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AMA
Pro ATV Open Winner, Pat Brown |
Morgantown, WV (9/1/2007) -
The first-ever AMA Pro ATV Open Invitational
is in the books, and from all angles, the
event proved to be a success. All of the
ATV racers played the role of rookies at
Steel City, so to them this event was a
big deal. It wasn’t a circus act,
a laughing stock or a sideshow. No, this
event was for real.
A whopping $5,000 was up for grabs in
one main-moto format, along with the $500
ATVriders.com holeshot award. To make matters
even better for the Pro ATV riders, they
parked their factory ATV semi-trailers on
vendor’s row, which meant the general
public had an all access pass to the ATV
pits and a great look at the racers and
their machines. The riders were just as
excited as the fans, because a handful of
them were experiencing their first AMA/Toyota
Dirt Bike National, ever!
The ATV riders enjoyed the races from
their VIP suite in the announcer’s
tower, with a catered lunch on Sunday and
a multitude of Monster Energy drinks on
ice all weekend.
As for the riding, the track seemed slightly
under the weather before the weekend thanks
to a heavy dose of rain, so Friday’s
Amateur Day was canceled in order to save
the track for the Pros. The ATVs were the
first to hit the track on Saturday, after
the weather decided to hold off. The crew
stepped up the track maintenance to help
the quads, and the quads stepped it up on
the track. Jaws dropped at the sight of
an ATV clearing the triple jumps in practice,
on the hot lap, and during the race.
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Yamaha's
Pat Brown edged out Travis Spader
for the $500 ATVriders.com Holeshot
Award
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There were more fans on the fence than
ever on Saturday morning for the first glimpse
at the AMA Pro ATV riders on the track.
The 20th Annual Monster Energy Kawasaki
Steel City Motocross National looked bigger
and better than ever with the ATV riders
in attendance.
The fun didn’t stop there. The ATV
racers stuck around on Sunday morning to
sign autographs before the bike races began,
which gave the riders a chance to meet-and-great
with every fan, both new and old.
Then during Intermission on Sunday, H-Bomb
Films showed up for some ATV freestyle action
with the Bomb Squad. Fans always love tricks
like the back flip, but how often do you
get to see a four-wheeler upside down? Perhaps
the ultimate proof that this first-ever
event passed with flying colors was when
Pennsylvania’s own Broc Hepler said
that, after riding the track in practice
after the quads, he would have never known
they were out there. While veteran motocrossers
like Kevin Windham and Ivan Tedesco looked
in on the ATV race on Saturday, none of
the bike racers mentioned it on Sunday,
which means their track and their race went
on just like it always does.
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Caleb
Moore's back flip brought fans to
their feet at Steel City |
With this recent foray into the world
of AMA motorcycle racing, the ATV riders
marked the beginning of unprecedented popularity
for their sport. Thanks to everyone who
made it a success!
About Racer Productions:
A West Virginia based motorcycle and ATV event
production company, Racer Productions has been
a leader in the off-road racing industry for over
30 years. It’s repertoire of events includes
the 13-round Can-Am Grand National Cross Country
Series, since 1973; The Kawasaki/Monster Energy
High Point National in Mount Morris, PA, since
1977; The ATV Dirt Days at Loretta Lynn’s
Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN, since 1985; The
Monster Energy/Kawasaki Steel City National in
Delmont, PA, since 1988; The ATV Stampede ATVA
National Motocross at High Point Raceway, since
1994; The Wrangler ATVA National Motocross at
Oak Hill Raceway in Decatur, TX, since 2006; as
well as numerous amateur motocross events, and
a World Motocross Gran Prix in 1987. In addition,
the Racer Productions staff is the same crew that
brings you the prestigious Air Nautique/AMA Amateur
National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s
Ranch, since 1982.
For more information about
Racer Productions and the events they produce,
visit www.racerproductions.com.
For High Point National Motocross information,
visit www.highpointmx.com.
For Steel City National Motocross information,
visit www.steelcitymx.com.
For GNCC Racing information, visit www.gnccracing.com.
About the AMA ATV National
Motocross Championship Series:
Sanctioned by the AMA and ATVA, the nation's
premier amateur and professional ATV motocross
series is hosted by many of America 's premier
motocross facilities. The 12-round series approaches
its 21st season with the Pro class newly under
the wing of AMA Pro Racing. The 2006 series hosted
over 8,000 entrants, making it America 's largest,
as well as its longest running, ATV National Motocross
series. Series sponsors include title sponsors
ITP Tires and Moose, and presenting sponsor Parts
Unlimited. Premiere and Feature sponsors include
ATV Sport, Moto Tees, Scott USA, Maxxis Tires,
Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four.
Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers,
Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing. Media partners
include ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.
About AMA Racing:
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American
Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning
body for motorcycle sport in the United States
. Its professional properties include the Amp'd
Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross
Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike
Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the
AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship,
the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro
ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition,
AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different
disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active
members. For more information about professional
racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.
Accredited media outlets can also access an on
line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom.
For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.
About the ATVA:
The ATV Association ("ATVA") is
the official sanctioning body of the amateur divisions
of the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship
Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000
member ATVA is the sister organization of the
260,000 member American Motorcyclist Association
("AMA"). ATV racing has experienced
phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past
two years alone, and continues to gain momentum
and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually.
Each round attracts 600-700 racers who compete
for bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national
titles. For more information about ATVA, visit
www.atvaonline.com.
About the ATVPG:
The ATVPG is comprised of the 12 individual
promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National
Motocross Championships, 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, go to www.atvmotocross.com.