John Natalie, Jr. and Rory Beckman earned top
qualifying honors Friday
Daniel Boone Motocross Park
- London, KY - June 15-17, 2007
London, KY (6/16/2007) - John Natalie,
Jr. and Rory Beckman earned top qualifying honors Friday
at Daniel Boone Motocross Park for Sunday's first of
two Pro ATV finals. The event is part of the Blue Ridge
Open Championship, Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2007 WPSA PowerSports
ATV Tour.
Natalie (No. 13 Maxxis, Elka/Honda), though admittedly
not completely up to speed, dominated SuperQuad Pro
450 qualifying, winning both of his heats. The Houtzdale,
Pa. native is still experiencing the after affects of
chest and knee injuries suffered several weeks ago in
a crash during practice. Josh Creamer (No. 9 Monster
Energy Drink/Kawasaki) earned his best qualifying position
of the season, a second-place effort, ahead of Chad
Wienen (No. 44 Team Rockstar, MSR, Pro Taper, Yoshimura/Suzuki).
Dustin Wimmer (No. 191 MSR, Pro Taper, Yoshimura/Suzuki),
who came into the event leading the points, took a provisional
starting position after mechanical problems sidelined
him in qualifying.
"I'm probably 85 percent right now," said
Natalie. "My chest is much better, while my knee
still hurts a lot, but I'm able to lean more. It's nice
to recover from an injury this way. I came in sixth
in points, but Dustin (Wimmer) had some trouble today,
so that should help put me back in the hunt."
Natalie has the distinction of having won every WPSA
final in which he raced at Daniel Boone MX. In addition,
Natalie was also the top qualifier in each of those
races.
"The track here really suits my style," said
Natalie. "It's a lot like my practice track. I
like the hard-pack; it lets me take the inside lines.
This is really my kind of track."
On being 85% going into the final?
"I think I'm going to go out there and dominate
the final," said a confident Natalie. "We're
already fast this weekend, so just wait until the next
race!"
Beckman (No. 10 Jack Link's/Arctic Cat) won his first
heat and netted the runner-up slot in his second heat
to grab the pole in QuadTerrain Pro Stock. Chris Bithell
(No. 6 Warnert Racing/Can-Am) qualified second, followed
by Jesse West (No. 888 West Racing, ITP/Arctic Cat).
This weekend's event features two complete shows for
the Tour's Pro Classes: SuperQuad Pro 450 and QuadTerrain
Pro Stock. The first final is scheduled for Sunday morning,
with qualifying for the second final scheduled for tomorrow.
The second final is scheduled for Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Tomorrow's show will also feature a full card of Amateur,
Pro Am, Women's and Junior Class racing.
This weekend's events will be telecast on ESPN2 on
Sunday, July 15 at 1 p.m. EDT, and again on Saturday,
July 21 at noon EDT.
About the PowerSports ATV Tour:
The PowerSports ATV Tour is North America's
premier professional ATV racing circuit, featuring
QuadMX, QuadTerrain and SuperSport Pro series
action as well as more than 20 amateur classes
for adults, women and children. The Tour is sanctioned
by the World PowerSports Association, North America's
most respected snowmobile and ATV sanctioning
body, and a promoter of ATV and snowmobile racing
on both the regional and national level. For more
information, please visit www.PowerSportsTour.com.
World
PowerSports Association Headquarters
1863 Buerkle Road
W hite Bear Lake, MN 55110
651.209.7404
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