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AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #1 - Aonia Pass MX
Washington, GA
March 24, 2012
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AMA Pro ATV Motocross
- Round 1 - Aonia Pass - Race Report
::Continued::
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| Pro
Rookie, #41 Mark Madl made an impressive
debut securing a Top 5 Overall finish |
Mark Madl’s Pro ATV MX debut went surprisingly
well as he battled it out with Nick DeNoble in
moto one and hung on for a sixth place finish.
Madl got a good start in moto two and after battling
it out with Derek Swartfager for several laps,
was able to make the pass for sixth and hold it
all the way to the checkered flag. Madl’s
consistent 6-6 finishes allowed him to round out
the top five in his pro debut.
Nick De Noble was looking great as he charged
off the start in the number two spot. DeNoble
came under fire immediately and fell back to the
number seven spot where he battled it out with
rookie pro, Mark Madl. DeNoble stayed close for
the entire moto and in the final lap, he made
a charge and in a photo finish, took the number
five position at the checkered flag by only a
fraction of a second over Madl.
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Lonestar
Racing's #123 Nick NeNoble barely edged
out SSi Decal's #41 Mark Madl in Moto
One for the 5th spot
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In the second moto, DeNoble started out just
inside the top ten and battled it out with Jeffrey
Rastrelli before moving into the number eight
spot, which gave him a respectable sixth overall.
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| #26
Derek Swartfager went 7-7 for 7th Overall,
which tied his AMA Pro ATV MX career best
finish |
Derek Swartfager, who has been getting in some
seat time at the recent GNCC races where he is
currently running in the top five in points, was
looking strong as he took seventh in moto one.
Swartfager got off to a great start inside the
top five in the second moto, but fell back after
battling with Thomas Brown and Joel Hetrick. Swartfager
hung on for another seventh place finish, putting
him in seventh overall for the day.
Can-Am/Motoworks’ Joel Hetrick was the
fastest qualifier in practice, but had issues
on the line when his quad wouldn’t start
for the parade lap. Luckily, the team got it started
just before parade lap ended, allowing Hetrick
to get a good start in the first moto. Hetrick
put the hammer down and quickly worked his way
into fourth and then began to mix it up with the
leaders. Hetrick made his way past Upperman and
Natalie and caught leader, Chad Wienen. Hetrick
claimed the fastest lap time of the moto in lap
six with a time of 01:31.384.
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| Moto
One was rough on #88 Joel Hetrick as he
was forced to watch the parade lap as his
crew scrambled to get his quad started,
which suffered an electrical issue at the
starting gate. Fortunately, it fired up
before the start of the moto, and Hetrick
charged his way into the lead briefly before
going off the track, and he once again wasn't
able to start his quad, which left him sidelined
for the rest of the moto |
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| #88
Joel Hetrick started near the back of the
pack in Moto 2, but he made an impressive
charge from 11th to 4th before the checkered
flag to salvage an 8th place overall finish |
Hetrick and Wienen battled it out with Hetrick
making the move into the lead, but unfortunately,
his lead would not last as pair connected going
into a turn, which forced Hetrick off into a ditch
where he would get stuck and not be able to restart
his quad
In the second moto, Hetrick again had issues
starting his quad on the line, but was ready for
the gate drop. Hetrick was in mid-pack off the
start and charged his way into fourth before reaching
the checkered flag. Hetrick’s 14-4 finishes
put him in eighth overall.
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Pro
Rookie, #728 Jeffrey Rastrelli secured a
9th place finish for an impressive Pro ATV
class debut |
Jeffrey Rastrelli made his pro debut in the number
eight spot in moto one and he would hang on for
ninth in the second moto, putting him in ninth
overall.
Adam Clark took a pair of 10-10 finishes and
rounded out the top ten overall.
Houser Racing’s Harold Goodman ended his
day in eleventh and John Ven John hung on for
twelfth. Rookie pro’s Jesse Barnes and Craig
Porter took thirteenth and fourteenth.
Joe Byrd pulled off the track in both motos and
ended his day with fifteenth, while Ronnie Higgerson
and Justin Bush both encountered mechanical issues.
Round number two of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross
Championships will be heading to Muddy Creek Raceway
in Blountville, TN on April 21st – 22nd
where the battles will be heating up between the
top racers as they compete for the 2012 pro championship.
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