AMA ATV Motocross Nationals Round #3 - High Point Raceway Mount Morris, PA May 17, 2014

As Hetrick went on to complete his best outing of the 2014 season thus far, the pair of past champions continued their dogfight with critical championship points at stake. After a lengthy battle that spanned six laps on the grueling High Point layout, Wienen finally grabbed the upper hand on Lap 8 to secure second and follow Hetrick across the line to establish a tie for the overall win. Natalie brought home an impressive third-place finish while Creamer followed in fourth and Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Yamaha's Thomas Brown made his presence felt in fifth.

Thomas Brown rounded out the top five overall in the Pro Class

Despite their identical moto scores, Hetrick's dominant win in the final moto put the tiebreaker into his favor (2-1) and resulted in his first win of the 2014 season. He admitted following the race that an issue with his bike over the final two laps caused his pace to drop off and allowed Wienen to close the deficit, but he soldiered home to the finish.

Joel Hetrick scored his first moto win & overall win at High Point Raceway

"Setting the fastest time in qualifying helped me get a good start in the first moto. I made some quick passes and moved up to second," said Hetrick. "I got another good start in the second moto and came out third, made some quick passes to get into first, and then John (Natalie) held up Chad (Wienen) for a little bit and I got a big lead. I had a bike issue the last two laps, but I pushed through it to get the moto win and the overall. First of the year and I'm pumped."

Mtn Dew ATV Motocross - Round 3 - Pro ATV MX Podium (left to right) Chad Wienen (2nd), Joel Hetrick (1st), John Natalie (3rd)

Wienen saw his winning streak come to an end, but he lost no points in the championship battle in finishing second (1-2). Natalie's consistent 3-3 finishes landed him third overall, making he and Wienen the only two riders to finish on the overall podium at each round this season. Creamer finished fourth thanks to 4-4 moto results while Brown completed the top five (6-5).

Wienen's persistence against Natalie in the final moto allowed him to gain seven points in the AMA Pro ATV standings, extending his advantage to 13 points over Natalie. Hetrick maintained his hold on third but is now just five points behind Natalie for second and 18 behind Wienen for first. Creamer moved up three positions into fourth (-46) with Brown gaining one spot for fifth (-50).

The Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship will observe the Memorial Day holiday next weekend before returning to action for the fourth round of the 2014 season on May 31 - June 1. Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois, will be the host site of the AMSOIL ATV Showdown.

AMA Pro ATV Overall Results (Moto Finishes)

1. Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pennsylvania, Can-Am, 2-1
2. Chad Wienen, Galena, Illinois, Yamaha, 1-2
3. John Natalie, Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania, Honda, 3-3
4. Josh Creamer, North Stonington, Connecticut, Can-Am, 4-4
5. Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha, 6-5
6. Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Illinois, Can-Am, 10-6
7. Casey Martin, Frenchburg, Kentucky, Honda, 9-8
8. Sean Taylor, Montezuma, Iowa, Honda, 8-11
9. Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda, 13-7
10. Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda, 5-16

AMA Pro ATV Championship Standings

1. Chad Wienen, Galena, Illinois, Yamaha, 141
2. John Natalie, Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania, Honda, 128
3. Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pennsylvania, Can-Am, 123
4. Josh Creamer, North Stonington, Connecticut, Can-Am, 95
5. Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha, 91
6. Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda, 90
7. Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Florida, Can-Am, 79
8. Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Illinois, Can-Am, 69
9. Casey Martin, Frenchburg, Kentucky, Honda, 68
10. Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda, 57

Specialty Awards

ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award - Joel Hetrick

SSi Decals Holeshot Championship

1. John Natalie - 6 points
2. Josh Upperman - 2 points
3. Chad Wienen - 1 points

Catch all nine rounds of AMA Pro ATV Class racing action on MAVTV. For more information on the series, visit www.atvmotocross.com and join the conversation on the series Facebook page or follow on Twitter @ATVMXdotcom and #ATVMX.

1 ::Page 2::