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Riders and Guests
Celebrate ATVMX Season at Annual Banquet
Morgantown, W.Va. (November 18, 2009) - Over
450 riders and their guests of the ITP/Moose
Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship gathered
for the final time in 2009 at the annual Awards
Banquet on Saturday, November 14, at the Grand
Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Pigeon
Forge, Tenn. Not only were the top 10 amateur
riders in all 34 National classes honored on
stage but also the recipients of many special
awards were announced.
All riders who demonstrate a remarkable season
were taken into consideration for the Rider of
the Year Award which has historically been
awarded to a Pro or Pro-Am rider. Heather Byrd
went undefeated for the second year in a row to
take home her sixth championship title and
earning her first Rider of the Year Award - a
landmark in Women's racing.
"It is an awesome award," Byrd said. "I've been
racing for 27 years and I've won multiple
championships and this is probably the best
award I've received. Women in racing have earned
a lot of respect in the last decade and this
really shows we are making leaps and bounds
finally and people are seeing that we are doing
the same things guys are, throwing a leg over a
four wheeler. We are finally getting to where we
need to be."
The Hard Luck Award went to 90cc rider Cody
Shelton and his father Mitchell when their
motor-home caught fire on the way to the Birch
Creek National, leaving them stranded on the
side of the road. Fabian Gibson, father of
Pro-Am Champion Cody Gibson, became the
recipient of the Good Samaritan award for coming
to the Shelton's aide. Gibson not only helped
the Shelton's get to the race, but also returned
to bring their possessions to the track.
"Fabian is the kind of guy that will notice
stuff like that and stop and help people," said
Mitchell Shelton. "He's just a good helpful guy
and we really appreciated it."
Freida Rozelle was presented with the "Heart of
the Sport" Award for her incredible dedication
despite being involved in a terrible car
accident at the beginning of the season that
left her paralyzed. Rozelle took the lead in
organizing the Youth Contingency Program for the
third year in a row, all while enduring
surgeries and therapy.
The complete list of Special Awards from the
evening include:
· Hard Luck Award: Cody Shelton
· Good Samaritan: Fabian Gibson
· Heart of the Sport: Freida Rozelle
· Most Improved Rider: Kayle Dyer
· Sportsmanship Award: Chase Cunningham
· Sponsor of the Year: Can-Am
· Rough 'N Ready Pit Crew: Rath Racing
· Rookie of the Year: Joel Hetrick
· Rider of the Year: Heather Byrd
For Top 10 riders who could not attend and would
like to receive their trophy you must respond
with the following information no later than
November 30 to obtain your award. Please send
rider's name, class and finish along with their
mailing address to
info@atvmotocross.com. There will be a $10
charge for shipping so please call 304-284-0101
with a credit card or mail a check or money
order to ATVPG, 122 Vista Del Rio Drive,
Morgantown, W.V. 26508.
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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