2016 AMA ATV Motocross Round #2 Underground MX Kemp, Texas April 9, 2016

Coming in second was Joel Hetrick aboard his number 88 Honda 450R. It was a big weekend for Hetrick, considering he came into this round with an injured knee from the Daytona Supercross. With two torn ligaments, Hetrick was said to only be performing around 75%. “It was tough on me mentally and physically. I just wanted to come out of here with a podium and that’s what we did.” said Hetrick.

Maxxis / ELKA's Joel Hetrick claimed the ATVriders.com Fastest Qualifier Award at Underground MX

Despite everything, Hetrick started off the day by taking the ATVriders.com fastest qualifier award. “Pulling fastest qualifier was big for me today. It wasn’t much, but it showed I was still the fastest guy on the track. I had a few really smooth lines I think gained me some time,” said Hetrick.

#88 Joel Hetrick charged his way into the 2nd spot in Moto One, but he wasn't able to reel in Chad Wienen out front

When the gates dropped, Hetrick had solid starts in each moto and took 2-3 moto finishes to secure his second place position on the podium. “To leave here with a podium, a second place especially, is awesome. We will hopefully be 100% for Muddy Creek and if not then 85%, and that’s still better than where we are now.

Joel Hetrick raced without goggles for most of Moto 2 & he battled his way through the mud to claim a 2nd Overall Finish

John Natalie Jr. rounded out the podium in third place. Natalie finished fourth in the first moto after stalling his bike and losing some ground. In the second moto, he put in a spectacular performance in the mud, taking a second place finish for third overall.

PEP's John Natalie Jr took over the lead in lap one, but he dropped back to a 4th place finish at the checkered flag

“It wasn’t a bad weekend. The rain kind of helped me out the second moto. It was rough out there. I couldn’t see anything. I made a couple runs at Chad but got a face full of mud and decided it wasn’t really worth it, so I backed off and settled for that. I didn’t really want to run around with out any goggles on. It’s awesome to be back on the box after being hurt last year. I’m hungrier for it even more now. I want to get back up in the center of that box. I think we will have a really good chance at Muddy Creek, and I’m excited to get there,” explained Natalie.

John Natalie Jr battled through the rain to rebound to a 2nd place finish in Moto 2, which clinched the final spot on the podium