AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #1 - Aonia Pass MX
Washington, GA
March 24, 2012
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Chad Wienen Edges Out
John Natalie in ATV MX Season Opener
AMA Pro ATV Motocross - Round 1- Aonia Pass
2012
AMA Pro ATV Motocross
Round 1 - Aonia Pass MX |
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Washington,GA
(3/25/2012) – The 2012 AMA ATV Motocross
National Championship Series kicked off Saturday
at Aonia Pass MX Park in Washington, Ga., providing
some of the best racing in series history, pitting
the fastest ATV Motocross racers in the country
against one another for two twenty-plus minute motos.
After an eight-month hiatus from racing due to a
season ending injury in 2011, Wienen Motorsports/SSi/Walsh/Yamaha-backed
Chad Wienen began the season in a winning fashion,
going (1-1) for the overall and the early points
lead.
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A full slate of AMA ATVMX Pro riders
were on hand at the opening round in Georgia |
In the opening moto of the Pro ATVMX class, it
was Baldwin Motorports/PEP's Josh Upperman who
grabbed the SSi Decals Holeshot Award and led
the early part of the race. It wasn't long before
Wienen powered his new Yamaha ride into the lead,
though, passing Upperman through the fan-filled
finish line section.
While the rest of the field was viewing the track
on the site lap, Motoworks/Can-Am's newest addition,
Joel Hetrick, was waiting behind the gate while
his crew worked to fix a mechanical issue on the
ATV. Earlier in the day, Hetrick grabbed the ATVRiders.com
fastest Qualifier Award over a stacked field of
veteran riders, and after finally fixing the ATV
in time for the gate drop, Hetrick proved it wasn't
a fluke as he caught and passed the front-runners
and pressured Wienen for the lead spot. Hetrick
finally made a bold attempt to pass Wienen for
the lead, but in doing so, the nineteen-year-old
went off the track and was forced to sit the rest
of the moto on the sidelines.
Defending champion, Motoworks/Can-Am's John Natalie,
came through the pack and spent a majority of
Moto 1 battling with longtime competitor Josh
Upperman for the second place spot. Natalie finally
got around Upperman in the latter part of the
initial twenty-minutes of racing, and although
the "Ironman" put a late charge on the
leader as the two-lap card came out, Natalie wasn't
able to catch Wienen in time for the checkers.
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AMA
ATV MX Pro Podium (left to right)
John Natalie, Chad Wienen, & Josh Upperman
at round 1 |
In Moto 2, it was once again the Honda of Josh
Upperman who took the SSi Decals Holeshot Award,
but the defending champ Natalie inched his way
out front right away, fending off a very driven
duo of Wienen and Uppeman. Pennsylvania's Derek
Swartfager put his Waldo Motorsports-backed Honda
inside the top five early in the moto, battling
with Thomas Brown on the TBROWN Yamaha powered
by Moto-X-Perts machine. Brown led a tight-pack
of riders who were battling for the top five positions,
including pro class rookie Mark Madl, the 2011
Pro Am Production champion and fifth fastest qualifier
for the day.
Meanwhile, Natalie and Wienen combated back and
fourth in an intense battle for lead. Wienen chased
Natalie for most of the race, slipping past his
former teammate in a few spots, but the most famous
line was through the whoop-section and into the
final corner before the finish, where Wienen showed
his front tires to the leader several times. On
the final lap, Wienen made the move on the defending
champ just one turn before the finish line, giving
Wienen the overall win and the points lead after
the first round of racing.
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