Monster Energy Kawasaki ATV Chad Wienen rode to his first podium for the 2009 season

Irvine, CA (4/8/2009) - Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chad Wienen rode to his first podium finish of the season, while teammate Josh Creamer turned out a solid fourth-place finish during the third round of the AMA ATV Motocross Championship at Ballance Moto X in Bowling Green, Ky. With both riders inside the top-five, the race in Kentucky was the best team finish for Kawasaki since the program started in 2007.

"I was trying to focus on riding a smooth race" - Chad Wienen

Where He Belongs
Following two solid motos, Wienen made his well-earned trip to the podium. His first moto saw him in control of second place and catching the leader, but he ran out of time before the checkered flag. Wienen was happy to settle for second. In the second moto, Wienen started around 10th place and rode all the way up to second to finish second overall.

“I was trying to focus on riding a smooth race,” said Wienen. “The guys have been working really hard to get things figured out for me. We are on the right track now and hopefully at the next race I can use this momentum to pull off another good finish.”

Moving Forward
After a tough race during the secondround, Wienen was mentally ready to come back and charge to the front of the pack. He did just that in both motos with solid second-place finishes and a vindicating first podium finish of the season.

After the race, Wienen made friends with his fans, signing his celebration bottle for a young fan

“The past couple weekends have been tough,” said Wienen. ”It would have been easy to come into this race feeling defeated, but I feel like I was mentally prepared to come back and finish where I feel I’m capable of finishing.

Solid Finishes
Fully recovered from his brilliant crash during round two, Creamer managed to ride a consistent race and hold down fourth in both motos. Along with Wienen, he had to exercise patience while making his way through the pack during the second moto.

“I’ve pretty much recovered from my crazy crash in Alabama,” said Creamer. “I wasn’t getting the best starts and the track was a little rough. I picked it up in the second moto and felt really good even though I had to ride through the pack.”

Cody Gibson went 1-1 in Pro Am Unlimited and finished 3rd overall in Pro Am Production

Next Track
The next race takes place in two weeks at Birch Creek in Danville, Va. Creamer is looking forward to making his move back to the podium.

“I really like that track, as long as it doesn’t rain,” said Creamer. “I think I could do well and I really want to put myself in a good position for another podium.”

Making It Count
Kawasaki’s Cody Gibson kept his winning streak alive in Kentucky, winning both motos in the Pro Am Unlimited and finishing third overall in the Pro Am Production with one moto win. Gibson sits first in points for the Production class and third overall in the Unlimited class.

With both Creamer and Wienen inside the top-five, the race in Kentucky was the best team finish for Kawasaki since the program started in 2007