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AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #5 - Sunset Ridge
Walnut,
IL
May 7, 2011
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AMA ATV MX Nationals
- Sunset Ridge - Pro ATV Race Report
::Continued::
Rookie pro Joel Hetrick surprised everyone, including
himself, as he grabbed both moto holeshots and
found his way to the pro podium in second place,
his best ever career finish.
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| Hetrick
Racing's #88 Joel Hetrick grabbed the Moto
One Holeshot |
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JB Racing's
Joel Hetrick battled for the 2nd Spot
with DWT's John Natalie before Hetrick
settled into the third spot in Moto One
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Hetrick grabbed the holeshot and was under attack
right away from the Can-Am team in moto one. Hetrick
held off both Wienen and Natalie for a couple
of laps before falling back for a third place
finish.
“I am so excited right now!” exclaimed
Hetrick from the moto one podium. “I hope
I can do it again in moto two,” he added.
Holding true to his word, Hetrick backed up his
moto one success with another holeshot and an
amazing run. Hetrick held off Wienen for two laps
before falling back to second. From there he was
again under attack from Natalie, who eventually
got by, but Natalie’s motor blew in the
final lap, allowing Hetrick to regain second place
and finish in the number two spot on the pro podium.
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| Maxxis'
Joel Hetrick once again grabbed the Moto
2 holeshot with #20 Josh Upperman &
#44 Chad Wienen in chase |
Elka's
Joel Hetrick earned his first Career Pro
Podium with a 2nd Overall finish in only
his fifth Pro ATV Race |
“I feel really good right now, besides
a few blisters on my hands,” said Hetrick.
“I was shooting for the top three, so I
am really excited. I’m going to go home
and train hard and try to do this again,”
said the #88 racer with a new found confidence.
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| The
hard charging, Baldwin's Josh Upperman,
claimed his third podium finish of the season |
Baldwin Motorsport’s Josh Upperman was
in a solid fourth off the start and held down
his position for the entire moto to take a fourth
place finish despite a few issues with his quad.
Upperman, who is considered one of the most consistent
racers in the series, was in third off the line
for moto two but fell back to fourth after John
Natalie made a pass early in the moto. Upperman
held on and stayed close and was able to move
back into third, when Natalie dropped back due
to mechanical issues.
“We had a couple problems earlier but
we came back out here and we got a top three so
we are pretty happy. Being up here with Chad and
Joel is a good feeling. I have to thank Mark Baldwin
and Wayne Meridian for everything. They have done
a great job and I really happy to be up on the
podium again for them,” stated Upperman.
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Pro
ATV Motocross Podium (left to right)
Josh
Upperman (3rd), Chad
Wienen (1st),
Joel Hetrick
(2nd)
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