ATV Pro Challenge Motocross in Memory of Caleb Moore Oak Hill MX October 10, 2015

Natalie recovered from a spin in the first turn and drove through the field to finish second.

John Natalie Jr scored a 2nd place

“I thought I had the holeshot…I was already counting the money in my head,” said Natalie. “Then someone hit me from behind and sent me out into the fluff and almost flipped. I came out sixth. Racing is racing, though, and I went back to it. By the time I got into second, Thomas had a 10-second lead on my. I caught up to him a little bit, but we were having some issues, I backed off a little bit and I settled for second.

Natalie returned to competition a few weeks ago after suffering what was nearly a career- and almost life-ending injury.

“I complain about not getting first, when I should be thanking God that I’m out here racing,” said Natalie. “The injuries were way more serious than I even thought they were. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been pushing myself to be better. It’s not good enough to be better than someone else. I want to be better than I think I can be. I never quit and I never give up. I guess I’m just hard on myself. It’s great to be back out here racing and on the podium. These guys are not slow racers by any means. These are the best racers in the world.”

Rastrelli almost didn’t make the main event after a hard crash during his heat. He came out of a late-race battle with Gennusa to nab the final spot on the podium.

There was a three way battle early on for the final spot on the podium with Jeffrey Rastrelli leading Nick Gennusa & Sam Rowe

“I got a little out of control, blew a berm, got ejected off the bike and landed on my left shoulder; I think I may have separated it a little bit,” said Rastrelli of the crash during his heat. “Before the moto, I was hurt bad. I could barely move my knee and my shoulder. But when I got on that track and the adrenalin kicked in, it was a whole different story. I forgot about that stuff and did the deal. To come out and finish third to Thomas and John and with these guys racing is awesome.”