Coopersburg, PA (4/18/2008) - East
Coast ATV dove back into the race scene last
season, support several local riders that
quickly rose to the top of their respective
classes. For 2008, they took it one step further
and signed on the proven pro rider talent
of Jason Dunkelberger. As the winter season
moved in on the north eastern based teams,
Jason "Dunk" Dunkelberger and several
ECA teammates headed south with their machines
to be prepared for the tough competition in
2008. All new Honda 450r machines were suited
and prepared for battle in the ATVA National
and Regional series, along with select other
events.
ATVA Nationals (Round #1) Glen Helen
-
The East Coast ATV crew rose against the odds
to make the trek across the United State to
reach the Glen Helen Raceway for the ATVA
Nationals opening round. After a strenuous
off season training program, Dunk was ready
to test his new Honda 450r against the pro
class. Although the team would endure a few
ups and downs, the overall outcome was positive.
A seventh first moto finish and first among
the privateer riders proved he had the speed
to compete against the fastest ATV racers
in the world. When the second moto gate dropped,
Dunk fell into a solid 5th place position
when his chain would dismount, causing a moto
DNF. "It was a disappointing end result,
but everyone was turning their heads out way
before we suffered minor problems," says
Dunk after an 11th overall. He would go on
to state, "the New ECA Bikes are working
great. They are by far the best machines I've
ever had the chance of riding and they are
only going to get better." Matt, owner
of East Coast ATV and team manager, stated,
"I was happy about the bikes performance.
Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything to
prevent the minor mishap in the second moto.
Dunk has been training hard and it definitely
shows. My sponsors did a fabulous job getting
us all of our parts in time to be ready for
Glen Helen."
ATVA Nationals (Round #2) Mill Creek
-
The second round of Nationals at
Mill Creek, Alabama was a great weekend for
the East Coast ATV race team. Jason Dunkelberger
had a 5th place finish overall for the weekend.
He had this to say about the weekend, "It
went really well, we discussed the changes
I wanted to make and everything worked."
Matt Detwiler, from East Coast ATV, says,
"Dunk's hard work, dedication, and motivation
all show in his riding this season."
Fellow ECA team rider, Shawn Welsh scored
a 1st place finish in the 16-24 class. After
his victory he had great things to say about
his East Coast ATV bike, "I felt really
good and comfortable on it, my Fox Shoxs and
Maxxis tires really worked well for me."
Matt was thrilled with Shawn's performance
and said, "His hard work is paying off.
He spent much of the off season training down
south and it's obvious." Matt was very
pleased with the weekend's outcomes. "The
team really works well together. Everyone
supports one another and that's what a team
is all about. Our sponsors have worked with
us to get us what we need to build such great
bikes. We couldn't build such great bikes
without them." The atmosphere in the
pits is what makes this team work. Dunk says,
"I look forward to the races more and
more every week. I've never had so much fun
racing as I do with East Coast ATV!"
ATVA Nationals (Round #3) Ballance
-
Ballance was a tough weekend for many of the
East Coast riders. Dunk had a great practice
on Saturday and everyone was hopeful for success
on Sunday. Unluckily Sunday didn't turn out
to be one of the best days for Dunk. His bike
suffered problems that were unforeseeable,
causing him to pull off. Sadly, the second
moto mirrored the first and ended up forcing
Dunk to mark up a DNF for the season. Matt,
from East Coast, said, "It's an unfortunate
turn of events. Dunk was running strong. As
he was passing into the fourth position the
problem started. It's a shame that he had
to stop. You can't prevent something from
happening when it wasn't evident in the first
place." Nick Moser pulled off a 1st place
finish in his 450 C class. Tony Pacheco took
a 1st place finish in 4-stroke A. He gained
a huge lead over the competition and never
looked back. After a tough weekend filled
with misfortunate events Matt said, "The
weather and the track conditions
were horrible. Everything was working against
us this weekend. We're still positive and
looking forward to more success in Virginia."
Next Race: ATVA Regional
(Round #1) Doublin Gap -- April 19-20
www.eastcoastatv.com
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