Baldwin Bravado: two Baldwin Motorsports-powered quads pack a pop.(Cover Story)

Publication: ATV Sport

Publication Date: 01-NOV-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Ehlert Publishing Group

Fancy red and gold pit shirts and a trick hair style that screams out motocross-chic are part of Mark Baldwin's all-new look seen at the national tracks this season. While his appearance may have changed, his engines are what make him recognizable. As one of the premiere top-notch ATV engine builder and modifiers of the four-stroke era, he's shown he can still do it in a style all his own. A style that has manifested itself from years of trial and error tinkering with ATV engines and listening to top pro rider's suggestions.

As Baldwin's reputation strengthens with every modified engine unleashed from Baldwin Motorsports, one might think his approachability at the track would shrink. Sure, his time is valuable due to an onslaught of new customers, but he remains as personable and dedicated to a quality product as ever: And that's what we call Baldwin Bravado.

We were able to get an up-close look at two of his recent engine monster modifications made to a 2005 Yamaha YFZ450 and '05 Honda 450R. Baldwin reworked the 450R engine for pro rider Daryl Rath, and the YFZ engine was rebuilt for fellow competitor and Minnesota neighbor Cody Anderson.

Both engines were rebuilt to Baldwin specifications, so we took a trip to a local motocross track to see them in action. While both engines pack a pop, we couldn't help but notice the rest of the ATV packages found on both bikes, so we'll dip into rest of the quads' features too.

Daryl Rath's 450R

For those of you familiar with the pro racing scene, seeing Daryl Rath's name associated with something other than Polaris might be tough to get accustom to. Rath still rides Polaris, but since he's no longer under contract as a factory rider, he's free to ride any bike he wants. Riding red has helped Rath nail down his own products produced at Rath Racing; call it R & D, if you will.

Rath purchased a 450R and knew what his first step would be: ship the engine out to Baldwin Motorsports in Ohio. Rath has seen dirt-track rival Tim Farr in action, witnessing firsthand how fast a Baldwin engine is on the high-speed straights, drags and holeshots. Farr, who missed out on the TT championship in 2004 by one point, has been...

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