Team RM Motorsport raced their new Suzuki LT-Z400 to a Top Ten finish.

The anticipation grew as the racers lined up for the "Le Mans" start. For those that don't know what that is, picture a line of racers on one side of the track and a line of quads on the other side. When the signal is given, racers sprint to their quads, fire 'em up and blast off. The adrenaline rush was incredible as the quads were revved up and the racers exploded past the fans at eye-watering speeds. Nervousness was quickly replaced with excitement as the teams headed into the first turn and raced towards the back half of the course, out of sight of most of the fans. The cold temperatures and light rain throughout the day were quickly forgotten once the race began.

Team Motopro (front) fends off Team Quad 80, Team Atikamekw2 (36), Team Picotin (11) and Team Nautico La Tuque (33) in early Heat 1 action.

Heat 1
Getting off the line first in Heat 1 was team #20, Motopro of Quebec, as they led the thundering charge past the start/finish line. With dirt flying and the roar of the engines, each team made their way down the long straight away as the torture-test began. One of several French teams to make the trip to La Tuque, Team Quad 80, rode their Bombardier DS 650 Baja to victory over the grueling twelve hours. It was the first time the team had ridden the Bombardier and they finished the first heat in third place. While speed was important, consistency was the order of the day as the DS 650 team outlasted and outran the hungry pack of racers, which included two new Suzuki LT-Z400's. This new 400 has quickly made it's way to the top of the sport quad world and has become the new "standard" in 4-stroke performance quads. The two LT-Z400's finished in the Top Ten overall (7th and 8th) at La Tuque, a very impressive standing when you consider that only two Z400's entered the event.

Starting strong, Team AR Power completed 91 laps but DNF'd

Finishing in second place overall, the two-man team of Jean-Michel Abfalter and Vincent Pinchon - AJM Concept Quadyland, tested their mettle and defied all logic as the two racers split seat time between themselves and raced their Banshee over the two mile course that some racers called the toughest race ever.

The odds-on favorite going into the two-day, four-heat event was Wil Van Der Laan of Holland, who had previously raced in, but has yet to win, the Pont de Vaux endurance race in France. Unfortunately, La Tuque would not be kind to him or his ATV as he suffered a blown engine.

What began as a relatively flat, multi-turned loop, quickly turned into a whoop-fest as more than half of the course was turned into one long set of kidney-pounding, muscle-burning whoops that tested the endurance every rider. It didn't take long for the flat course to become rutted-out in the corners and whooped-out in the straight aways in just a few short laps.

Team Off-road Rider going strong in Heat 3 and finished 28th overall.

Of note, there was only one all-female team comprised of two Quebec racers teamed up with a French racer. Frenchwoman Betty Torres had previously raced at Pont de Veux. The three ladies - Team Sentier Quad, riding a Yamaha Raptor quickly gained the respect of the field of racers as they successfully completed the race in 22nd position.

Heat 2
After a four-hour break, the second heat began at 10 pm in sub-forty degree temperatures and lasted until 1 am. With various racing light set-ups, the teams battled each other over the ever-worsening track conditions and unlit race course. On through the night they raced, with a smaller, but dedicated group of race fans to cheer them on each time the racers carved their wheels into the first turn and headed back into the darkness. When the second heat was over, Team Quad 80 had moved up from the third position to take a two-lap lead (88-86) over number 19, Team Miguel Faucher. AJM Concept Quadyland dropped from second place to fourth place as it appeared the lack of a third team member was beginning to take its toll. Team Motosport 116 raced their Honda 400EX to a third place finish in Heat 2, to move up from fourth to third place overall.

Heat 3
With a little break from the cold and a dry place to rest for the night, the racers were up early. While they appeared weary and worn, they were ready to do battle once again.

Team "Check This Out" coming out of the first turn and under the bridge

Heat 3 began promptly at 10 am on the morning of day 2, as five teams appeared to have endured above all others and held on to a shot at the overall title. Only six laps separated the top five positions with two teams at 86 laps (Motosport 116 and Miguel Faucher) and two teams at 82 laps (Picotin and AJM Concept Quadyland). For three hours the teams raced, switching riders more often as fatigue became as much a factor as the rough terrain. It was evident by the slower speeds over the whoops and many near-crashes the racers were worn out. Sometimes the riders were strong, but their quads couldn't keep up as teams began dropping out one-by-one as mechanical failure took its toll as well. Team Centre du Quad made a late-race surge as they took the win in Heat 3 and moved up five positions overall to fifth place.

Heat 4

Going into the turn too fast, this Team Picotin rider was able to ride this out.

Team RP Racing et Quero Metal Racer's Perspective RP Racing et Quero Metal - Yvan Pelchat, Richard Pelchat, Bernard Prevost (9th Place Overall) Sponsored by: ITP Holeshot Richard - "I went to La Tuque knowing more than anybody that it would be a tough race, as usual in Qu?bec, but none of us expected what we went through. We had set the Quad for tough conditions (locktite, safety wire, rebuilt motor, good suspension) and it really paid off as nothing broke except the rear shock and the front fender! As an ATV-MX rider, I really went out at 120% for the first part, burning up more energy than fuel, but before long I had adjust myself to a normal 90% to 100%. Actually, I was ripping through the rough sections at full speed and relaxing on the easy sections (or what could be called "easy"). Our choice to ride a 250R may have seemed strange, but with the monstrous whoops, we were motoring by Banshees and Raptors! I really think we had one of the best motors - it was torquey and had an awesome top speed. All in all, it was clearly a challenge of a lifetime, it is really one of the toughest races for both machine and riders." Yvan - Saturday AM: "First practice lap - The track is clean and frighteningly fast. I'm thinking to myself that it is going to be an easy race for the riders but a heck of a race for the engine. I've never been so wrong." Saturday PM: "Le Mans start, everything went fine for Rich. The track was still fairly fast and our little 250R (when compared to the 650 and 660) was overheating. At the end of the 4 hours we were 19th over 40 and that's when we realized we didn't have right strategy nor the right mind set. We were making too many unnecessary maintenance pit-stops and when on the track we were driving like we use to on MX-type races." Saturday Evening: "I was already running low on energy and the weather forecast didn't look encouraging. I wanted to sleep in a dry and hot bed, not racing in damp and cold gear. I completely forgot about that when I was on the track ready to run across the track for another Le Mans start. The 250R ran steadily and appreciated the cold weather more than I did. We just drove with a good pace all 3 hours and finished 2nd for this heat and 9th overall. We knew now what it took to win an endurance race like that - a good quad and more time on the track than in the pit. Simple..." Sunday Morning: "The track conditions were not improving. 80% of it was covered by big whoops, ruts and big holes. The rear shock was starting to faint and the by the end of this 3 hours heat an O-ring blew. At this time, pretty much all of my body was in full sorrow. But only 2 more to go and we were 7th overall." Sunday PM: "We started the race in the pit to change the rear shock*. We put back a stock unit but in doing so we loss 2 valuable laps. Funny enough, even though I was practically unable to close my hands on the handle bars, once on the track everything felt great. I don't know if I was going faster, or if the others that were going slower but I really had a good time, especially when I saw my mother showing a big END sign on the pit board. I knew we had accomplish something big and something we should be proud of. Endurance racing is something else, and if you haven't tried it yet I strongly suggest you do it this summer. Don't wait, just do it." Yvan, Rich & Bernard *All mechanical work on the ATV's had to be done during the race only - the ATV's were locked up between heats and were not accessible to the racers between heats.

Official Results