Current
Pro ATV Points |
- Dustin Wimmer 203
- Doug Gust 163
- John Natalie 135
- Joe Byrd 133
- Harold Goodman 115
- Josh Creamer 108
- Chad Wienen 100
- Rocco Arno, Jr. 95
- Jason Dunkelberger 90
- Jeremy Lawson 90
|
Mount Morris, PA (5/21/2008) -
The ITP/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited
heads to Mount Morris, Pa. this weekend for
an epic Memorial Day race. The event, Round
6 of the National Pro Racing tour and Round
5 of the Amateur series, is being held at
historic High Point Raceway. The Nation's
premier national ATV racing series features
America's best pro riders, as well as Amateur,
Pro-Am and Junior racers.
The ATV Motocross Series features the top
professional and amateur ATV riders in the
country, competing at preeminent motocross
facilities across the nation. ATV motocross
racing is run on a closed course, which comprises
technical "whoops" sections, as
well as big-air jumps, tight turns and all-out
straightaways. The machines are race-bred
450cc machines from top manufacturers such
as Can-Am, Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris, Honda,
KTM, and Kawasaki. Riders easily make six-figure
incomes from the large purses, and
contingency bonuses posted by manufacturers,
as well as other Series sponsors and suppliers.
The riders will be vying for the most coveted
honor in ATV racing: The AMA National Championship
and the AMA No. 1 Number Plate.
The race will be telecast on Versus Network
on Sept. 15 at 3:30 p.m. LIVE Timing and Scoring
will be run all weekend on the tour's web
site:
www.atvmotocross.com.
This weekend will be one of the tour's premier
events and marks the opening race of the four-round,
$5,000 ITP Grand Slam Series presented by
QUAD Magazine. The weekend is also the second
Showcase Event of the season. Showcase events
feature outdoor expo exhibits and displays
from community dealers and vendors, and other
entertainment and activities above and beyond
the action-packed ATV racing. Part of the
Showcase program is ATV RiderCourse, the Nation's
premier hands-on ATV riding school.
In addition, Morgantown (W. Va.) Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki
will host a special autograph session and
meet and greet event this Friday with Pro
riders Joe Byrd, Pat Brown, Doug Gust, Chad
Wienen and Dustin Wimmer.
To honor men and women serving in our military,
all military members will receive $5 off
regular ticket prices with valid military
ID.
The big story in the pro class has been
MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper's Dustin
Wimmer. The Center Valley, Pa. rider has
won three of the first five rounds and holds
a commanding 40-point lead over teammate
Doug Gust. With the series reaching the
halfway point, the competition has to stop
Wimmer soon, or the AMA No. 1 plate may
get out of reach.
One of the riders who has a chance to do
just that is Doug Gust. The veteran has
been strong and consistent all year. "Digger"
has already earned a win at Ballance MX,
and has posted a top-five at every round
to this point. It isn't too late for Gust
to mount a charge toward the title.
Behind the Suzuki duo sits Houtzdale, Pa.'s
John Natalie. The hard-nosed Cam-Am rider
is fresh off an impressive second-place
finish and lists High Point Raceway as his
favorite stop on the tour. Natalie has been
fighting a serious eye infection, which
was caught just in time before major surgery
was to take place. The eye should be close
to 100% for the ATV Stampede. Natalie is
joined on the Can-Am squad by Jeremy Lawson.
Cody Miller, Greg Gee, Sage Baker, and Richard
Pelchat.
And don't forget about two-time defending
AMA titleholder Joe Byrd. Byrd got off to
a slow start, but has gained momentum as
the series has progressed. Said momentum
is anchored by a hard-earned victory at
Birch Creek that catapulted Byrd back into
title contention.
Behind the top three in points, sits a
long list of podium finishers that are all
candidates for their first win. 2007 ATV
Invitational winner, Pat Brown has yet to
win in 2008, but is fresh off his first
podium finish of the season and will be
looking to keep his Golden West/Team Yamaha
No. 199 ride at the front of the pack. Another
racer looking to expand his podium appearances
is East Coast ATV's Jason Dunkleberger.
"Dunk" needs to work on his consistency,
but has been progressing with each round.
Meanwhile it's crunch time for team Monster
Energy Kawasaki. The three-man team of Josh
Creamer, Russell Shumacher, and Keith Little
has shown flashes of brilliance through
the first five rounds, but have suffered
from poor racing luck. Look for the Team
Manager Jimmy White led team to turn their
fortune around in the second half of the
series, become podium regulars, and content
for victories.
There has also been some international
flavor with French Canadian rider Jasmin
Plante placed second in Kentucky earlier
this season, handing Team Yamaha its best
finish yet in 2008.
Other pros expected to compete this weekend
include: Rocco Arno, Jr., John Ragon, Thomas
Hager, Nate Morello, Hunter Miller and Michael
James Brown.
All of the racers will be in for a special
treat, as they will be the first competitors
to ride on the freshly re-designed High
Point circuit. The course has seen a major
facelift during the spring with new sections
and several new jumps added to the legendary
track.
About the ITP/Moose
Racing ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited:
The AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National
Motocross Championship Series Presented
by Parts Unlimited is the nation's premier
amateur and professional ATV motocross series,
and competes at top motocross facilities
nationwide. The 11-round series features
the Nation's best racers, teams and sponsors,
and is America's largest and longest-running
ATV National Motocross series with more
than 20 years of competition. The series
continues to expand and produce top talent
from the amateur ranks, while keeping close
to the grassroots fun that makes people
love to go to the races.
Series sponsors include title sponsors ITP
Tires and Moose Racing, and presenting sponsor
Parts Unlimited. Premiere and Feature sponsors
include Can Am, Amsoil, ATV Sport Magazine,
Quad Magazine, Moto Tees, Maxxis Tires,
and FMF. Associate sponsors include Fox
Shox, Gatorade, Hinson Racing, Custom Axis,
and H-Bomb. Media partners include ATV Insider
and ATVRiders.com. For more information,
please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
About the ATV Association (ATVA):
The ATV Association ("ATVA")
is the official sanctioning body of the
amateur division of the ATVA ITP/Moose Racing
ATV National Motocross Championship Series
Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000-member
ATVA is a sister organization of the 260,000
member American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA). ATV racing has experienced phenomenal
growth in recent years, and continues to
gain momentum and support, outselling off-road
motorcycles annually. Each ATVA round attracts
hundreds of racers who compete for bragging
rights to one of 31 amateur national titles.
For more information, please visit www.atvaonline.com.
About the ATV Promoters Group (ATVPG):
The ATVPG is composed of the individual
promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose Racing
ATV National Motocross Championships, presented
by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG
is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through
the production of professional and amateur
championship racing events. For more information
on the ATVPG and the ATV National events
they produce, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
