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Wienen Wins One at Loretta's
Bad luck and
injuries disappear with first 2008 victory
Chad Wienen earned his first overall
victory of the season Sunday at Loretta
Lynn Ranch.
Dustin Wimmer, who finished second
Sunday, holds up his $5,000 check for
winning the 2008 AMA Riders'
Championship.
Josh Creamer overcame a crash in the
second moto to finish third overall on
Sunday, earning his fourth podium of
2008
Photos: Stephani McIntyre |
HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn.
(August 10, 2008) -- Chad Wienen (No. 44
Team Rockstar/ MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper
Suzuki) fulfilled his goal of treading to the
top step of the podium during the 2008 season on
Sunday, capturing the overall Pro ATV victory at
Loretta Lynn Ranch. The event, part of ATV Dirt
Days here, was the season finale for the ITP
Tires/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National
Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited.
Dustin Wimmer (No. 191 Team
MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki) finished
second, ahead of Josh Creamer (No. 9 Team
Monster Energy Kawasaki).
Wimmer also collected a $5,000 check for
winning this year's Riders' Championship. He
clinched the title two weeks ago in Michigan and
also helped hand Suzuki the Manufacturers' Cup.
“I’ve really been working hard to get back to
winning speed,” said Wienen, who fought multiple
injuries and bad luck all season. “I was just
concentrating on the overall win out there. I’m
the defending race winner here, so I was looking
forward to the race. It feels great to get the
monkey off my back and win again. I’d really
like to thank my team for giving me such a great
quad, because it was the reason I was able to
win.”
The win didn’t come easy. After finishing
first in moto one, Wienen had to get past
teammate ATVRiders.com Holeshot Award winner
Doug Gust (No. 55 Team Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro
Taper Suzuki) in the second moto. Wienen began
pressing hard, searching for a way around Gust,
then Joe Byrd (No. 7 American Honda Joe Byrd
Motocross School Honda) passed both Suzuki
riders in one fell swoop. From there the battle
was on.
Both riders pulled ahead of the pack and
traded positions several times. Wienen captured
the lead late in the event and began to look
like he was going to pull away. This was not the
case as Byrd fought back and made his way back
around the Suzuki rider. Finally, Wienen,
realizing he had the overall win, backed off and
settled for second. Meanwhile, Byrd raced away
with the second moto win.
“I had a mechanical failure in the first moto,
but those things happen,” said Byrd, who lives
roughly 100 miles from the Loretta Lynn Ranch.
“I have a lot of friends and family here and I
just wanted ride my best for them and get
another win for the Byrd House.”
Creamer was strong all day, finishing second
in moto one. He then put forth an amazing effort
in moto two after crashing on lap one. The crash
left Creamer at the back of the field, but he
immediately began slicing through the pack to
ultimately finish the moto sixth, good enough
for third overall.
"As soon as I got up I just told myself I was
going to pass as many riders as I could," said
Creamer. "I saw a big pack of riders around the
halfway mark, and that gave me a little extra
boost to keep charging."
Wienen was awarded an extra $1,000 for
winning the home base fourth and final round of
the ITP Grand Slam. Meanwhile, Byrd picked up an
extra $1,000 for winning the ITP Tires Grand
Slam championship that consisted of the High
Point, Red Bud, Muddy Creek, and Loretta Lynn
rounds.
Wienen summed up the day by adding: "I’ve won
here two years in a row now. Joe (Byrd) and I
always battle hard. He’s beaten me on my home
turf and now I’ve beaten him on his. This isn’t
the Byrd House anymore, it’s Wienen Ranch."
Special award winners
were:
Ti Lube Fast Qualifier Award:
Chad Wienen
Suspension Systems Holeshot
Award--Moto 1: Josh Upperman
ATVRiders.com
Holeshot Award--Moto 2: Doug Gust
DASA
Mechanic of the Race: Bill Micke
This weekend's race represented the regular
season finale for ITP Tires/Moose Racing
AMA/ATVA National Motocross Championship. The
next race for the tour, the invitation-only
Steel City ATV Open, is scheduled for Aug. 30 at
Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Pa.
HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (Aug. 10, 2008) --
Results of Sunday’s ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA
Pro ATV Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn
Ranch (Showing finishing position, rider, bike
number, bike brand, hometown, and moto
finishes):
1.
Chad Wienen, 44, Suzuki, Galena, Ill., 1-1.
2. Dustin Wimmer, 191,
Suzuki, Center Valley, Pa, 4-3.
3.
Josh Creamer, 9, Kawasaki, North Stonington,
Conn., 2-6.
4. Joe
Byrd, 7, Honda, Union City, Tenn., 10-1.
5.
Doug Gust, 55, Suzuki, Salem, Wis., 3-5.
6.
Pat Brown, 199, Yamaha, Pittstown, N.J., 7-4.
7. Cody Miller, 22,
Can-Am, Greenville, Texas, 8-7.
8.
Harold Goodman, 708, Honda, Romulus, Mich.,
11-8.
9. Greg Gee,
10, Can-Am, Simcoe, Ontario, 12-9.
10.
Jeremy Lawson, 16, Can-Am, Battletown, Ky.,
6-17.
11. John Ragon, 98, Honda, Milan,
Tenn., 14-10.
12. Josh Upperman, 20,
Honda, Louisville, Ohio, 5-19.
13. John
Natalie, Jr., 13, Can-Am, Houtzdale, Pa., 9-18.
14. Keith Little, 12, Kawasaki, Spruce
Pine, Ala., 15-13.
15. Jasmin Plante,
91, Yamaha, Notre Dame, Quebec, 17-12.
16.
Cale Downen, 727, Honda, Junction, Ill., 13-16.
17. Russell Shumaker, 68, Kawasaki,
Bristol, Wis., 20-11.
18. Sage Baker,
49, Can-Am, Shasta Lake, Calif., 18-14.
19.
Rocco Arno, Jr., 101, Honda, Bridgeton, N.J.,
19-15.
20. Jason Dunkelberger, 19,
Honda, Trevorton, Pa, 16-20.
ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA Pro ATV Motocross
Championship final points: Wimmer 438, Byrd 371,
Gust 352, Creamer 298, Lawson 277, Wienen 268,
Natalie 263, Goodman 259, Upperman 227, Brown
187.
Notebook:
ENTRIES
ABOUND... A record 836 entries checked in
for this weekend's race, representing a more
than 27% jump from last year and the most this
season. The previous record for this year was
732, set in March at Millcreek Raceway in
Alabama.
CONCERT
TIME...Recording artist Krista Marie
thrilled a packed house Saturday night here.
Marie, who is also a competitive ATV rider,
performed many of her hits in front of several
record executives and other Nashville-area
celebrities.
KIDS
KARNIVAL...The Kids Karnival, in
conjunction with the Youth Contingency Awards,
were held Friday night at Loretta Lynn Ranch.
The event attracted many participants, who took
part in the golf car parade, carnival games
hosted by the tour's Pro riders, and other
activities.
SHOWCASE
SUCCESS...This weekend's Showcase
featured a large display by Team Suzuki
associate sponsor Makita, as well as demo rides
by Can-Am, a RiderCourse training program and
much more.
ROCKING
WEATHER...This weekend's weather was warm
and sunny with temperatures on reaching the 80s.
With steamy weather usually the norm here,
winner Chad Wienen trained in the heat for the
last two weeks. "Man, I wish it was hotter,"
quipped Wienen.
About the ITP/Moose
ATV National Motocross Championship Series
Presented by Parts Unlimited
The AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited
is the nation’s premier amateur and professional
ATV motocross series, and competes at top
motocross facilities nationwide. The 11-round
series features the Nation's best racers, teams
and sponsors, and is America’s largest and
longest-running ATV National Motocross series
with more than 20 years of competition. The
series continues to expand and produce top
talent from the amateur ranks, while keeping
close to the grassroots fun that makes people
love to go to the races. Series sponsors include
title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and
presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited. Premiere and
Feature sponsors include ATV Sport, Moto Tees,
Scott USA, Maxxis Tires, Elka Suspension and
H-Bomb Films/Division Four. Associate sponsors
include Weekend Warrior Trailers, Denton Racing,
and Hinson Racing. Media partners include ATV
Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com. For more
information, please visit
www.atvmotocross.com.
About the ATV
Association (ATVA)
The ATV Association (“ATVA”) is the official
sanctioning body of the amateur division of the
ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts
Unlimited. The 9,000-member ATVA is a sister
organization of the 260,000 member American
Motorcyclist Association (AMA). ATV racing has
experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25%
in the past two years, and continues to gain
momentum and support, outselling off-road
motorcycles annually. Each ATVA round attracts
hundreds of racers who compete for bragging
rights to one of 31 amateur national titles. For
more information, please visit
www.atvaonline.com.
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