|
WPSA POWERSPORTS ATV TOUR
HEADS SOUTH INTO THE HEART OF GEORGIA
AS NATALIE AND RATH PREPARE TO DEFEND POINTS
LEADS AT ECHECONNEE
 MACON,
Ga. (May 30, 2006) — The WPSA PowerSports ATV
Championship Tour will head into the Deep South
this weekend for the PowerSports Peach State ATV
Championship at Echeconnee Off Road Park. The
double-championship event, scheduled for
Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, will feature some
of the top ATV riders in the country, competing
in QuadMX and QuadTerrain Challenge events.
Saturday’s event will be telecast on ESPN2 on
Saturday June 17 at 2 p.m. EDT, while Sunday’s
race will air on Sunday, June 25 at 1:30 p.m.
EDT. Both days will feature Pro Class finals in
both Series.
Online registration is now open at
www.powersportstour.com. Riders can save the
hassle of registering onsite by pre-registering
using the Tour’s online registration portal. The
web site will also feature live timing and
scoring from the event, as well as online video,
photos, and news from trackside.
Leading the charge into the Peach State are
points leaders John Natalie, Jr. and Daryl Rath.
Both riders doubled their pleasure in Rounds 1
and 2 two weeks ago at Daniel Boone MX in
Kentucky, sweeping the finals on both days.
Natalie (No. 13 Elka, HMF, Swift/Honda)
dominated the first QuadMX SuperQuad Pro 450
event on Saturday and then rode from the back to
the front to win the second final on Sunday.
Natalie, however, will have some stiff
competition here, as Jeremiah Jones (No. 2
Suzuki, Yoshimura, Fly/Suzuki), Doug Gust (No.
55 Team Suzuki, Yoshimura/Suzuki), and many
others will be hot on his trail, seeking their
own shot at WPSA greatness.
Rath (No. 67 Rath Racing/Arctic Cat) too had
an exciting weekend in Kentucky, and will be
looking to pad his Pro Stock QuadTerrain
Challenge points lead here. However, several
veteran racers, including DonnyBanks (No. 38
Moto TST/Honda), Joe Duncan (No. 220 Park
X/Quad), and others are certainly in the mix,
and will be ready to do battle on the
rough-and-tumble course.
Meanwhile, the Manufacturers’ Championship
also heated up at Daniel Boone. In QuadMX, Honda
holds a tight four-point lead ahead of Suzuki,
while Artic Cat leads Honda by 10 markers in the
QuadTerrain Challenge standings.
Riders will be vying for one of the richest
purses in ATV racing here. The Tour will award
$22,500 in purse monies for each race this
season. The purse, which will be awarded in the
Tour’s Professional Classes, pays to 20th place
in the QuadMX Series and to 15th place in
QuadTerrain Challenge. The purse structure
awards $4,000 to win in QuadMX and $2,000 to win
the QuadTerrain Challenge, with $15,000 and
$7,500 available in each Series, respectively.
Additionally, Quad Magazine is sponsoring at
“Holeshot Award” in SuperQuad Pro 450, awarding
$1,000 to the rider who grabs the holeshot at
the beginning of the final.
The ATV Tour will operate two racing series
at each venue this season: the “QuadMX Series”
and the “QuadTerrain Challenge Series.” QuadMX
consists of professional and pro-am sport MX
racing on pro-style, big-air MX racing circuits.
The QuadTerrain Challenge comprises professional
and pro-am sport utility racing on purpose-built
all-terrain racing circuits. ATVs allowed to
compete will include stock, near-stock
utility-type, and modified.
The Tour will feature two Pro Classes, the
SuperQuad Pro 450 in QuadMX and Pro Stock in the
QuadTerrain Challenge, as well as 20 other
classes for Amateurs, Pro Am and Youth riders.
The Echeconnee track layout, like all
circuits on the Tour, is designed to optimize
television coverage and fan viewing for both
racing disciplines. The QuadMX course is central
to the design and is tailored exclusively for
ATV racing. The QuadTerrain course is
constructed immediately adjacent to the MX track
and incorporates a small portion of the
technical section of the MX course, but excludes
all big air MX sections. The balance of the
QuadTerrain course consists of specialized
terrain and obstacles. All obstacle sectors are
raced at speed. Races feature obstacles that
demonstrate the machine’s and a rider’s
capabilities under race conditions. However
certain sections will require careful
maneuvering, or a deft high-speed touch.The
QuadTerrain courses are a half mile or less in
length.
In order to allow competition from amateur
and junior classes, without taking away from the
professional show, the courses include amateur
alternative lines for each Series.
Sponsorship continues to contribute to the
growth of the Tour. The factories have
recognized the importance of racing as part of
their overall marketing program. Participation
from BRP Can-Am and Suzuki are confirmed, while
other manufacturers, including Honda, Yamaha and
others are planning to take part. AMSOIL, Dennis
Kirk, Jack Link’s and many others are also
partnering with the Tour. The Series will also
support unique programs designed to help teams
secure sponsorship and to allow them to grow
with the Tour.
A full slate of ATV racing will be held on
both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will be
available at the gate. A full race weekend
schedule is available at
www.powersportstour.com.
A media resources guide is available in PDF
format by clicking
here (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher
required), and will also be available onsite in
both electronic and paper formats. Media Members
wishing to cover the event in person need to
apply for credentials no later than noon on
Wednesday, May 31. A media credentials form is
available at
www.powersportstour.com. A media center will
be set up onsite with Internet access and a
place for media to work.
About the PowerSports ATV Tour
The PowerSports ATV Tour is North America’s
newest ATV racing tour and features the greatest
show on dirt. The Tour is North America’s
premier form of ATV racing, with its jumps,
gyrations and dirt-slinging racing action. The
Tour is sanctioned by the World PowerSports
Association, North America’s largest and most
respected ATV and snowmobile sanctioning body,
and promoter of ATV and snowmobile racing on
both the regional and national level.
|
