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Can-Am/
Motoworks John Natalie placed first
overall at Red Bud in Buchanan, MI
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Vista, CA (8/2/2011) –
Motoworks’ John Natalie, Jr. charged his
way to the top of the podium at round number
ten of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships,
extending his points lead in his quest to bring
the Can-Am/Motoworks team a championship.
After taking over the points lead at round
number nine in Unadilla, despite dealing with
a broken arm, John Natalie, Jr. stated he
was going for the win at Red Bud. The Ironman
lived up to that promise despite the high
temperatures and rough track conditions that
were the downfall of some over the weekend.
In the first moto, Natalie was in the top
five off the start, but a collision between
other racers allowed Natalie to quickly move
into the number two spot and challenge for
the lead. Natalie took the lead after just
a couple of laps, but fell back to the number
two spot after the high heat got the better
of him. “The heat got to me a little
bit out there in the first moto, but I was
still able to finish ahead of Josh Upperman,
which was my goal to keep him from getting
any closer to me in points,” explained
Natalie.
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Natalie
was determined to take top honors at
Red Bud. After finishing second in Moto
1, Natalie stayed on the throttle to
place first in Moto 2 |
In the second moto, Natalie wasn’t
about to settle for second and charged hard
after coming off the gate in third. Natalie
quickly worked into second and pressured Josh
Upperman into a mistake and took the lead
in lap four. Natalie held his lead for the
rest of the moto, taking the moto two win
and the overall. Natalie’s win now has
him ten points ahead of second place and if
all goes well for him at the final round in
two weeks, Natalie is poised to take the 2011
AMA ATV Motocross Pro Championship.
“I may have the points lead, but I’m
not going to relax until it’s over.
Anything can happen, and I really want to
win this championship and I am willing to
do anything to make sure that happens. I have
to thank Can-Am, Johnny Leach and everyone
at Motoworks for helping get to this point,
and I want to thank all of my fans for their
support and encouragement this season. Their
support means a lot to me,” Natalie
stated.
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Can-Am/
Motoworks injured teammate Chad Wienen
made an appearance to show support
for his team
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Although still on the injured list, Motoworks’
Chad Wienen was on hand to give support to
his teammate this weekend and also helped
out in the announcer’s booth, calling
the pro motos. “It was great to be out
here this weekend. I had a good time and I
can’t wait until next season when I
am back out on the track,” said Wienen.
The final round of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross
Championships will be heading to Loretta Lynne’s
in Hurricane Mills, TN on August 13th, where
John Natalie, Jr. will be going for the win
and the 2011 Pro Championship.