ATVA ITP Moose Racing National Motocross Series Round #3 - Gatorback March 11-12, 2006

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With beautiful sunny skies and temps in the 80’s, the event attracted thousands of spectators as well to watch their favorite riders compete, and what started out as a another great weekend at the track, turned tragic when the ATV community lost one of its own, Zachary Griffin, of Palmetto, GA. This young rider would lose his life after serious of unpredictable events during the Youth Production race, which left many in tears and grieving for him and his family. Zachary lived for ATV racing, and he would leave this world doing what he loved to do, but it still doesn’t lesson the hurt felt by his family and all those that knew this fine young man. As a family, the ATV community gathered together and raised over $13,000 for the Griffin’s by Sunday, and we wish our deepest sympathies to the Griffin family.

On a positive note, Josh Creamer would make his season debut in the Pro Class on his new K&K Racing Honda 450R, and Lost Creek Cycle’s Jason Dunkelberger was prepared to put his new Suzuki LT-450R to the test in the Pro Class after only receiving it a few weeks prior to the event. With the help of his sponsors including TC Racing, Ohlins, JB Racing, Super Trapp, and Rath Racing, Dunk felt confident he could be competitive on his new Suzuki ride. By the end of the day, we would be able to tell if he made the right decision, and with the time approaching noon, the start of the first Moto was about to begin.

#19 Jason Dunkelberger on his new Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer	#270 Josh Creamer on his new K&K Racng Honda TRX450R

Pro Moto One
With the drop of the starting gate, Moto one was underway with Joe Byrd and Doug Gust leading the pack down the straight away to the first turn. Gust would drift wide around the turn, which allowed Byrd to grab the Holeshot followed by John Natalie Jr.

Joe Byrd and John Natalie Jr battling for the lead at the end of the first lap of Moto One

With the Moto nearing the half way point, John Natalie Jr continued to apply the pressure to Joe Byrd in the lead. Meanwhile, Doug Gust worked his way past Joe Haavisto and Tim Farr and into the third place as the trio raced in a tight pack only few seconds behind the Byrd and Natalie Jr. Jason Luburgh was recovering quickly from a poor start and worked his way up into 7th place behind Travis Spader.

In the seventh lap, Joe Byrd’s lead would come to an end when his rear shock would malfunction, which forced him to slow down his blistering pace with only hopes of salvaging the Moto and his points lead. John Natalie Jr would take over the lead with nearly 10 second cushion between him and Doug Gust in second place followed by Tim Farr and Joe Haavisto.

The twenty minute Moto would prove to be more than Tim Farr’s back could handle when he pulled over to wave past Joe Haavisto and others as he slowed down to crawl around the track for the final laps after such an impressive charge in the top five for the majority of the race. Jason Luburgh would continue his charge to the front as he moved into 4th place behind Joe Haavisto after making the pass on Travis Spader with Joe Byrd quickly dropping back to sixth place ahead of Matt White and Jason Dunkelberger.

#4 Tim Farr put in an early impressive run holding off Joe Haavisto before his back gave out on him with only a few laps to go.	#13 John Natalie jr gives the crowd a thumbs up after taking the checkered flag with the first Moto win on his Rage Racing Honda

With the checkered flag waving, John Natalie Jr would coast over the finish line jump and give the cheering crowd a thumbs up for his first Moto win. Doug Gust would cross the finish line several seconds later followed by Joe Haavisto to round out the top three finishers.

Matt White would finish a season’s best 6th place in the first Moto followed by Jason Dunkelberger on his new Suzuki LT-R450 ride. Pro Rookie, Josh Creamer would finish an impressive 9th place in his return to racing after breaking his wrist while practicing in California for the opening round of the series, and Joe Byrd would drop all the way back to 15th place by end of the race, which would virtually eliminates his chance of winning his third race in a row or even appearing on the podium.

Pro Moto Two
After an exciting first Moto, it was time for the Pros to head back to the starting gate for the start of the second Moto, but missing from the lineup was Jeremy Lawson because he was having engine problems with his Honda 450R, and he wasn’t alone as John Natalie Jr needed to swap his engine between Motos after experiencing issues with his transmission at the end of the first Moto.

With H-Bomb Films, Wes Miller perched above the starting gate in dump bucket with camera in hand to catch the start of the second Moto from a bird’s eye view, the gate dropped and second Moto was underway with John Natalie Jr and Joe Byrd once again battling for the Holeshot. Unfortunately, as quickly as the second Moto started, it was red flaged when Donald Lysinger’s front tire would catch pot hole in the track, which sent him flying over the handle bars. Once the dust settled, Lysinger would lay motionless on his back in the middle of the track with his Yamaha resting nearby with its front lower A-arm ripped out of the frame. The paramedics would rush to his aide and find him unable to move or feel his legs or arms, so the race was red flagged and helicopter was called in to transport Lysinger to the hospital. Fortunately for Lysinger, the paralysis was only temporary due to swelling around his spinal cord, and he was treated and released with only bruising.

Second Moto start with Wes Miller filming from a bird's eye view

After over a half hour delay, the restart of the second Moto was about to begin as the pros waited on the starting gate with umbrellas over their heads to shade themselves from the scorching sun. The gate would drop once again for the second Moto, and the results were almost identical to the original start with Joe Byrd an John Natalie Jr once again battling for the Holeshot, but this time around everything went smooth as the pros came around for the completion of lap one.

At the end of the lap one, Joe Byrd would hold the lead with John Natalie Jr chasing his roost with Tim Farr and Matt White close behind followed by a trio of Suzuki LT-450 riders Doug Gust, Jeremiah Jones, and Jason Dunkelberger. Unlike Moto one, John Natalie Jr would quickly make his move on Joe Byrd and take over the lead in the second lap, and it appeared as if Natalie Jr. was about to check out on the competition as he did last year finishing with an over 20 second lead for his first overall win of the season.

Team Suzuki / Yoshimura's Doug Gust & Jeremiah Jones working their way to the front of the pack

With the race reaching the half way point, Natalie Jr was proving to be human as he did not leave Joe Byrd in the dust once he took over the lead, but instead, Byrd was continuing to apply the pressure for the lead and would make the pass on Natalie Jr as he would begin fade along with Honda teammate, Tim Far who once again was able to maintain a top five position until the final laps of the race.

Both Gust and Jones would quickly capitalize on Natalie Jr’s reduced speed and make the pass and begin applying the pressure to Joe Byrd for the lead and each other for position. With only three laps to go, Gust would make the pass on Byrd and take over the lead, which set him up for his first overall win of the season if he could hold on till the checkered flag.

With the checkered flag waving, an exhausted Doug Gust launched across the finish line, throwing his hands in the air upon landing in relief that this grueling 20 minute Moto was finally over as he took his first overall win on the new Suzuki LT-R450 QuadRacer. Moment’s later; Joe Byrd would cross the finish line in second place followed by Jones, Natalie Jr, Little, Farr, and Haavisto. Yes, Joe Haavisto would put in yet another impressive moto, which was enough to net him the final podium spot over Matt White with yet another incredible ride on his Yamaha YFZ450.

"Dunk" waste no time adapting to the new Suzuki LT-R450 as he has his best race of the season on his new Lost Creek Cycle / Cernics Suzuki

The transition to the Suzuki LT-R450 for Jason Dunkelberger went smoother than expected as he would earn his best overall finish of the year with a 6th place finish, which moved him into 6th place in points in a tie with Tavis Cain. “The Suzuki was working well for me, but I still have a few more changes to make before Macon,” said Dunk. He obviously doesn’t have it dialed in yet, which says even more about his impressive finish, so I am sure all eyes will be on Dunk in Georgia.

The win by Doug Gust and the second place finish by John Natalie Jr tightened up the points chase for the National Championship with Joe Byrd maintaining the lead by just one point over Natalie Jr and Gust is just 9 points out of the lead with Joe Haavisto and Keith Little tied for fourth with a 26 point deficit.

Post Podium Press Conference
Immediately following the podium presentation, a press conference was held with the top three pro finishers, so they could share their comments about the race this weekend at Gatorback Cycle Park. Doug Gust didn’t hesitate to share his feelings on his new Suzuki LT-R450 ride for 2006, “My Suzuki is working great, and I can’t say enough about it – I still have stock tires, swingarm, axle, Walsh A-arms, Fox Shocks, and a little bit of motor work with a Yosh pipe,” said Gust. He won the championship in 2004 aboard the LT-Z400, but injuries plagued him in 2005, which allowed Natalie Jr to run away with the Championship, but it appears things could be different for 2006 with a healthy Doug Gust and his new ride.

(left to Right) John Natalie Jr, Doug Gust, Joe Haavisto all looked noticeably exhausted on the podium after a brutally rough race under the hot Florida sun

When Natalie Jr was asked what happened in the second Moto after he appeared to have the win in the bag before he began to fade. “I just hit the wall, and I need to get out there and do a little more training and get my cardio up. I really didn’t get pumped up much out there, but I hit a wall with the heat”, said Natalie Jr. The “Ironman” Natalie Jr didn’t win the Gatorback this year, but championships are based off consistency and with three 2nd place finishes in a row, a repeat championship remains within his reach for 2006.

The big surprise of the day was to see the privateer, Joe Haavisto maneuver his way onto the podium with an impressive run in both the first and second Motos as he has quietly race after race netted himself top 10 finishes, but the biggest thing on everyone’s mind was what has made the difference for him in 2006. “I got done to Florida two months earlier, and I was able to focus on riding and not working – I have all the same support this year as last with Baldwin, Maxxis, and PEP,” said Haavisto.” This soft spoken New England Pro rider has shouted loudly with his actions on the track that he is quickly becoming a championship contender.

Wrap-Up
With the Gatorback weekend of ups and downs, it was finally time to pack up and begin the short trip north to the Macon, GA for round 4 at the Echeconnee MX Park, which is just one week away. The Donny Banks operated track is a favorite for many of the pros, and it should provide another exciting weekend of racing, so until then, be safe and keep it on all four with God Speed to Zachary Griffin.