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Byrd Snaps Wimmer's
Streak with Victory at Ballance AMA ATV MX
Joe Byrd rocketed to both moto wins at
the Bluegrass National.
Byrd sits just one point behind Dustin
Wimmer in the AMA ATV MX Standings.
Wimmer, Byrd and Wienen on the podium.
Jeremy Lawson captured a
MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot award on his
Can-Am.
Young talents Cody Grant, Cody Gibson
and Chase Snapp took the Pro-Am podium
spots. |
Bowling Green, KY (April 5, 2009) -- Two-time
ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship presented by Parts Unlimited
Champion Joe Byrd vaulted himself right back
into the chase for the 2009 crown with a
dominant double-moto sweep and overall win at
round three of the season, the Bluegrass
National, at Ballance MX in Bowling Green,
Kentucky. The veteran Joe Byrd Quad Riding
School Honda-backed rider from Tennessee topped
Monster Energy Kawasaki's rejuvenated Chad
Wienen and Defending AMA ATV MX Champion Dustin
Wimmer on the podium.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Wimmer won the first
two rounds of the season, but admitted the
tight, technical Ballance MX track wasn't to his
liking. Byrd's 1-1 day brings him within one
point of Wimmer in the series standings.
"With Wienen and Wimmer right there it's a great
match and really a matter of who gets the best
lines," said Byrd. "These guys are always a
challenge and you can never let up."
The weather forecast predicted rain throughout
the weekend, but dark skies never opened,
leaving perfect track conditions and 70-degree
temperatures. Byrd was ready for whatever he had
to face.
"With the weather we had two setups ready to go
depending on what happened, and we got lucky
with our setup," said Byrd. "We put together a
new engine for the weekend that was a big
difference in getting out front early."
Byrd grabbed the
MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award in the
first moto, followed by Wienen and Wimmer. Byrd
stretched his lead throughout the race, and the
top three maintained their order to the finish.
Warnert Racing Can-Am's Jeremy Lawson powered
his DS450 to the second moto
MotorcycleUSA.com Holeshot Award, but Byrd
quickly made a move around him to take the lead
and the win. Wimmer started third, but Wienen
went on a mission, passing both Wimmer and
Lawson to take the second spot again.
Wienen failed to finish several motos early in
the season due to mechanical issues, but this
time his KFX450 carried him to solid 2-2 moto
scores.
"It was a rough track, and it really suited my
style," said Wienen. "You had to be smart in
some of the tougher sections and not jump in too
fast. I'm happy to put the Monster Kawasaki on
the podium."
On this weekend, Wimmer was unable to find the
dominant speed he showed at the first two races
of the year. "I wasn't comfortable running their
pace," said Wimmer. "If I tried, I would get out
of control, so I got two good holeshots and got
what I could out of the motos. I would have
rather had the rain, because I probably could
have made something out it, but I did what I
could. Some tracks I favor over others and this
one just wasn't one of them. Every race is a
different race and I did the best I could."
Wienen was almost surprised to be able to get
around Wimmer so quickly in the second moto. "I
could tell he was a little off the pace compared
to normal," said Wienen. "That was probably the
easiest I have ever passed a guy like Dustin."
Wienen's teammate Josh Creamer logged consistent
4-4 scores for fourth overall, while Cody Miller
took his Can-Am to 6-6 scores and fifth overall.
Another Can-Am rider, 2005 Champion John
Natalie, took fifth in moto one but struggled to
20th in moto two, knocking him 14th overall.
Honda rider Josh Upperman took fifth in the
second moto, but a 15th in the first moto held
to eighth overall.
Sixth overall went to Yamaha's Thomas Brown,
with Clay Holmes in seventh overall. Upperman
was eighth, Can-Am rider Brandon Smith was ninth
and Wimmer's teammate Doug Gust struggled to
tenth overall with 11-10 scores.
The race also marked round two of the ITP
Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship for amateurs. Kentucky's own Cody
Grant came out on top of a wild day of action in
the Pro-Am Production class. The Suzuki rider
used 2-2 scores in the motos to top Kawasaki
rider Cody Gibson, who went 1-3, and Chase Snapp
took his Suzuki to 4-1 scores.
Fans can watch coverage of the Bluegrass
Nationals from Ballance MX this Wednesday on
Motosode #5 of ATVision powered by Quad
Magazine. The new Motosode, which will include
coverage of both AMA Pro ATV motocross motos
from Kentucky, begins airing at
www.atvmotocross.com at 7 p.m. EST this
Wednesday, April 7.
The ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship continues on April 18 and 19 with
the Birch Creek National in Danville, Virginia.
For more information, visit
www.atvmotocross.com
Results
ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross
Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited
Bluegrass Nationals
Ballance MX
1. Joe Byrd (Hon)
2. Chad Wienen (Kaw)
3. Dustin Wimmer (Suz)
4. Josh Creamer (Kaw)
5. Cody Miller (Can)
6. Thomas Brown (Yam)
7. Clay Holmes (Hon)
8. Josh Upperman (Hon)
9. Brandon Smith (Can)
10. Douglas Gust (Suz)
Pro Am Production
1. Cody Grant (Suz)
2. Cody Gibson (Kaw)
3. Chase Snapp (Suz)
4. Casey Martin (Hon)
5. Travis Moore (Hon)
6. Joseph Bruening (KTM)
7. Devin Heimes (Suz)
8. Brandon Stout (Yam)
9. Aaron Meyer (Pls)
10. Matt Shapaka (Hon)
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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