ITP Teams To Do Battle at UTV World Championship

– PUBLICITÉ –

Ontario, California, February 12, 2016 – Team ITP will have numerous teams competing Feb. 18-20, in the 2016 UTV World Championship event in Laughlin, Nev. Branden Sims (Lonestar Racing / Polaris), fresh off his recent overall victory at the 2016 King Of Hammers, joins fellow ITP-supported teams Cognito Motorsports and S3 Racing as headliners at the second-annual desert race. Justin Lambert (Cognito Motorsports / Polaris) won the UTV Pro Production class at the Best In The Desert Parker 250, while the tandem of Dustin Jones and Shane Dowden (S3 Racing / Can-Am) won the new UTV Turbo Production class. Like many desert racing teams, these frontrunners choose 30-inch ITP UltraCross R Spec tires when competing in the harsh desert environments.

Branden Sims will have the throttle pinned as he guns for his second overall side-by-side win in the month of February.

“We’ve had a great start to the 2016 season and expect more of the same from our team of racers at the UTV World Championship,” said Rhett Turpin, ITP Director of Sales. “We’ve already seen Justin Lambert and Dustin Jones in the winner’s circle in BITD this year and just had Branden Sims put his UltraCross R Spec tires on top of the podium at the King of the Hammers race in California. With the rest of our proven team racers’ skill levels and because they’re running ITP tires, we have a legitimate chance at securing numerous podiums and capturing that coveted UTV World Championship trophy.”

ITP UTV World Championship2 — Justin Lambert has been on a serious roll as of late. The pilot of the No. 1918 Cognito Motorsport / Polaris, won his class at the BITD series opener and will look to reach the podium again at the UTV World Championship in Nevada.

The UTV World Championship event is part of the 2016 Best In The Desert racing schedule and serves as round two of the seven-round series. The opening leg of the BITD series kicked off with the Parker 250 in Parker, Ariz. Team ITP was well represented as Justin Lambert’s No. 1918 Cognito Motorsports / Polaris RZR XP1K, outfitted with 8-ply, 30-inch ITP UltraCross R Spec tires, won the UTV overall and the 1900 Pro Production (non-turbo) class. ITP racers also won the new UTV Turbo class and produced a podium sweep.

Dustin Jones and Shane Dowden (S3 Racing / Can-Am) won the UTV Turbo class and were joined on the box by ITP drivers Logan Gastel and Can-Am / ITP / Murray Racing’s Derek and Jason Murray.

ITP UTV World Championship4 — The No. 1978 S3 Racing / Can-Am of Dustin Jones and Shane Dowden, which won the UTV Turbo class at round one of the BITD series, will look for another top finish while taking on the field at the UTV World Championship event Feb. 18-20, in Laughlin, Nev.

Any of these aforementioned racers has a shot at winning at the UTV World Championship, but ITP has even more talent coming to Nevada. This includes two reigning 2015 BITD champions in the form of Johnny Angal and Lacrecia Beurrier and Mitch Guthrie Jr. Angal won the 2015 BITD 1900P Pro class title using ITP UltraCross tires and Beurrier took home the UTV Unlimited crown using the same proven tires. Guthrie finished ninth in the UTV Turbo class at the BITD opener. He just recently finished fifth, riding shotgun with his six-time KOH champion father, Mitch Sr., at the 2016 KOH event.

When it comes to tire choice, all of the ITP-sponsored desert racers (Like Mitch Guthrie Sr. shown) choose to run UltraCross R Spec tires on their side-by-side vehicles because the tire offers versatile traction and an 8-ply radial construction.

Team ITP competes in every major racing series in North America and around the world. Desert racing is one of the most grueling forms of racing in that it challenges both man and machine. It also requires tires that offer impeccable, all-around performance. The one commonality all these desert-racing teams share is tires. The 30-inch ITP UltraCross R Spec is the tire of choice for every ITP team competing in the BITD series.

For more info on the UTV World Championship race, visit BITD/UTVWC.

About ITP
In business for more than 30 years, ITP has become the world’s #1 ATV/UTV aftermarket tire and wheel source. ITP utilizes its experienced staff of engineers, designers and technicians at its two American tire facilities in Clinton, Tenn., and Jackson, Tenn., to develop award-winning tire-and-wheel designs for virtually all ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. Numerous outlets distribute ITP tires across the United States and in more than 25 countries worldwide. For a full-color ITP catalog, call toll-free: 1-800-889-7367.

About The Carlstar Group
The Carlstar Group is headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., and is a global manufacturer of original equipment and aftermarket specialty tires and wheels for the agriculture, construction, outdoor power equipment, powersports, and high speed trailer markets. The diverse portfolio of solutions are offered under several leading brands including Carlisle® tires and wheels, ITP® tires and wheels, as well as Cragar®, Black Rock® and Unique® wheels. The Carlstar Group employs 4000 associates in 22 facilities located in 5 countries. Since 1917, a culture of converting great ideas into advanced products has created a legacy of excellence in product innovation, quality, and customer service. For more about The Carlstar Group, visit www.carlstargroup.com