Natalie Grabs First ATVMX Win of the Season at Ballance Moto X Night Race
Cody Gibson Continues to Dominate Pro Am Production Class
Oakland, Ky. (June 3, 2012) – Round 5 of the AMA ATV
Motocross National Championship Series made its way to Oakland, Ky.,
where defending champion John Natalie made history by sweeping the
first-ever ATVMX night race at Ballance Moto X. The specially-designed
night track was made up of technical whoop-sections and quick lap times,
and the unique atmosphere made for a spectator-friendly weekend of
racing.
 Photo By: Ken HillJosh Upperman took fourth overall
Motoworks/Can-Am’s John Natalie kicked off the afternoon’s qualifying
with high intensity as he took home the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier
Award for the first time this season. Natalie maintained his momentum
as the gate dropped for Moto 1. It was Texas native Craig Porter who
grabbed the SSi Decals Holeshot Award in Moto 1, but Natalie put himself
into the lead position after getting around Porter and Chad Wienen on
the opening lap.
Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Race Craft/Yamaha’s Chad Wienen
is coming off a three-race win streak after taking the victory in his
home state last round. Wienen settled in behind the defending champ
Natalie and the duo kept within two seconds of each other throughout the
entire 17-lap race. Moto 1 came down to the final moments between
Natalie and Wienen, and this time it was Natalie who came out on top.
 Photo By: Ken HillNatalie took his first SSi Decals Holeshot Award of the season Baldwin Motorports/PEP’s Josh Upperman got off to a good start in
Moto 1 and spent a majority of the race battling with Motoworks/Can-Am’s
Joel Hetrick for the third place spot. Hetrick’s holeshot was
less-than-desirable but the young gun pushed his way inside the top
three by mid-moto, only to have Upperman reclaim the third place
position by the end of the moto.
TBROWN Yamaha Racing/Moto-X-Perts rider Thomas Brown got a back of
the pack holeshot in Moto 1, but quickly made his way into the top five
battle with Hetrick and Upperman. From there, Hetrick put a charge on
Wienen for the second place spot but a late pass attempt caused Hetrick
to lose some time and Wienen went on to take second.
Natalie grabbed his first SSi Decals Holeshot Award of the season in
Moto 2 and the rest was history for the defending champ. Natalie laid
down the fastest lap of the moto on lap 5, but Hetrick wasn’t letting
him go anywhere fast. Wienen put in a valiant effort to catch the
Motoworks/Can-Am teammates near the end of Moto 2, and the top three
came through the checkers with less than 10 seconds in between.
“I really liked the whole night race this weekend,” said Hetrick. “It
added another element to the racing and I’m actually a night person, so
it worked out well for me!”
 Photo By: Ken HillPro podium: Chad Wienen, John Natalie, Joel Hetrick Lonestar/SSi Decals/Get Dirty MX’s Nick DeNoble went 6-6 for a sixth
overall on the day, his best finish since the opening round in Georgia.
Derek Swartfager (HON) finished seventh overall, ahead of rookie Jeffrey
Rastrelli (SUZ) who matched his season-best eight place overall in
Round 3. Another rookie, Mark Madl (HON), took home ninth overall, while
Ohio’s Adam Clark rounded out the top ten.
Tennessee’s Cody Gibson was the highlight of the Pro Am Production
class once again as he swept both motos of the evening. Ohio’s Tyler
Hamrick (HON) came in second overall with a 3-3 score, while
Pennsylvania’s Nick Moser went 2-5 for third overall.
The 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship heads to High Point Raceway
in Mt. Morris, Pa., for round six of the ten-race circuit. For more
information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
AMA Pro ATV Results
- John Natalie, Can-Am, (1-1)
- Chad Wienen, Yamaha, (2-3)
- Joel Hetrick, Can-Am, (4-2)
- Josh Upperman, Honda, (3-4)
- Thomas Brown, Yamaha, (5-5)
- Nick DeNoble, Honda, (6-6)
- Derek Swartfager, Honda, (8-7)
- Jeff Rastrelli, Suzuki, (9-8)
- Mark Madl, Honda, (7-10)
- Adam Clark, Honda, (10-9)
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings
- Chad Wienen, Yamaha - 235
- John Natalie, Can-Am- 220
- Joel Hetrick, Can-Am - 189
- Josh Upperman, Honda - 184
- Thomas Brown, Yamaha - 169
- Derek Swartfager, Honda - 137
- Nick DeNoble, Honda - 127
- Jeff Rastrelli, Suzuki - 115
- Harold Goodman, Honda - 113
- Adam Clark, Honda - 111
About the AMA ATV Motocross Championship
The AMA ATV Motocross Championship is the nation's premier amateur
and professional ATV motocross series, hosted at top motocross
facilities nationwide. The 10-round series features the Nation's best
racers, teams and sponsors, and is America's largest and longest-running
ATV national motocross program. Since 1985, the series continues to
expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while premiering
the professional class. For more information, please visit http://www.atvmotocross.com. |
