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Kawasaki ATV Rider
Haavisto Starts Title Defense With Two Wins at
Season Opener
Irvine, Calif.– Kawasaki’s Joe Haavisto
earned both the Open Pro and Open Pro-Am overall
wins as he started his defense of both No. 1
plates in the New England ATV series. The wins
didn’t come without competition as the opening
round at Walden MX in Wallkill, N.Y. featured
over 25 entries in the Open Pro-Am class, while
the Open Pro gate was stacked nearly full with
talent.
Competition
The competition has stepped it up
for 2009, but Haavisto was able to overcome and
win both classes. In the Open Pro, Haavisto
battled back and forth for the lead and
eventually had to settle for second in the first
moto. He came out in the second moto and was
able to remain out front and take the overall.
The Open Pro-Am motos were a little different
with the first moto running as a qualifier.
Haavisto didn’t hesitate and led every lap in
the qualifier. In the second moto, Haavisto
showed his experience, taking over the lead
while the front two riders battled for position.
“In the second Pro-Am moto, I didn’t get a
great start, but was able to pass pretty
quickly,” said Haavisto. “I saw the first and
second place riders were bumping and grinding in
a corner, so I was able to tuck under them and
pass for the lead.”
Great Start
Haavisto’s dominating season in
2008 earned him championships in both the Open
Pro and Open Pro-Am classes. With the No. 1
plate on his Kawasaki KFX™450R quad, the target
was on Haavisto, but he overcame the pressure
from some big names in ATV racing to pull out
both wins.
“I am thrilled to take both overalls,” said
Haavisto. “I hope to keep this going and
continue defending my championships in both
classes. The competition will be harder this
season, but I am looking forward to the
challenge. My Kawasaki was really dialed in this
weekend and everything seems to be working well
together.”
Entries
The opening round in New York saw
high entry numbers for the young series. The
Open-Pro had to run qualifiers since the entries
exceeded 20 riders.
“The first round was great since we had
beautiful weather and a big turnout,” said
Haavisto. “It really made for an awesome race
weekend.”
Results New England ATV Series (NEATV)
Walden MX- Wallkill, N.Y.
April 26, 2009
Open Pro Overall Results (Moto
Finishes)
1. JOE HAAVISTO, NEW IPSWICH,
N.H., KAWASAKI, 2-1
2. Michael Pilotte, Fall River, Mass., Honda,
3-3
3. Nate Morello, Peterborough, N.H., KTM, 5-2
4. Jasmin Plante, Ban-ramseil, QC, Yamaha, 4-4
5. Aaron Meyer, Harrison, Ohio, Polaris, 6-6
6. TONY LUCASELLI, OLD FORGE, PA., KAWASAKI, 7-7
7. Richard Pelchat, Stromuad, QC, Can Am, 1-16
8. ROCCO ARNO, JR., BRIDGETON, N.J., KAWASAKI,
13-5
9. Matthew Pomeroy, Westfield, Mass., Can Am,
10-8
10. JASON CONNELL, WILLIMANTIC, CONN., KAWASAKI,
11-10
Open Pro-Am Overall Results (Moto
Finishes)
1. JOE HAAVISTO, NEW IPSWICH,
N.H., KAWASAKI, 1-1
2. Richard Pelchat, Stromuad, QC, Can Am, 1-2
3. Michael Pilotte, Fall River, Mass., Honda,
2-3
4. Matthew Pomeroy, Westfield, Mass., Can Am,
2-10
5. ROCCO ARNO, JR., BRIDGETON, N.J., KAWASAKI,
7-6
6. Tommy Mofford, Randolph, Mass., Honda, 6-7
7. CHRISTOPHER HOLDEN, ADDISON, N.Y., KAWASAKI,
5-8
8. Michael Ouellette, Tingwilk, QC, Can Am, 4-9
9. Aaron Meyer, Harrison, Ohio, Polaris, 11-5
10. Ralle Rookey, Suffield, Conn., Honda, 6-11
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