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Wimmer Unstoppable at FMF ATV Spring National at
Millcreek Raceway
Byrd and Upperman round out the podium
PELL CITY, AL (March 22, 2009) -- Staking his
claim to the victory with two near-perfect motos,
Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider Dustin Wimmer made
it two in a row by grabbing the win at Millcreek
Raceway's FMF ATV Spring National, round two of
the 2009 ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.
Although Wimmer did not secure either of the
MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Awards, they were not
necessary to go home with what he wanted most,
another check in the win column.
"I take everything race-by-race and try to be
real consistent and be up on the podium
everytime," said Wimmer. "Consistency wins
championships."
In the first moto, rookie Nick DeNoble led the
pack to the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot
Award, the first Pro holeshot of his career. He
held Honda Baldwin Motorsports' Josh Upperman
and Wimmer off for several turns before
relinquishing spots to both riders. Wimmer
eventually took over the lead, and a charging
Joe Byrd rallied from a bad start to drop
Upperman to third for the moto.
"I could've gated better, and that was
definitely my fault," said Wimmer of not getting
the holeshot. "Half way up the hill for the
first turn I started to pull it together and
after a lap or two I was in the lead in both
motos."
Early moto one contenders, Warnert Racing Can-Am's
John Natalie and ATVSource.com Top Qualifier
Award winner Chad Wienen, both fell to
mechanical troubles, ending their challenge for
podium finishes.
Moto two began with Upperman, known for great
starts, grabbing the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com
Holeshot Award followed by rookie Clay Holmes,
Wimmer and Byrd. Upperman admitted to not being
in the same level of shape as Wimmer and Byrd,
and the Ohio native did not have much breathing
room and lost the lead to both of them.
"If I stay healthy and get my endurance up a
little more, I hope to hang up there in the top
spot with Dustin [Wimmer] and Joe [Byrd]," said
Upperman.
Making up for his mechanical setback in moto
one, Natalie charged from the back half of the
pack, picking off one rider at a time to collect
third for the moto by mere inches over Upperman.
"I worked my butt off and the bike worked
great," said Natalie. "I just picked people off
one at a time and didn't even know where I
finished until the end."
Factory Yamaha and rookie Thomas Brown flirted
with the podium again, ending the weekend in
fourth overall for the second race in a row. The
Sanger, Texas, native rallied from two bad
starts to notch 5th and 7th for his two motos.
Jeremy Lawson, in his second year on a Can-Am
with Team Motoworks, collected fifth overall
with 4th and 8th in each of his motos.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Doug Gust settled for
6th overall after a rough set of motos, with
Natalie on his heels salvaging 7th overall.
A recent shock test helped Greg Gee to dial in
his machine with obvious benefits. The Canadian
privateer from Ontario went 9th and 11th in the
motos for 8th overall, rising two positions over
his Glen Helen finish.
Rookie DeNoble collected 6-14 scores for 9th
overall. French Champion, Jeremie Warnia,
returned to the Pro line-up, this time on a
Can-Am. The anxious rider from Paris, France,
collected the final spot in the Top 10 with 14th
and 9th for his motos, after battling clutch
problems and a spin out.
The Spring National marked the opening round of
the amateur series, with the new schedule format
welcoming all Pro riders to Sunday's program
while also elevating the level of recognition
for the Pro-Am Production class, filled with the
next crop of Pro riders. The morning started
with Timed Qualifying for both classes. The top
18 riders head straight to the first moto while
the rest of the field entered the last chance
qualifier to determine the final two entrants.
The anticipation for the noon debut of the
Pro-Am Production class was as high as the
expectations for the Pro class itself. Cody
Gibson eventually sailed away on his Kawasaki
KFX450 to win both motos. He shared the podium
with Bobby Ross and Chase Snapp, demonstrating
an exciting season in the making.
The Millcreek FMF ATV Spring National will be
covered in this week's Motosode of ATVision
powered by Quad Magazine, debuting this
Wednesday at 7 p.m. at quadmagazine.com.
The 2009 ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship now heads north to Bowling Green,
Kentucky for the Bluegrass Nationals at Ballance
Moto X on April 4-5. The event serves as AMA Pro
round three and amateur round two for the
series.
Quick Notes: A total of 779 entries (eight more
than 2008) were confirmed as the final figure
for all classes of the Millcreek National...Josh
Creamer got the worst end of a first turn moto
one pile-up that ended his expected successful
follow-up to finishing second at the Glen Helen
opener. Managing sixth in moto two, sore and
battered, he salvaged an otherwise damaged
weekend...As part of the first turn moto one
pile-up Cody Miller managed to finish the moto,
but a mechanical in moto two ended any sort of
comeback relegating him to 17th overall for the
weekend... Deemed to have been "riding outside
the course boundaries" Clay Holmes was penalized
early in moto two ending his run up front...
After proving he had the speed by earning the
ATVSource.com Top Qualifier Award, Chad Wienen
unfortunately suffered back-to-back mechanical
breakdowns landing him 20th for the weekend...Go
to
www.atvmotocross.com for official results
for all classes.
Results:
FMF Spring National at Millcreek Raceway
Pell City, AL
March 22, 2009
|
OVERALL
|
NUMBER
|
BRAND
|
NAME
|
MOTO
1
|
MOTO
2
|
|
1
|
1
|
SUZ
|
Dustin Wimmer
|
1
|
1
|
|
2
|
7
|
HON
|
Joe Byrd
|
2
|
2
|
|
3
|
20
|
HON
|
Josh Upperman
|
3
|
4
|
|
4
|
84
|
YAM
|
Thomas Brown
|
5
|
7
|
|
5
|
16
|
CAN
|
Jeremy Lawson
|
4
|
8
|
|
6
|
55
|
SUZ
|
Doug Gust
|
10
|
5
|
|
7
|
13
|
CAN
|
John Natalie
|
17
|
3
|
|
8
|
10
|
HON
|
Greg Gee
|
9
|
11
|
|
9
|
123
|
HON
|
Nick DeNoble
|
6
|
14
|
|
10
|
62
|
CAN
|
Jeremie Warnia
|
14
|
9
|
|
11
|
70
|
CAN
|
Brandon Smith
|
13
|
10
|
|
12
|
46
|
CAN
|
Richard Pelchat
|
12
|
12
|
|
13
|
708
|
HON
|
Harold Goodman
|
11
|
13
|
|
14
|
9
|
KAW
|
Josh Creamer
|
20
|
6
|
|
15
|
79
|
HON
|
Clay Holmes
|
8
|
18
|
|
15
|
99
|
YAM
|
Pat Brown
|
7
|
20
|
|
16
|
22
|
CAN
|
Cody Miller
|
15
|
16
|
|
17
|
727
|
SUZ
|
Cale Downen
|
16
|
17
|
|
18
|
68
|
KAW
|
Russell Shumaker
|
19
|
15
|
|
19
|
44
|
KAW
|
Chad Wienen
|
18
|
19
|
About the ITP Tires/Moose Racing
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Presented by
Parts Unlimited
The ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV
Motocross Championship 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 Pro series and 10-round amateur 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 in the Pro ranks, while keeping close to
the grassroots racing and fun that makes people
love to go to the races. 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 ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV
Motocross Championship 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 in recent years,
and continues to gain momentum and support,
outselling off-road motorcycles annually. For
more information, please visit
www.atvaonline.com.
About the ATV Promoters Group
(ATVPG)
The ATVPG is composed of the
individual promoters that host the ITP
Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited. The
goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV
motocross through the production of professional
and amateur championship racing events. For more
information on the ATVPG and the ATV National
events they produce, please visit
www.atvmotocross.com.
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