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Upperman Captures the Overall at Sunday Creek
ATVMX National
Rookie Chase
Snapp Takes First Ever AMA Pro Moto Win
Upperman nailed the holeshots all day
Thomas Brown grabbed a third overall
Chase Snapp chalked his first ever moto
win at Sunday Creek
Photos By: Dave Smith - Raceday Pix |
Millfield, Ohio (July 2, 2011) - There was a
noticeable absence at this weekend's Suzuki
Summer ATV National at Sunday Creek Raceway as
Motoworks Can-Am's Chad Wienen missed his first
race of this season after undergoing surgery
just last week. Although Wienen will not be
racing again this season, the ATV Motocross
family will continue to follow and support
Wienen in his recovery efforts.
Round 8 of the AMA ATV Motocross National
Championship Series presented by DWT took over
the grounds of Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield,
Ohio, for the first time ever in the history of
the series. With its wide-open spectating view,
first-class parking and undeniably workable clay
terrain, the Sunday Creek facility was a big hit
on the AMA ATVMX circuit. A small rain took
place in the early afternoon, creating an
interesting dynamic for the first set of motos,
but as soon as the rain stopped and the sun came
out, it was a perfect day for ATV racing.
Motoworks Can-Am's Jeremie Warnia grabbed the
ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award after
taking advantage of the dry track conditions
during the morning practice sessions. "The track
was awesome for practice, I prefer when it's dry
definitely. My Can-Am was running really good
and I just found smooth lines out there," said
Warnia.
As a part of the Independence Day
celebrations at Sunday Creek Raceway, opening
ceremonies consisted of not only the National
Anthem but also a top-notch fireworks display
that preceded the AMA Pro class start. To add to
the excitement, Mother Nature tacked on a
blanket of showers as the Pro riders lined up
for moto one. Ohio's Josh Upperman shot off to
grab the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award, adding to
his collection on the year.
Upperman lead the Can-Am of Chase Snapp until
he slipped up early on, allowing the rookie
Snapp to move into the lead.
"I got a good jump out of the gate, in a mud
race like that you just want to get out front
early and I did that for about the first half a
lap but then I got a little squirrely but I got
back on and rode safe and smooth the rest of the
race," Upperman said.
Baldwin Motorport's Josh Upperman held tight
behind Snapp in the beginning of the race and
the rain continued to fall, making the track
conditions slippery at best. Several riders fell
victim to the slick track early on, making for a
lapper-infested race for the front-runners. By
mid-moto Snapp, Upperman and Ballance Racing's
Thomas Brown had lapped their way up to seventh
place.
"It was crazy how many lappers we came up on,
I don't think they even realized they were
getting lapped so it got a little difficult in
their roost for a while," Snapp said. "I'm not
usually a mud rider but I came out of the first
corner in third, got into second and then
Upperman went off the track so I capitalized on
that and just rode my own race and tried to stay
smooth," added the rookie.
Frenchie Jeremie Warnia got off to a great
start in the mud and put himself into the fourth
position in front of teammate John Natalie, who
came through the finish line looking at his
bike, eventually pulling over to the mechanic's
area. Jeremy Lawson struggled off the start but
put his Walsh Race Craft Suzuki within striking
distance of Warnia by mid-moto. Warnia
eventually pulled off the track, later claiming
that there was water in his air box that caused
him to not finish the moto.
Joel Hetrick capitalized on Warnia's
withdrawal, putting the pressure on Lawson for
fourth. On the last lap, Lawson bobbled and spun
off the track, allowing Hetrick to cruise by and
take fourth as Lawson clenched the fifth spot.
American Honda's Joe Byrd appeared to have
bike problems throughout the moto as he pulled
on and off the track several times.
After a small intermission and a few turns of
the disc following the morning's rain, the
Sunday Creek crew provided stellar track
conditions for moto two. The SSiDecals.com
Holeshot Award once again went to Josh Upperman
in moto two, but not without a fight from
Ballance Racing's Thomas Brown, who rode the
wheel of Upperman for the entire first lap.
Brown quickly began fading after the first lap;
later explaining that he had to wear his sight
lap goggles in the moto after an issue before
the race. Since the goggles didn't have tear
offs, Brown couldn't see in front of him.
Joel Hetrick rocketed past Brown and jumped
on the back of Upperman's Honda early on,
showing all signs of taking over the lead but
Snapp and Lawson weren't letting him go. The duo
cruised through the rhythm section side-by-side,
each stealing a position away from Hetrick.
Lawson's Suzuki was sandwiched by this year's
blazing rookies for a substantial amount of
time, but once Lawson broke free it was all
about catching the leader.
Lawson made a valiant effort, turning out
some of the fastest lap times of the day, but
wasn't able to make up all the ground he lost on
the start.
Brown finally got his goggles situated and
made a run for the rookies, first passing
Hetrick and then Snapp. Brown put in a solid
effort toward the end of the moto, finishing
third and taking home the third overall.
"This win definitely feels awesome, I'd like
to thank my entire team for this weekend - the
bike was set up perfectly for the track
conditions. And this place was awesome, I hope
we come back again next year," Upperman said.
"I'm going to go back home and work hard. John
[Natalie] is going to be a tough one to beat, we
all want a championship this year and it's going
to be tough to do but we'll just keep looking
forward and hope for the best," Upperman added.
John Natalie put together a tenth overall
after experiencing bike problems in moto one.
Natalie now holds the points lead over Upperman
by only seven. Chad Wienen has the third spot
over Lawson and Chase Snapp rounds out the top
five, only 12 points ahead of Thomas Brown.
The AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series
heads to Unadilla Raceway in New Berlin, Ny.,
July 16 and 17, with Pro class racing starting
at 1 p.m. Saturday, supported by 37 amateur
classes throughout Saturday and Sunday. For more
information, please visit
www.atvmotocross.com.
AMA Pro ATV Results
1. Josh Upperman (HON)
2. Chase Snapp (CAN)
3. Thomas Brown (YAM)
4. Jeremy Lawson (SUZ)
5. Nick DeNoble (HON)
6. Joel Hetrick (HON)
7. Travis Moore (HON)
8. Devin Heimes (SUZ)
9. Adam Clark (HON)
10. John Natalie (CAN)
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point
Standings
1. John Natalie (307)
2. Josh Upperman (300)
3. Chad Wienen (297)
4. Jeremy Lawson (279)
5. Chase Snapp (244)
6. Thomas Brown (232)
7. Nick DeNoble (214)
8. Joel Hetrick (196)
9. Joe Byrd (194)
10. Travis Moore (190)
Manufacturer's Cup Points
1. Team Can-Am (384)
2. Team Honda (330)
3. Team Suzuki (279)
4. Team Yamaha (232)
5. Team Kawasaki (62)
About the AMA ATV Motocross Championship
Presented by DWT
The AMA ATV Motocross
Championship is the nation's premier amateur and
professional ATV motocross series, and competes
at top motocross facilities nationwide. The
11-round series features the Nation's best
racers, teams and sponsors, and is America's
largest and longest-running National ATV
Motocross series with more than 20 years of
competition. The series continues to expand and
produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while
keeping close to the grassroots fun that makes
people love to go to the races. For more
information, please visit
www.atvmotocross.com.
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