| ATVA
ITP Moose Racing
National Motocross Series
Round #9 - Steel City
June 17-18, 2006
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| ATVA
Motocross Nationals
Round #9 - Links |
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Delmont, PA (6/28/2006) – After
a short three week break, the ATV Motocross Nationals
Series roared back to life with the ATV Stampede at Steel
City Raceway for a Father’s Day Weekend of racing,
and the event attracted a large crowd of racers and spectators
to one of the most technical tracks this year with plenty
of high flying doubles and table tops, which were challenging
to even the fastest Pro Racers. The Steel City track provided
some fantastic racing action, and everyone in attendance
were pleased with this top notch facility.
Pro Am Production & Unlimited
Some national motocross tracks possess the reputation
of being able to separate the men from the boys. Not
Steel City MX in Delmont, Pennsylvania. This nasty,
gnarly, racer eating MX circuit carved out of the PA
hillsides separates the “real men” from
the men, boys and anyone of any gender for that matter.
During round 9 of the 2006 ITP/Moose Racing ATVA National
Motocross Series not only did Steel City rare up and
bite top Pros John Natalie and Joe Byrd, but arched
its’ back and took a bite out of Team Motorsport.com
Honda’s Josh Upperman. While making his way around
the valley section of the track, Upperman took an unfamiliar
line and found himself flipping and flying Pennsylvania
style. This misfortune didn’t injure the Ohio
based racer but hampered his quest to win both the Pro/Am
Production and Pro/Am Unlimited events at the inaugural
outing of the National Motocross Series at the world
famous Steel City race track.
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Canada's Jasmin Plante made his returns to motocross
racing after being sidelined since 2004 after
a mid season leg injury |
On Sunday, Upperman took a 10th place finish in the
Pro/Am Unlimited class after his mishap leaving the
door wide open for Shane Hitt, Upperman’s temporary
Team Motorsport.com Honda team member. Hitt, visiting
Steel City with the intentions of just relaxing and
renewing old friendships, was talked into racing by
the Motorsport.com Honda team manager Tim Farr and,
lo and behold, won the class with an excellent showing
of motocross talent which had not left his well known
thirst for competition and speed. Recently, over the
past couple of years, Hitt has concentrated on the Extreme
Dirt Track Series and has only on occasion raced motocross.
He not only raced motocross at round 9 but tamed the
terrain of this extremely tough, talent testing circuit.
Following Hitt across the checkers in the Pro/Am Unlimited
class to take second overall and third overall were
Tommy Hager, a JPMX, Suzuki mounted Pro/Am’er
from Vine Grove, KY and Adam Clark, a Honda mounted
Pro/Am from LaGrange, Ohio.
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| Shane
Hitt and Matt White were both back in action this
weekend with Hitt winning Pro Am Unlimited while
White finished 3rd in Pro Am Production |
Thomas
Hager had his best weekend of racing this year
with a 2nd Place finish in Production and 5th
Place finish in Unlimited on his ATV Four Play
Suzuki LT-R450 |
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Josh Upperman was able to hold off Kory Ellis
on Saturday to take the Pro Am Production Win! |
Saturday’s Pro/Am Production action favored Upperman
all the way. He added first place overall points to
his series’ standings and after all was said and
done continued to be the top dog in the class with an
accumulated total of 216 points on the season. Returning
after a few rounds off due to injuries, Matt White,
a McNett/Hetrick Racing sponsored Pro who bushwhacks
in the Pro/Am Production class when he can, brought
down the second place overall podium at Steel City to
maintain his second place in the points standings. Kory
Ellis, another Pro who runs the Production class to
get the real race feel of a track at times, finished
third behind White at round 9, maintaining his fifth
place ranking in the series’ points rankings.
Sandwiched between Ellis in fifth and White in second
as tallied by the standings after 9 rounds of the ’06
series were Mitch Reynolds of Arkansas hanging on to
third overall with 119 points and Tommy Hager of Kentucky
nestled in fourth with 108 points.
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| John
Ragon gave Matt White a run for his money in the
second Moto as the pair battle to the checkered
with White eventually making the pass |
Tyler
Lenig, GNCC Pro AM Class points leader tested
the waters this weekend in motocross in full GNCC
setup, and he was still clearing all the big doubles |
Women Production
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Angela Butler wins her 2nd race in a row and moves
to within one win of Heather Byrd out front |
Steel City didn’t take a bite out of Heather
Byrd as it did her husband Joe but it did do some damage.
During Saturday’s moto one in the Women’s
class, Byrd fried and engine and was left to push her
Honda across the line, an imaginary line drawn through
the valley to allow riders the opportunity to at least
finish a moto. Otherwise, pushing a quad up the hills
of Steel City would have been futile for man or woman.
Coming back on Sunday, Byrd managed to up her score
a notch or two but still finished third for the event,
her first time this season to not finish either first
or second.
Normally, Byrd and Angela Butler are out front and
running with other’s in chase but the Pennsylvania
layout of the Steel City circuit took the normality
out of the Women’s class. Butler took her fourth
win for the series with Michelle Reiser, a Yamaha mounted
lady, finishing second and Byrd third. Taking a gander
at the accumulated points for the series so far after
round 9, Byrd held on to the first place position with
246 points with Butler slotted in second with 209 points
and Reiser in third with 174 points. Rounding out the
top five after nine rounds were Jami Luburgh of Luburgh
Racing with 112 points and Jami Jones and her Suzuki
sitting in fifth with 84 points.
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| Michelle
Reiser finished the weekend in 2nd Place as she
remains in a solid third place in points behind
Byrd and Butler |
Heather
Byrd with Joe Byrd by her side pushed her Honda
450R across an imaginary finish line to avoid
a DNF |
4-Stroke Stock Production
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ATV Insider's David Schloss holding off Jesse
Mattucci with some great racing both Motos |
David Schloss of Stuebenville, Ohio and the publisher
of ATV Insider tested the new Suzuki LTR450 earlier
in the year in California during the inaugural press
launch for the new machine. At Steel City he raced the
new Suzuki for the first time and won both motos to
put a first place national plaque in his publisher’s
pocket. Schloss took on Jesse Mattucci, Ryan Costello,
Mario A. Diangelo and a host of 4 Stroke Stock class
national regulars but showed them no mercy on either
Saturday or Sunday. When all was tallied and both motos
were in the books, Schloss took his first win on the
year in his first national appearance with Mattucci
taking second and Terry Monroe of West Virginia scoring
a third place finish. After nine rounds, Costello held
onto the first place overall points position with 152
points followed by Mattucci in second with 121 and Diangelo
in third with 116 points.
Youth ATV Racing
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Cole Sepesie finished out the weekend with a 3rd
place finish |
Sunday at Steel City was Father’s Day and Cole
Sepesi of Milan, Michigan made his father a special
promise. It went like this. “Dad, if we can go
to Steel City, I’ll get the holeshot for you in
both classes but I don’t know if I can win because
we’ve missed a round or so and I’m out of
shape.” These words from a youth class racer who
competes in two classes, the 50cc Production Auto (6-8
year old) class and the 70cc Production (6-11 year old)
class would have been enough for any father but when
the youngster does what he says he’s going to
do, well, now that’s a special Father’s
Day present matched by not many.
Cole Sepesi, the Michigan Monster, didn’t win
either class. He finished 7th in the 70 Production class
and found his ride in the 50 Production class and brought
dad a present of a third place podium finish. He did,
though, come through with his Father’s Day present
for his dad. He nailed both class holeshots during both
days’ activities and put a wide smile and a swollen
chest on his dad’s countenance. Taking the 50
Production win at Steel City was Alex Szymborski with
Jeremy Ledonne hammering out second and, of course,
Sepesi in third. This trio of youngsters remained the
top three in the class for the season with the podium
after nine rounds having Szymborski in first, Ledonne
in second and Sepesi in third. The 70 Production class
win at Steel City went to Alabama’s Brandon Cole
“Bubba” Tittle with Brett Musick taking
second and Jesse Putman hanging on to third. When the
overall series’ standings were official after
round 9, Tittle held the first place standing with 203
points followed by Rhett Sims with 149 and Musick with
134 points.
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| Brett
Musick continues to inch his way up the points
chart with yet another impressive finish, which
moves him into 3rd Place |
Glenn
Massung III was back in action this weekend finishing
in 2nd Place behind Joel Hetrick in the 90 Mod
Class |
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Fighting for your
Rights
All Terrain Vehicle Association
P.O. Box 800
Pickerington, OH 43147-0800 |
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