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Dustin
Wimmer Flying High
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Chino, CA (6/29/2009) - There were a
lot of questions to be answered at Sunday's
eighth round of the AMA Pro ATV National Championship
Series. Would defending champion and Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki
rider Dustin Wimmer be able to come back from
his shoulder injury and win? Would "Digger"
Doug Gust continue his hot streak? All these
questions (and more) were answered by the end
of the day in Blountville, Tennessee.
The night before the race, the Muddy Creek
racetrack was heavily watered and then later
that night a downpour hit the area. The riders
were a bit concerned but race-day dawned hot
and humid. The temperatures were in the '90s
with high humidity and the track dried out before
practice was over and was in great shape for
the start.
The race was obviously going to be a test of
man and machine. Wimmer, still recovering from
shoulder surgery a short time ago, was going
to have to dig deep to pull off a win. Teammate
and legendary racer "Digger" Doug
Gust, who has recently been on fire, is always
a threat. The rougher the conditions, the better
Gust usually does. With the heat and humidity
surrounding this event - Gust was going to be
a factor.
"My Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki is
working great and I feel great!" Gust said
before the start. "I guess I'm going to
have to show some of these kids out here how
it's done. My goal for the day is to get on
the box and keep the points coming. I'm riding
good and my quad is just perfect – I'm
looking to a podium."
At the start of the first moto both Wimmer
and current points leader Chad Wienen had starts
outside the top ten. It looked for sure that
neither would be a factor in moto one. Meanwhile,
Gust made some quick moves and mauled his way
up into 4th place by the end of lap one. Wimmer
quickly began his incredible charge forward.
He was passing people in groups and looked to
be at another level above the other riders.
Gust was really on form and this race showcased
his talent. On lap two, the veteran speedster
moved up to third and was riding fast, smooth
and aggressive. A top finish looked to be in
the cards for "Digger" as he passed
another rider and moved into second.
Wimmer still working his way forward, was running
lap times a full second faster then anyone else
on the track! By the 4th lap he had moved the
Rockstar/Makita/ Yoshimura/Suzuki QuadRacer
R-450 up to 6th place and it was obvious that
he wanted more.
Another few laps and Wimmer was past the 4th
place rider and up into 3rd place. He was also
fast closing on teammate Gust, who in turn was
closing on the race leader. With the white flag
out, Wimmer pulled out all the stops and passed
first Gust and then the leader for the win!
The Champ pulled it off, eleventh place to first.
Looks like the champ is back!
"I kinda screwed up the start a little,"
Wimmer said after Moto One. "It motivated
me to forget about everything else and focus
on catching up. I was fortunate and rode well
and ended up grabbing the win. Hopefully I can
put my Suzuki back on top in Moto Two and pull
it off today."
The start of Moto Two saw Yoshimura-sponsored
Harold Goodman snag the holeshot with Gust in
third and Wimmer right behind him in fourth.
By the end of lap one, Wimmer made a good move
and passed teammate Gust for third.
In lap two, Wimmer passes into second place,
his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki QuadRacer R450
screaming past the second place rider like he
was tied to a post.
At the start of lap four, Wimmer makes the
pass for the lead and instantly pulls ahead.
Again, Wimmer is running lap times a full second
faster then anyone else on the track. Both Wimmer
and Gust's LT-Rs seem to be on rails and the
smooth power delivery and purpose built chassis
seem to hook up where the others struggle.
"Digger" Doug Gust was in fourth
but right on the third place rider. Gust was
finding lines where no one else was even looking.
Combine his experience and race-crafting skills
with raw speed and Gust always comes up as a
threat to win.
At the three-quarter mark, Gust passed up to
third place and was closing ground on the second
place rider. Wimmer was cruising at a nice pace
out front maintaining his gap over second.
The last lap white flag waved just as Gust
passed into second! Both Suzuki riders were on
the gas and at the checkers it was Wimmer first,
teammate Gust second – a Suzuki one-two
for moto two, and one-two overall on the day for
Team Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki. The win
puts Wimmer only 5 points behind the series leader.
"It feels really good to be winning again,"
Wimmer said after the event. "The shoulder
injury was really frustrating. We put in a lot
of hard work and I'm feeling pretty good now,
not 100% but getting back close again. Next
round I'll be there!"
Gust was happy with his podium finish: "My
goal was to be up on the box so I feel good
about that. Only one more step to go, so we'll
work on that for the next race. I love it that
Team Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki/Yoshimura went one-two
today.
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Media All-Stars
Pro-Am rider Cody Grant
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There's nothing else as good as a Yoshimura-powered
QuadRacer R450 out there."
In addition to Wimmer, Media All-Stars ace
Pro-Am rider Cody Grant scored the overall win
aboard his Yoshimura-equipped QuadRacer in both
the unlimited and the production classes.
