|
|
|
Josh Upperman takes podium by placing
second overall at Loretta's & placing
second in the AMA ATV MX Pro Points Race |
North Kingsville, OH (8/17/2011)
- Baldwin Motorsports’ Josh
Upperman fought his way to the podium at the final
round of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships
and earning his highest points finish of his career.
One goal that many racers and teams try to
achieve during their careers is consistency;
and while many struggle, and some never quite
seem to achieve that goal, Josh Upperman seems
to have perfected the art of consistency. Upperman
has finished in the overall top five or better
every race this year, a bragging right that
belongs solely to him for this season, and the
final round of the AMA ATV Motocross Championships
was no exception for Upperman and the Baldwin
Motorsports team.
Going into the final round, Josh Upperman was
ten points off the lead and would have to win
both motos and hope for a less than top three
finish for the leader in order to secure the
championship. Upperman was focused and determined
as he headed for the gate and once off the line,
the battle was on.
Upperman came off the start in fifth place
behind points leader John Natalie and shadowed
him as they worked their way past the competition.
Upperman made his way into the number three
spot and was challenging Natalie for the lead,
but was unable to get by and would take a third
place finish at the checkered flag.
 |
Upperman
took the Holeshot in Moto 2 aboard his
Baldwin Motorsports Honda TRX450R ATV
at Loretta Lynn's |
In moto two, Josh Upperman, who is also known
for his excellent starts, grabbed the holeshot
and was in the lead. Upperman lead for nine
laps before he heat and humidity got the best
of him and he fell back to second place. Upperman’s
3-2 finishes would put him on the podium in
second place for the final round of the season
and gave him second overall in the 2011 pro
points championship. “I’m pretty
happy with how my season went. I was consistent
and I finished higher in points than last season
so now I am going to be training and working
hard at maybe taking that championship next
year. I have to thank Mark Baldwin, Wayne Meridian
and everyone at Baldwin for all of their help
and support this year. We had a good year and
I hope next year will be just as good, if not
better,” stated Upperman.
| |
|
Baldwin Motorsports' Josh Upperman finished
just 8 points behind 2011 AMA ATV MX Pro
Champion John Natalie |
Baldwin Motorsports owner Mark Baldwin was
feeling very positive about the 2011 season.
“I want to congratulate John Natalie and
the Can-Am / Motoworks team for winning the
championship. They have a great program and
they worked hard for it. Of course we would
have liked to have won, but we are actually
really happy with how our season went and with
Josh’s performance. We are a small privateer
team and going up against a factory team, and
finishing as close as we did, is quite an accomplishment
and we are proud of Josh and our team for doing
so well this season,” stated Mark Baldwin.
While a little break is in order for everyone,
Josh Upperman and the Baldwin team will be hitting
a couple of events during the off season. “We
are going to do the 9th Annual Matt Bartosek
Celebration Race on August 27th at Maple Shade
MX in Sugar Grove, PA and we are also considering
going to Montreal Supercross this year,”
said Baldwin.
Baldwin Motorsports is a big supporter of the
88 Live to Ride Foundation in memory of Matt
Bartosek, and took part in the charity auction
held at Loretta Lynn’s this past weekend.
The event is more than just a good cause for
the Baldwin team and takes on a personal meaning
for Mark Baldwin. “Matt Bartosek was working
for us when he passed away. He was a good person
and we were pretty close, so we do everything
we can to help out and support these events
and keep his memory alive. This weekend’s
auction was a real success and brought in a
lot of money for the charity so they can continue
to help injured riders and keep everyone safe
at the races,” said Mark Baldwin.
The 88 Live to Ride auction proceeds will go
to helping with the cost of replenishing the
"walking wounded" medical supplies
that are provided free of cost at each round
of the ATVMX Series. Along with medical supplies,
88 Live to Ride provides help with rehabilitation
and therapy costs incurred by injured riders,
as well as providing ambulance crews at events
with EMS Eject Helmet Removal kits.
Now that the 2011 season has come to an end
the real work will begin ad the Baldwin Motorsports
crew and Josh Upperman will be doing a lot of
testing and development and training over the
off season in hopes of taking home the number
one plate in 2012.
#20 Josh Upperman
2011 Sponsors:
Baldwin Motorsports, Inc, PEP, JB Racing, Fly
Racing, DWT, Goldspeed, Rath Racing, Hinson
Clutch Components, Wiseco Pistons, Precision
Racing Products, Pro-Design, Fasst Co., Throttle
Jockey, Quad Tech, D.I.D., Falicon Crank Shafts,
Works Connection, Powermadd, Scott Goggles,
Sunstar Sprockets, DP Brakes, CV 4, RPM, Mechanix
Wear, Sidi, VP Race Fuels, Ancra
