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WEST THRILLS AND JONES
DOMINATES IN AMSOIL ATV CHAMPIONSHIP
ROSSVILLE, Ind. (July 22, 2006) — Snocross
phenom Jesse West and QuadMX young gun Jeremiah
Jones took very different routes to win their
respective Pro Class races during Saturday’s
AMSOIL ATV Championship, Round 7 of the WPSA
PowerSports ATV Championship Tour, at Wild Cat
Creek MX. West (No. 888 Oil Boyz, Stud
Boy/Arctic Cat) drove through the field to win
the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock race, while
Jones (No. 2 Team Suzuki, Yoshimura/Suzuki)
dominated the SuperQuad Pro 450 race from start
to finish. The events will be telecast on ESPN2
on Saturday, Aug. 5, at noon EDT.
West, a regular in the ATV Tour’s sister
series, the PowerSports Snowmobile Championship
Tour, took advantage on lap three when William
Yokley (No. 23 Suzuki), who dominated the early
stages of the six-lap event, buried his quad in
the rock crawl on the tough QuadTerrain course.
West held the lead until the finish, beating
teammate Daryl Rath (No. 67 Rath Racing, Maxxis,
Douglas Wheels/Arctic Cat). Josh Frederick (No.
199 Can-Am) was third in his PowerSports ATV
Tour debut.
West, who is racing out of Arctic Cat’s new
factory-supported transporter, was pleased to
net his first win in just his third ATV Tour
start. Clifton Beasley (No. 226 Warnert Racing,
Chapman Performance/Can-Am) won the $500
ATVRiders.com Rock’n’Roll Award for leaving the
rock crawl first on lap one.
“This is a great win for Arctic Cat,” said
West. “We really want to make Arctic Cat’s
support count and I think we did that today. The
tortoise really beat the hare in this race. I
just stayed steady, and consistency is really
what wins these races.
“I’ve been looking for a summertime outlet;
Snocross is really my career,” added West. “Then
this opportunity came up and I just love it.”
Rath held his lead in the Riders’
Championship, and now holds an eight-point lead
ahead of Yokley.
While West fought hard for his victory, Jones
made it look easy. After taking the lead on the
first lap, Jones was literally in his own class,
leading all 12 laps of the final. Teammate Doug
Gust (No. 55 Team Suzuki, Yoshimura/Suzuki)
finished second. Points leader Dustin Wimmer
(No. 191 East Coast ATV, Axis, Sparks, Maxxis/Honda)
rode from eighth at the start to finish third,
marking his third consecutive and fourth overall
podium this season.
Jones remains virtually perfect in ATV Tour
competition after grabbing his sixth-straight
podium and third overall win in six starts. Josh
Creamer (No. 270 K & K ATV, Robbs Racing
Engines, Ohlins Suspension/Honda) won the Quad
Magazine Holeshot Award, worth $1,000.
“This is great to finish here with my
teammate,” said Jones. “Team Suzuki, Yoshimura
has been strong all weekend. I picked what I
thought was a bad line at the start, but it
worked out on the first lap.
“Points are important right now, so I was
pretty bummed out after finishing seventh in one
of my qualifying heats,” added Jones. “This win
makes me feel much better.”
Wimmer’s grasp on the points lead narrowed to
just four points with three races left this
season.
In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Suzuki
continues to hold the lead in the SuperQuad Pro
450 standings, by six markers ahead of the
Honda. Can-Am now leads Suzuki by just four
points in the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock
chase.
The next event for the PowerSports ATV Tour,
the second day of this weekend’s double
championship, is scheduled for tomorrow,
beginning at 9 a.m.
Results from Saturday’s races are available
by clicking
here and updated points files can be
downloaded
here. Complete results and points are
also available at
www.PowerSportsTour.com.
Sunday’s race will be telecast on ESPN2 on
Saturday, July 22 at noon EDT. The PowerSports
ATV Championship Tour’s next race, the AMSOIL
ATV Championship, is scheduled for Saturday and
Sunday, July 22-23 at Wild Cat Creek MX in
Rossville, Ind.
About the PowerSports ATV Tour
The PowerSports ATV Championship 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. For more information, please
visit
www.PowerSportsTour.com.
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