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AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #3 - Ballance Moto X
Bowling
Green, Kentucky
April 4-5, 2009
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AMA ATV Motocross -
Round 3 - Pro ATV Race Report & Video
Joe Byrd Wins & Moves Within
One Point of Dustin Wimmer for the Points Lead
| AMA
ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #3 - Ballance Moto X |
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Bowling
Green, KY –
“I want to make a race out of this!”
exclaimed American Honda’s Joe Byrd after
taking the win at round three of the AMA ATV Motocross
Championship. Byrd’s win now puts him within
striking distance of first place with only one point
separating him and current champ and points leader,
Dustin Wimmer.
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| In
the Pro LCQ, #123 Nick Denoble grabbed the
Holeshot & lead from start to finish
with #137 Mitch Reynolds making the pass
on #86 Justin Bush to claim the final qualifying
spot in the main, which was a season first
for Reynolds. Unfortunately for both DeNoble
& Reynolds, they both suffered serious
wrecks in the main event, which kept them
out of the running. Also, missing from the
Pro line-up this weekend was #727 Cale Downen
who decided to sit out the LCQ as he continues
to deal with back pain suffered from the
Mill Creek wreck just 2 weeks earlier
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A storm was brewing both on the track and on
the horizon, as the weather forecast was calling
for thunderstorms and a tornado watch was in effect
for the area. As racers began to head for the
starting gate, everyone was keeping their fingers
crossed in hopes that this race would not turn
into a muddy mess like last year’s Ballance
Moto X round.
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| Dasa
Racing's #7 Joe Byrd grabbed his 1st Holeshot
of the season followed by Dustin Wimmer
& Chad Wienen, but the start wasn't
uneventful as #20 Josh Upperman went tumbling
in front of #84 Thomas Brown. Luckily, Upperman
wasn't injured & he quickly remounted
his Honda and continued the race |
Conditions remained favorable as racers began
to line up for moto one, and those favorable condition
certainly worked to Joe Byrd’s advantage
as the lucky number 7 Honda launched off the line,
taking the holeshot and the lead.
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#7
Joe Byrd claimed the Moto One win with nearly
7 seconds to spare |
As the rest of the pack jockeyed for position,
Byrd began to put some distance between himself
and the rest of the pack and rode unchallenged
until in the last couple of laps when Chad Wienen
began to pressure the former champ. Byrd held
his line despite Wienen’s efforts and caught
a bit of a break when Wienen had an off track
adventure in the next to last lap, allowing Byrd
some breathing room as he took the checkered flag.
In moto two, Byrd was second out of the hole,
but took over the lead in the fourth lap. Once
securing the front position, Byrd checked out,
increasing his lead dramatically over the rest
of the pack for several laps until once again,
Chad Wienen came nipping at Byrd’s heels.
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| Kawasaki's
Chad Wienen challenged Joe Byrd in both
Motos, but wasn't able to make the pass
as Joe Byrd went 1-1 to close the points
gap on Dustin Wimmer to just 1 point |
Byrd kept his blistering pace and was able to
keep Wienen at a 2 second distance as he crossed
the finish line, taking the overall win. “I
went back to a better set up for my starts this
round and it worked good for me. It feels really
good to take the win,” said Byrd.
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