Can-Am/ Motoworks John Natalie took the points lead, the win, and somehow managed to stay clean at Budds Creek MX

Vista, CA (4/19/2011) – Motoworks’ John Natalie, Jr. overcame the adverse weather and track conditions at Budds Creek to claim two grab both moto holeshots and wins as he not only took the top spot on the podium, but also took over the pro points lead at round number four of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships.

Rain began to fall on Saturday morning and let up in time for the first pro moto to start, but, it was too late as the track was already a muddy mess. Despite the tough conditions, John Natalie lived up to his “Ironman” reputation.

When the gate dropped for moto one, John Natalie was first off the line, taking the moto one holeshot. Natalie was able to put a gap between him and the rest of the pack briefly, but Josh Upperman soon caught up and the battle was on. Upperman made several attempts to pass Natalie, but the number 13 held strong and kept his lead all the way to the checkered flag to take the moto one win. “If there was one race this season where you would want to get the holeshot, this is definitely the one,” stated Natalie, after the first moto.

John Natalie showing the rest of the Pro ATV Class how to take the holeshot in the mud at round 4 in Mechanicsville, MD

In the second moto, Natalie again shot off the line in the number one spot, grabbing the holeshot. Natalie led unchallenged from start to finish and was more than happy with how his day ended. “Getting the holeshot really made a difference this time and everything just went really great for me. Can-Am and Motoworks have stuck by me and given me everything I need. I have the points lead now and that really makes me want to win even more so I think we have a good chance of winning a championship this year,” said Natalie, who also tried his hand at some flat track racing over the weekend.

On Sunday, Natalie hung around for the Extreme Dirt Track event being held at Budd’s Creek and the Ironman did well as he went up against seasoned TT racers, Harold Goodman and Brad Riley. Natalie charged his way around the track to take 3rd pace in both the Pro and Pro-am classes.

Can-Am/ Motoworks Chad Wienen sits second in the points after round 4 with two wins this season

Motoworks’ Chad Wienen grabbed the fastest qualifier award again, but did not fare as well as his teammate, but Wienen still gave it everything he had out on the track. Wienen looked as if he would get a decent start, but he would get tangled with Harold Goodman off the start putting him to almost dead last. Wienen charged forward and was having vision issues when he got mud in his eyes, but was still able to hang on for a sixth place finish. In the second moto, Wienen was still feeling the effects of the mud and was having a visibility issues again which held him back and had him finishing in ninth place and giving him ninth overall. “I tried as hard as I could, but I couldn’t see out there and I got a lot of mud in my eyes, so it made it tough. I plan on coming back strong at Sunset Ridge,” said Wienen.

Round number five of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships will head to Sunset Ridge in Walnut, IL on May 7th – 8th where John Natalie will be going for the win in an effort to keep the points lead.