AMA ATV Motocross Nationals Round #7 - Sunday Creek Millfield, Ohio June 30, 2012

There was a small gate for this round as a couple of racers were missing. Nick De Noble, who crashed at the last round and injured his ankle and foot, was recovering at home. De Noble underwent surgery and got some impressive hardware, with two pins and seven rods in his left foot to repair the damage. De Noble and will be out for the rest of the season, but will be on hand at Red Bud to show his support for the series and visit with fans.

Harold “the Bumblebee” Goodman was absent as well, but not due to injury. Goodman is doing double duty again this season in the Extreme Dirt Track series and is the Pro and Pro-am points leader. Unfortunately for Goodman, the series overlaps with motocross for a couple of rounds, so Goodman decided to race EDT, where he is the defending champion and points leader. This weekend the EDT series has a double header and Goodman came out victorious as he took the Pro win during Friday Night’s round three, and round four is Saturday night.

Bad weather moved through the Millfield, OH area on Friday with heavy winds and thunder storms that knocked out power and drenched the track at Sunday Creek. Although storms were still in the forecast for Saturday, it was the high heat, humidity and rough conditions that would be the biggest factor for the day.

Yamaha's #44 Chad Wienen grabbed the Moto One Holeshot with #88 Joel Hetrick, #20 Josh Upperman & #1 John Natalie Jr in chase

After finishing second at the last two rounds, Yamaha’s Chad Wienen was on a mission to extend his points lead over challenger and defending champ, John Natalie, Jr. for the first moto, the track was a bit rough and choppy, but Wienen grabbed the holeshot and was holding the lead. Wienen was not alone however as Joel Hetrick was right behind him applying the pressure.

Can-Am's #88 Joel Hetrick was on a mission in Moto One as he made the pass on #44 Chad Wienen to take over the lead in the 3rd lap with Wienen settling into the 2nd spot

Wienen held his lead for a few laps, but Hetrick was able to squeeze by. Wienen stayed close to Hetrick for several laps, but fell off the pace a bit when John Natalie began to close in and challenge Wienen for third. The pair battled it out for several laps before Natalie bobbled and fell back late in the moto, giving Wienen a seven second gap as he took second at the checkered flag.

SSI's #44 Chad Wienen once again grabbed the Holeshot in Moto Two, but this time, Wienen didn't have Hetrick on his rear bumper till lap 8 & Wienen wasn't about to surrender the lead as Wienen got on the gas and pulled the fastest laptime of the Moto in lap 10 with Hetrick in Chase

For moto two, Wienen was not going to settle for anything less than the win. Wienen shot off the line and grabbed the moto two holeshot. Wienen had plenty of company, however, as John Natalie and Josh Upperman were right on his heels. Wienen held off a charge from Upperman after Upperman got around Natalie. Upperman stayed close, but could not make a pass and eventually fell back, allowing Wienen to pull away and take an easy moto two win and the overall for the day.

FMF Racing 's #44 Chad Wienen took the Moto 2 win just two seconds ahead of Hetrick, which was more than enough to claim the Overall Win with a 2-1 finish, which also extended Wienen's points lead to 24 pts over reigning champion, #1 John Natalie Jr

“It was hot out there. I went out there and rode as hard as I could and gave it everything I had and I just kept pushing out there. It was a tough race and Josh and Joel were right there in moto two and it was a really good race. I just want to thank everyone for sticking by me and all of our sponsors for everything they do to help us get on the podium. Last year at this time I was lying in a hospital bed and didn’t know if I would be back or not, so this round is kind of meaningful for me” said Wienen, who got what he wished for and extended his points lead over the competition.