. Read more...
Zac Zakowski, after a 1st place finish in round 4 of the GNCC circuit, continued his progression with a win at round one of the AMA National ATV Hare Scramble Series in Berwick, PA this weekend. Although not as big of a series or field of riders, Zac was still challenged by GNCC competitor Rick Cecco, which was sure to lead to an eventful day. After a clean holeshot, Zac held the lead, only losing it to Cecco for a lap or so. At the end of the day, it was a very good off weekend from the GNCC’s for Can-am rider Zac Zakowski. Read more...
It was a wonderful weekend in South Carolina, round 4 of the GNCC circuit, for everyone at Zakowski Motorsports. ATR and Can-am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski capitalized off last round’s strong finish with a successful 1st place in class and 14th overall this weekend with a field of about 240 riders. Zac grabbed the holeshot and kept the lead all day from green to checkered, a huge accomplishment. Zac is currently tied for second in points and is one point out of first. Read more...
Three rounds into the 2010 GNCC series, Cecco Racing’s, Rick Cecco holds down third place in the points chase after a top ten class finish at Steel Creek.
Cecco grabbed the holeshot in the 4×4 Open class and led briefly before settling in to second. There was a tough three-way battle with Bryan Buckhannon, Zac Zakowski and Cecco through the entire first lap. The battle began to carry over to the second lap until complications arose. “I notice the bike starting to pull to the left. I looked down and noticed my front tire was going flat. I kept pushing in hopes of holding my position until I was able to get to the pits to get it fixed,” stated Cecco. Unfortunately, for Cecco, he would end up hitting a stump. The impact was so great that it jerked the bars out of his hands and bent his tie rod. Read more...
After a successful holeshot and a grueling day fighting for the top spot, Zakowski Motorsports/Can-am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski finished 2nd in the 4×4 Open class. Along with the successful in-class finish, Zac also places 13th overall in a field of over 300 riders. After a long day in the North Carolina Hills, the family-run, Zakowski Motorsports Team and their rider, Zac Zakowski, felt they had an extremely successful weekend. Read more...
After an impressive rookie season in the 2009 GNCC Race Series Zac Zakowski was picked up as Factory Can-Am supported rider. Follow our blog at allterrainresearch.net as we follow Zac as he battles for the top in the 2010 GNCC Race Series.
Rider: Zac Zakowski
Team: Zakowski Motorsports
Race Report: GNCC Round 2 – The General – Washington, Georgia
Results: 7th – 4×4 Open
Menasha, WI: Zakowski Motorsports’ Can-am X-Team rider Zac Zakowski finished a respectable 7th place finish at round two of the GNCC circuit in 4×4 Open after having a few problems in the first lap. Zac’s overall finish was a solid 63rd out of a field of 242 racers. Read more...
