Maxxis / Elka’s Joel Hetrick Second at Unadilla MX
Maxxis / Elka / Liquid Wrench / Honda AMA ATV MX Report

New Berlin, NY (7/22/2016) - Maxxis/Elka/Liquid Wrench/Honda’s Joel Hetrick battled it out at round nine of the 2016 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, NY to take a second place overall Pro class finish. Pro class teammate David Haagsma took fifth overall and amateur rider Grayson Eller took a top five finish in both Open B and College 16-24.

Maxxis/Elka/Liquid Wrench/ Honda’s Joel Hetrick went 1-2 for 2nd overall at Unadilla MX

Hetrick’s consistency and speed paid off once again when he went 1-2 for second overall. Moto one was intense as ever with a three-way battle for the lead between Hetrick, Chad Wienen, and Jeffrey Rastrelli. Hetrick patiently waited until lap eight before he made his move and quickly went from third to first.

“The first moto was crazy. We had a three-way battle going on for one minute straight, we really haven’t had that all year. The track was super high paced and we were all on it. Jeffrey was running a really awesome race. With two laps to go, I knew I needed to start making moves, so I put a pass on Chad and next lap on Jeffrey at the same corner. I was happy for Jeffrey to be up there, and it all worked out for me in the end,” explained Hetrick.

Maxxis/Elka/Liquid Wrench/ Honda’s Joel Hetrick charged his way into the lead in Moto One

In the second moto Hetrick had a mishap in the gravity cavity. He managed to stay on the bike and salvage a good finish despite losing about three seconds. He also put down the fastest lap of the class with a 2:00.339.

Looking ahead, Hetrick is excited to get to the next round at Redbud MX, where he took the win last year. “Redbud is going to be fun. I had never won there before last year when I took the overall, so it will be cool going back trying to defend that win. I would like to pick up some more overall wins before the season ends. I am still focused. Right now anything can happen with this championship. We are still putting in the work,” said Hetrick.

Maxxis/Elka’s other Pro class racer, David Haagsma, took fifth place overall with 4-5 moto finishes. “The first moto I got off to a pretty great start right behind Rastrelli, Wienen, and Hetrick. I pretty much just held fourth and watched those guys battle it out the whole time. I was close to them the first half of the race and ended up not too far behind them in fourth,” explained Haagsma.

Roll Design's David Haagma finished 5th overall at Unadilla MX

The second moto, Haagsma did not have as great of a start and had to put his head down and work for his fifth place finish. “I had to battle my way through a bunch of people. I definitely had to work for it just to get to fifth, and by the time I got there the leaders were too far ahead,” said Haagsma.

Haagsma enjoyed the high speed track at Unadilla and moved himself up a few positions in the points, now sitting in fifth place.

Amateur rider Grayson Eller also scored a fourth overall in 450 B. “The first heat race I was dead last off the start. I just put my head down, rode my own race, and got up to third. I was running pretty hard,” explained Eller. In the second moto Eller had a solid fourth place finish for fourth overall. Eller maintained his third place position in the championship points.

#171 Grayson Eller claimed 4th overall in the 450 B Class

Eller also competes in the very competitive College 16-24 class. “I had the harder heat, but I still finished third. The second moto I was around eighth off the start and found some places to pass so I got up to fifth that moto and took fifth overall.” Eller is also third in points in this class, but the race for the championship is intense with just 15 points separating the top three riders. With two rounds left to go, anything can happen.

The talented Maxxis/Elka backed riders will return to AMA ATV Motocross racing at the tenth round of the series where they will be fighting for more wins. The event will be held at Red Bud MX in Buchanan, MI July 30-31.

2016 Race Team Sponsors
Maxxis, Liquid Wrench, Elka, Fly, Scott, SSi Decals, DWT, Hinson, Bel Ray, Sunstar, Works Connection, Sandridge Foods, Impact Solutions, Fourwerx, Alpinestar, DC Designs, Precision Racing Products