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DOUG GUST DOMINATES AND
WILLIAM YOKLEY HITS THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE
AS POWERSPORTS ATV CHAMPIONSHIPS TIGHTEN TO JUST
ONE POINT
ROSSVILLE, Ind. (July 23, 2006) — Doug Gust
continued a run of Suzuki dominance in the
SuperQuad Pro 450 Class that William Yokley
carried into the QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock
event during Sunday’s WPSA PowerSports ATV Tour
AMSOIL ATV Championship at Wild Cat Creek MX.
The Suzuki duo were the top pro winners in
Sunday’s races, which represented day two of the
double championship weekend at the suburban
Indianapolis track. The events will be telecast
on ESPN2 on Sunday, Aug. 13 at noon EDT.
The victories tightened the Riders’
Championship chases in both classes to just a
single point going into the final two events of
the season, scheduled for Aug. 19-20 at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown,
N.J. Gust (No. 55 Team Suzuki, Yoshimura/Suzuki)
took the points lead in SuperQuad Pro 450, ahead
of Dustin Wimmer (No. 191 East Coast ATV, Axis,
Sparks, Maxxis/Honda). In QuadTerrain, Yokley
(No. 23 Suzuki) now sits just behind points
leader Daryl Rath (No. 67 Rath Racing, Maxxis,
Douglas Wheels/Arctic Cat).
Gust survived a wild start that claimed
several top competitors, including teammate
Jeremiah Jones (No. 2 Team Suzuki,
Yoshimura/Suzuki). After rookie rider Rocco Arno,
Jr. (No. 101 NAC’s Racing, Curtis Sparks,
ITP/Yamaha) won the $1,000 Quad Magazine
Holeshot Award, Gust took the lead halfway
through the first lap and wasn’t challenged from
there. Wimmer won a tough three-quad battle for
second, marking his fourth consecutive podium.
Jeremy Lawson (No. 16 Honda) was third, marking
his podium this season.
“After my DNF last weekend, it feels really
good to get back into the win column,” said Gust
of his second 2006 victory. “Taking the points
lead is important this late in the season. This
championship is going to go down to the last
race.
“I thought I had it and then I saw Rocco come
alongside me,” added Gust. “I knew I had to stay
inside, but he really made it stick and did a
good job. Once I got the lead, a lot of things
went through my mind: ‘Don’t make mistakes. Stay
consistent.’ Our goal is the championship, so
we’re going to do everything we can to get
points.”
Yokley, meanwhile, had to work for his third
QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock victory of the
season. Brock Parker (No. 493 LTE Exhaust, Super
Grips/Can-Am) took the holeshot, leaving the
track’s rock crawl section first and winning the
$500 ATVRiders.com “Rock’n’Roll Award.” Parker
took a dominating lead, but stumbled on lap
three, giving the point to Scott Kilby (No. 227
Maxxis, OMF/Can-Am), Kilby, however, along with
much of the rest of the field, was hung up in a
tangle in the rock crawl during the next lap.
Yokley threaded his way through the carnage and
led the final two laps for the win.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it
through,” said Yokley of his hard charge. “I had
a choice: Either sit there and get passed, or I
was going to give it try. I decided if I was
going to go down, I was going to go down
swinging. Yesterday, I was being cautious in the
rock crawl and that bit us. I saw what caution
did to us then, so I decided to go for it.
“This championship is going to come down to
the end between Daryl Rath and myself,”
continued Yokley. “I’ll just going to keep
coming out here with a big smile on my face and
keep doing what I’ve been doing”
Suzuki continues its hold on the
Manufacturers’ Championship in SuperQuad Pro 450
with an eight-point margin ahead of Honda.
Similarly, Can-Am leads the manufacturers’
points in QuadTerrain, but Suzuki tightened to
within just two markers.
Complete results and points are available at
www.PowerSportsTour.com. The next event for the
PowerSports ATV Tour is scheduled for Aug. 19-20
at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in
Englishtown, N.J. That event is the season
finale double championship weekend for the 2006
PowerSports ATV Championship Tour.
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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