ATV Sport Magazine Announces
People’s Choice Awards
Motocross ATV Racers of the Year
Jeremiah Jones, Dane
Heilman, Joel Hetrick
Maple Grove, MN (1/6/2007) -
Bowling Green, Kentucky’s, very own Jeremiah Jones
has been honored with the 2006 ATV Sport People’s
Choice Award for Motocross Pro Rider of the Year. Dane
Heilman and Joel Hetrick also earned an award, which
are hosted by ATV Sport magazine.
Jeremiah Jones - Motocross Pro ATV Racer of
the Year
Jones, 26, began the 2006 motocross campaign rather slowly,
but kicked his Suzuki LT-R450 into high gear and went
on a midseason tear at both the WPSA ATV Tour and ATVA
MX Nationals. The former multi-time MX national champion
posted six straight podiums and three overalls in WPSA
action and tallied seven consecutive podiums, including
four overalls, in the ATVA series in his attempt to win
two titles. However, a holeshot accident July 30, 2006,
at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, N.Y.,
ended his season and his career. Jones suffered damage
to his spinal cord that caused paralysis from the waist
down. For 2007, Jones will continue with Suzuki/Yoshimura
as its ATV race team coordinator. First runner-up: Joe
Byrd, Union City, Tenn.; Second runner-up: Doug Gust,
Salem, Wis.
Dane Heilman - Motocross
Amateur ATV Racer of the Year
Heilman, of Richland, Ind., was chosen as the 2006 ATV
Sport People’s Choice Award for Motocross Amateur
Racer of the Year. Heilman had a stellar 2006 as he won
both the 25+ and the Open A classes at the ATVA MX Nationals.
The Honda-mounted racer recorded whopping 25 trips to
the podium, including 17 class overalls, combined. He
also won the 25+ class at the WPSA ATV Tour series. First
runner-up: Nathan Commer, Philadelphia, Miss.; Second
runner-up: Russell Shumaker, Bristol, Wis.
Joel Hetrick - Motocross
Youth ATV Racer of the Year
Hetrick, Seneca, Penn., competed in the ATVA MX Nationals
90cc Modified (8-15) class where he recorded eight victories
and 10 podiums in 12 rounds of competition. The voters
selected him as the 2006 ATV Sport People’s Choice
Award for Motocross Youth Racer of the Year. Hetrick also
won the 2006 People’s Choice Award for Flat Track/Super
Moto Youth Racer of the Year. First runner-up: Tyler Pittman,
Murray, Ky.; Second runner-up: Jeffray Rastrelli, Palm
City, Fla.
“Though he didn’t win a title, I think
the fans recognized Jeremiah Jones as a true champion
of the sport and knew he was having a great season up
until the accident,” explained ATV Sport Editor
Jerrod Kelley. “Clearly, they wanted to reward
him one more time for everything he’s done for
the sport. Hetrick and Heilman are both highly skilled
and give us an idea what the future of our sport has
to offer.”
ATV Sport has attended the Grand National Championship
MX/TT (ATVA) postseason awards banquet since its inception,
in 1997. A new publication in 1998, ATV Sport gladly
took over the awards portion of the program from banquet
organizer Byron Goggin, per his request. Goggin created
the banquet awards to reward riders for their successful
season and further recognize this growing sport. As
Goggin intended, the awards were voted on by the people,
hence the name. ATV Sport maintained Goggin’s
vision and continued to award the “eagles”
at the postseason banquet through 2005.
In their eighth year, the ATV Sport People’s
Choice Awards were altered to better accommodate various
racing disciplines. For the first time, awards were
created for motocross, utility, flat track and cross-country
racing. The awards were also taken online to coincide
with our magazine redesign as well as to allow both
online visitors and magazine readers the opportunity
to vote for their favorite racers.
About ATV Sport
ATV Sport magazine is published 10
times a year – March, April, May, June, July/August,
September, October, November, December and Buyer’s
Guide – by Ehlert Publishing Group Inc., 6420
Sycamore Lane, Suite 100, Maple Grove, MN 55369. ATV
Sport is the No. 1 sport quad magazine that captures
the pulse of the industry, racing scene and everything
sport-quad related. For more information, contact Editor
Jerrod Kelley at jkelley@ehlertpublishing.com, or Managing
Editor Chris Vogtman at cvogtman@ehlertpublishing.com.
For subscription inquiries or other concerns call 1-800-848-6247
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