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GUST SNATCHES WIN AND
CHAMPIONSHIP WHILE KILBY WINS AND RATH ROCKS
DURING WPSA POWERSPORTS ATV TOUR GRAND FINALE AT
RACEWAY PARK
 ENGLISHTOWN,
N.J. (Aug. 20, 2006) — Doug Gust won a ferocious
battle with Dustin Wimmer during Sunday’s
SuperQuad Pro 450 race at Old Bridge Township
Raceway Park, part of the 2006 WPSA PowerSports
ATV Tour season finale. As the dust cleared, it
was Gust on the top step of the podium, and, in
the process, he clinched the inaugural Riders’
Championship. In the QuadTerrain Pro Stock
ranks, it was Scott Kilby who netted his second
win this season, while utility quad legend Daryl
Rath put the cap on his championship run.
The race will be telecast on ESPN2 on Sunday,
Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. EDT.
Gust (No. 55 Team Suzuki, Yoshimura/Suzuki)
came into the SuperQuad Pro 450 final just one
point behind Wimmer (No. 191 East Coast ATV,
Axis, Sparks, Maxxis/Honda), and it certainly
showed. Wimmer jumped to the early lead after
Travis Spader (No. 30 Progressive
Suspension/Yamaha) won the $1,000 Quad
MagazineHoleshot Award. However, Gust stalked
the young Pennsylvanian throughout the early
stages of the race. Gust’s constant pressure
paid off on lap eight, when the veteran rider
pulled off a slick inside move in a
right-hander. Wimmer struck back the next lap,
and two swapped the lead, before Gust came out
in front. Gust cruised the final lap to grab the
victory, his third this season. Wimmer held on
for second, and finished second in the title
chase. Harold Goodman (No. 708 American Honda,
Houser Racing, Curtis Sparks/Honda) was third in
the race.
“That was the toughest race I’ve ever been
in,” exclaimed Gust. “Once he got around me, he
didn’t stop. I knew where he was going to go,
but he changed it up quite a bit. Once I passed
him, he found some different lines again. Then I
snuck by him on yet another line. From there, I
said ‘I have to go.’”
Gust, along with injured teammate Jeremiah
Jones, helped Suzuki earn the Manufacturers’
Championship.
“I think this will help get Jeremiah back on
his feet,” said Gust. “He’s been known to be a
rubber man, and I think he’s going to get on his
feet again. Wimmer and I went back and forth all
year in this points race. First, I was 12 points
behind. Then I was 12 points ahead. Then I was
one behind, and pulled ahead by one. It was
quite the battle.”
Rocco Arno, Jr. (No. 101 Nac’s Racing, Curtis
Sparks/Suzuki) won the Rookie of the Year title.
Rory Beckman (No. 292 Jack Link’s, Spy
Optics, Fly Racing/Arctic Cat) won the $500
ATVRiders.com Rock’n’Roll Award for leaving the
rock crawl first, and looked to be en route to
his second consecutive QuadTerrain Challenge Pro
Stock victory. However, Kilby (No. 227 Can-Am,
Maxxis, OMF/Can-Am) was quick on the draw in the
log jam the following lap, taking the lead for
good. Beckman was second, followed by Jesse West
(No. 888 Oil Boyz, Stud Boy/Arctic Cat).
“I picked out some good lines early on and
they worked flawlessly,” said Kilby. “He got
into the logs, and I tried following him for a
second, then I saw an opening. So, I just nailed
it, and jumped three logs into the lead. I’ve
had good runs and bad luck this season, but it
feels good to end on a win.”
Rath, who finished fifth, took the Riders’
Championship, holding off Kilby, who with the
win, moved to second in points, and William
Yokley (No. 23 ARC Fulmer, Monster, Scott USA,
Tire Balls, ITP/Suzuki), who dogged Rath
throughout the season. Can-Am won the
Manufacturers’ Championship.
“It’s fantastic to be here,” said Rath. “This
partnership with Arctic Cat has really been
successful. Here we are, at the end of the
season and we have the championship. The people
at Arctic Cat are extremely excited. It builds
morale in the factory. We’re planning to build
on this next year and get even better.
“We had to come from the back quite a bit
this year,” added Rath. “You just never want to
give up. We dug in deep, and sometimes it’s
difficult to say that to yourself. Luckily, the
QuadTerrain class features a lot of passing; I
proved that all year long. WPSA should be proud
of the series, and I’m honored to be a part of
it.”
Results and points will be posted on
www.PowerSportsTour.com on Tuesday Aug. 22.
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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