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Joe Byrd and John Natalie
Battle Down the Stretch
June 6, 2006 - While the pack behind them
picks up the pace, John Natalie and Joe Byrd
continue to battle at the top of the point
standings in pursuit of the 2006 ITP/MOOSE ATVA
National Motocross Title.
The veteran Byrd is using consistency to log
the best season of his career. He started the
season with a win in California, and except for
a fifth place finish at round three at
Gainesville, Florida, he has finished on the
podium at every event. Natalie, the 2005 Series
Champion, missed the podium at round six in
Danville, Virginia then again at round eighth at
Blountville, Tennessee, when he tangled hard
with Byrd. Both riders have two wins to their
credit, and while they both ride with support
from factory Honda, their on-track rivalry
appears to be heating up as the points chase
tightens.
Byrd has just ten points over Natalie at the
moment in one of the closest points chases in
years.
John Natalie (13) and Joe Byrd (7) |
Jeremiah Jones (2) and Doug Gust
(55) |
Meanwhile, the Yoshimura/Suzuki factory race
team has stepped up their program. As the
all-new LT-R450 rounds itself into a potent
package, multi-time series champion Doug Gust
sits just 22 points behind Natalie in third. His
teammate Jeremiah Jones has been on fire
recently, winning three of the last four rounds
and proving to be the fastest rider on the
track. But bad luck early in the season cost
Jones valuable championship points. With Natalie
and Byrd consistently finishing on the podium
it's a long way to the top for the streaking
Suzuki riders with only six races remaining.
Keep up with the points chase online at:
www.atvaonline.com/race/results/atvtypeindex.asp?s=9&year=2006
Racing continues June 16-17-18 at the ATV
Stampede at Steel City in Delmont, Pa.
The ITP/Moose ATVA National Motocross
Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited, is
the nation’s premiere ATV motocross racing
series. The 14-round series is produced by
members of the ATVA Promoters’ Group, LLC (“ATVAPG”)
and is sanctioned by the 9,000 member ATV
Association (“ATVA”), the sister organization to
the 260,000 member American Motorcyclist
Association (“AMA”). ATV racing has experienced
phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past
two years alone, and continues to gain momentum
and support, as ATV outsell off-road motorcycles
annually 3 to 1. Each round attracts 600-1000
racers who vie for bragging rights to one of 31
national titles. ATVA National Motocross feature
sponsors include FMF, Scott, Maxxis, Custom
Axis, Hbomb/Division Four, ATV Sport Magazine,
and Moto-Tees. Associate sponsors include
Weekend Warrior, Houser Racing, Denton Racing,
Outerwears, Hinson Racing, FOX Shox,
www.ATVriders.com, ATV Source, and Terry Racing.
For more information about the series, log on to
www.ATVMotocross.com.
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