|
Wimmer and Gust Must
be Drinking their Rockstar Team Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki
go one-two at Muddy Creek
Chino, Calif. - June 29, 2009 - There were a
lot of questions to be answered at Sunday's
eighth round of the AMA Pro ATV National
Championship Series. Would defending champion
and Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki rider
Dustin Wimmer be able to come back from his
shoulder injury and win? Would "Digger" Doug
Gust continue his hot streak? All these
questions (and more) were answered by the end of
the day in Blountville, Tennessee.
The night before the race, the Muddy Creek
racetrack was heavily watered and then later
that night a downpour hit the area. The riders
were a bit concerned but race-day dawned hot and
humid. The temperatures were in the '90s with
high humidity and the track dried out before
practice was over and was in great shape for the
start.
The race was obviously going to be a test of man
and machine. Wimmer, still recovering from
shoulder surgery a short time ago, was going to
have to dig deep to pull off a win. Teammate and
legendary racer "Digger" Doug Gust, who has
recently been on fire, is always a threat. The
rougher the conditions, the better Gust usually
does. With the heat and humidity surrounding
this event - Gust was going to be a factor.
"My Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki is working
great and I feel great!" Gust said before the
start. "I guess I'm going to have to show some
of these kids out here how it's done. My goal
for the day is to get on the box and keep the
points coming. I'm riding good and my quad is
just perfect - I'm looking to a podium."
At the start of the first moto both Wimmer and
current points leader Chad Wienen had starts
outside the top ten. It looked for sure that
neither would be a factor in moto one.
Meanwhile, Gust made some quick moves and mauled
his way up into 4th place by the end of lap one.
Wimmer quickly began his incredible charge
forward. He was passing people in groups and
looked to be at another level above the other
riders.
Gust was really on form and this race showcased
his talent. On lap two, the veteran speedster
moved up to third and was riding fast, smooth
and aggressive. A top finish looked to be in the
cards for "Digger" as he passed another rider
and moved into second.
Wimmer still working his way forward, was
running lap times a full second faster then
anyone else on the track! By the 4th lap he had
moved the Rockstar/Makita/ Yoshimura/Suzuki
QuadRacer R-450 up to 6th place and it was
obvious that he wanted more.
Another few laps and Wimmer was past the 4th
place rider and up into 3rd place. He was also
fast closing on teammate Gust, who in turn was
closing on the race leader. With the white flag
out, Wimmer pulled out all the stops and passed
first Gust and then the leader for the win! The
Champ pulled it off, eleventh place to first.
Looks like the champ is back!
"I kinda screwed up the start a little," Wimmer
said after Moto One. "It motivated me to forget
about everything else and focus on catching up.
I was fortunate and rode well and ended up
grabbing the win. Hopefully I can put my Suzuki
back on top in Moto Two and pull it off today."
The start of Moto Two saw Yoshimura-sponsored
Harold Goodman snag the holeshot with Gust in
third and Wimmer right behind him in fourth. By
the end of lap one, Wimmer made a good move and
passed teammate Gust for third.
In lap two, Wimmer passes into second place, his
Yoshimura-powered Suzuki QuadRacer R450
screaming past the second place rider like he
was tied to a post.
At the start of lap four, Wimmer makes the pass
for the lead and instantly pulls ahead. Again,
Wimmer is running lap times a full second faster
then anyone else on the track. Both Wimmer and
Gust's LT-Rs seem to be on rails and the smooth
power delivery and purpose built chassis seem to
hook up where the others struggle.
"Digger" Doug Gust was in fourth but right on
the third place rider. Gust was finding lines
where no one else was even looking. Combine his
experience and race-crafting skills with raw
speed and Gust always comes up as a threat to
win.
At the three-quarter mark, Gust passed up to
third place and was closing ground on the second
place rider. Wimmer was cruising at a nice pace
out front maintaining his gap over second.
The last lap white flag waved just as Gust
passed into second! Both Suzuki riders were on
the gas and at the checkers it was Wimmer first,
teammate Gust second - a Suzuki one-two for moto
two, and one-two overall on the day for Team
Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki. The win puts
Wimmer only 5 points behind the series leader.
"It feels really good to be winning again,"
Wimmer said after the event. "The shoulder
injury was really frustrating. We put in a lot
of hard work and I'm feeling pretty good now,
not 100% but getting back close again. Next
round I'll be there!"
Gust was happy with his podium finish: "My goal
was to be up on the box so I feel good about
that. Only one more step to go, so we'll work on
that for the next race. I love it that Team
Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki/Yoshimura went one-two
today. There's nothing else as good as a
Yoshimura-powered QuadRacer R450 out there."
Final results for Muddy Creek event:
1st- Dustin Wimmer Team Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki
2nd Doug Gust Team Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura/Suzuki
3. Chad Wienen
In addition to Wimmer, Media All-Stars ace
Pro-Am rider Cody Grant scored the overall win
aboard his Yoshimura-equipped QuadRacer in both
the unlimited and the production classes.
|
