2006 ATVA MX Nationals Round #2 – Oak Hill MX Park- Race Coverage

[Admin]

Decatur, TX – After an action packed opening round of the ATVA MX Nationals at Glen Helen last weekend, the racing resumes this weekend at Oak Hill MX Park for the round 2 of the 14 round series.

The veteran race promoters, Racer Productions, had everything running smoothly for this inaugural event at the Oak Hill MX Park facility, and fortunately there isn’t any rain in the forecast this weekend, unlike last year at Lake Whitney, but weather is far from picture perfect as mother nature has blasted Texas with a winter chill, which has temperatures dipping below freezing and winds gusting over 30mph for Saturday’s racing action. Many racers and fans were bundled up like Eskimos in an attempt to keep themselves warm, but fortunately the winds began to dissipate by Saturday evening, and the weather is forecasted to be improved for Sunday with temps in the 50’s and only a slight breeze out of the north.

The Oak Hill facility and track are both top rate as there is plenty of level parking for everyone along with electric and water hookups. The track is an incredible spectator track as most of the racing action can be viewed from any edge.

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The track held up extremely well to over 500 racers pounding it on Saturday, and the track crew were out in force Saturday night to smooth out any rough spots for Sunday's racing.

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The race fans are doing everything they can to keep warm while watching the races

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Bren Marra picked up were he left off in California with the 1st Moto win on his Cobra in the 90cc Production Sr

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Heather Byrd pulled the Holeshot in the Women's Production class, and she was able to hold off Angela Butler to the Checkered Flag

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The Florida Resident, Alex Kirchner looked awesome out there in the Women's Class finishing in third place

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Michelle Reiser was left on the starting gate because she was having trouble with her killcord and would finish out the race in 4th ahead of Jamie Luburgh

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Pro Am Production

#53 Kory Ellis decided to signup for the Pro Am Production class to get in some extra seat time on the track, and he didn't disappoint the race fans as he charged his way to the front in both Motos to take the overall win.

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#32 Matt White would finish out the day with a 1-2 finish with the 2nd Place overall finish

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Texan favorite, Cody Miller was applying the pressure to Matt White and finished in 3rd.

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Cale Downen would took the 4th spot

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Mark Kendall is returning to form as he finished out the race in 5th place while his teammate, Josh Upperman, would go down in the 2nd Moto and would cruise around the track to the checkered finishing 2-19 with a 14th place finish

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Pro Qualifier
With gusty winds and cold temperatures, many of the pros were trying to keep their hands warm by using the exhaust.

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Travis Spader took the inside line and would pull the Holeshot followed by Jeremiah Jones and Tim Farr

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Spader and Jones were on a mission as they pulled an 18 second lead over Tim Farr in third with Spader maintaining the lead from start to finish with Jones applying the pressure.

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With Tim Farr holding down the 3rd spot, the rest of the class was literally forming a train behind him.

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Dustin Wimmer and kory Ellis would make the pass on Farr before the end of the Moto with Farr dropping back to 5th followed by Matt White and Pat Brown advancing to the Main while the rest of the Pros went to the LCQ.


Pat Brown

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Pro LCQ
The Pro LCQ had 7 riders lined up on the gate, but only the top three would advance to the main event.

(left to right)
101 Rocco Arno Jr
22 Cody Miller
46 Richard Pelchat
708 Harold Goodman
17 Rodney Gentry
411 Donald Lysinger
911 Steve Runkel

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Harold Goodman would grab the Holeshot

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Chaos would breakout behind Goodman as both Rodney Gentry and Cody Miller would flip leaving the rest of the riders darting in different directions trying to avoid the pileup.

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A highly disappointed Cody Miller would remount his Yamaha and ride off the track as he knew that he didn't have a chance to qualify for the main.

Rodney Gentry would head back to his pits as well in pain as his Honda pounded him the the ground in the wreck, which left the battle down to the remaining 5 riders for the the final 3 spots.

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"The Bee" Goodman would lead the race from start to finish and qualify for the Main.

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Donald Lysinger and Rocco Arno Jr battled the entire Moto with Lysinger holding on to second and Arno Jr qualifying for his first ATVA Main Event.

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Steve Runkel on the Stock LTR450 would finish 5th behind Richard Pelchat and the pair would not qualify. Pelchat then signed up for Pro Am Unlimited to race on Sunday.

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Sunday Morning

The Pro Riders Meeting is a time to discuss the track and draw for gate position, but this weekend Smitty had a surprise for Rocco Arno Jr for his first Pro Riders Meeting.

Rocco Arno Jr received pink boxer shorts to wear to the starting line as a the Pro Rookie until another rider replaced him as the Rookie, which had everyone laughing and clapping.

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Pat Brown would pull the top gate pick outside of the Top 5 automatic gate selection order with the 6th pick and Jeremiah Jones back luck would continue as he drew the 19th followed by Jason Luburgh with the 20th who did not attend the meeting and was fined.

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Dustin Wimmer and Jason Dunkelberger arrived to the meeting in true Texas Style

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Mike Walsh may have stopped racing, but he is still actively involved in the sport and will be attending many of the rounds to help his Walsh Racing support riders

Here is works on Jeremy Lawson's Honda

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The Suzuki tent was surrounded by spectators the majority of the day trying to get a glimpse at the new LT-R450 QuadRacer

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Tim Farr has an impressive Pit setup for 2006 with his new team including Josh Upperman and Mark Kendall. Tim Farr and Shane Hitt purchased their rigs from Honda Motorcycle riders Mike LaRocco and Kevin Windham.

Unfortunately for Tim Farr, he was in too much pain after Saturday's qualifier to even race on Sunday. Over the winter, Tim had back surgery and he still hasn't had enough time to fully recover, so he is going to save himself for Florida.

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Pro Practice
The track was in perfect condition for Sunday's race as the Racer Production crew made several changes to the track as the Pros requested, so it would be easier to pass during the Pro Main Events.

The one section on the track that was really going to make the difference in the race was the Bakers Dozen whoops section, which was the hot spot for the pros during practice as many repeatedly went through the section to find the quickest path.

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#55 Doug Gust had no trouble with the whoops and would triple into the whoops and double his way out as smooth as silk.

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Surprisingly to me was how fast Pat Brown went through the whoops during practice.

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Jason Luburgh found it easier to ride through the whoops side saddle, NOT.

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Joe Haavisto tried a little Freestyle action or atleast that is how it appeared.

These whoops were deep and long, so any false move or lost focus could get ugly quick.

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Donald Lysinger charging his way through the whoops

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Pro Moto One

It was finally High Noon, and the Pro headed down to the starting gate for the start of the first Moto.

Joe Byrd with the first Gate pick for his win at Glen Helen and good friend, Doug Gust, with his number three gate pick look down the start and decide where they felt was the best spot on the gate.

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Jeremiah Jones would be forced to the outside line with his 19th pick, and his crew including his father and mechanic were busy sweeping his starting gate, so he would have the most traction possible out of the gate.

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Travis Spader was in good spirits and wheelied his Yamaha YFZ450 down the starting line for his parade lap

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With the drop of the gate, Moto One was underway and it was a three way tie into turn one with John Natalie Jr, Joe Byrd, and Donald Lysinger all battling for the Holeshot.

The Holeshot would go to Donald Lysinger on his HB Racing Yamaha YFZ450.

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Jeremiah Jones would be pushed to the far outside as he was eating some major roost from Kory Ellis near the back of the pack.

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By the end of the first Lap, John Natalie Jr would have taken over the lead followed by Doug Gust with Donald Lysinger dropping back to 3rd place followed by Keith Little and Joe Byrd.

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Jeremiah Jones bad luck would continue as him and Rocco Arno Jr collided at the end of the first lap, which allowed Matt White, Jason Dunkelberger, and Pat Brown all pass on the outside.

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Natalie Jr appeared to begin to pullaway from Doug Gust and held a couple of second as they went through the whoops.

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Several seconds later, Little, Lysinger, and Byrd entered the whoops section.

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At the back of the pack was Pat Brown leading the charge through the whoops followed by Jones, White, Dunk, Arno, and Lawson approaching the whoops.

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Jeremy Lawson color combination really stood out from the crowd

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By the halfway point, Natalie Jr was still in the lead, but Gust had moved in right behind him and was eating some serious roost as the pair pulled away from the rest of the pack.

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The battle was on for the 3rd spot between Little and Byrd as they developed a several second gap between them and Joe Haavisto in 5th place.

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Unfortunately, the early charge by Donald Lysinger was ended when he went down over the last of two big double jumps, which sent him back to 15th.

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Meanwhile, the battle for the lead became intense as Doug Gust was riding right on the bumper of Natalie Jr as if he was drafting him and looking to slingshot his way around him through a turn, which is exactly what happened at the end of lap eight when Gust made the pass by whipping himself around the outside of a turn shutting the door on Natalie Jr.

If Natalie Jr wanted to, he could have slammed Gust out of the way, but he let up and surrendered the lead to Gust.

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The role of cat mouse was reversed for one lap as Natalie Jr was applying the pressure to Gust, but eventually, Natalie Jr would began to drop back and Gust would put a few seconds between the pair.

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The battle continued between Keith Little and Joe Byrd for the 3rd Spot with Little mantaining the lead over Byrd as they began to close the gap on Natalie Jr in second.

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Yet another battle was brewing between Joe Haavisto and Tavis Cain for the majority of the race for the 5th spot and now Dustin Wimmer joined in on the fun as he charged his way 13th place up to 7th place with a few laps to go and had no plans on stopping.

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Jeremiah Jones had worked his way up to 12th place and past Pat Brown

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Travis Spader was once again experience issues with his machine and was back to 14th battling with Matt White

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Doug Gust out front showed no signs up letting up as he rode like he was 10 years younger while John Natalie Jr was using some airtime over the jumps to try and shake off the arm pump that was slowing him down.

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Dustin Wimmer continued his charge and passed both Haavisto and Cain in the final laps to move up into the 5th spot.

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With his fist high in the air, Doug Gust looked over at the crowd as he launched the finish line table top with the first Moto Win!!!

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John Natalie Jr would hang onto the second spot with Keith Little and Joe Byrd right behind him at the finish.

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Dustin Wimmer would finish in 5th followed by Joe Haavisto in 6th place as he proves that his Top 5 Finish Glen Helen wasn't a fluke.

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Tavis Cain is yet another rider that has dramatically improved his performance this year as he finished in 7th Place ahead of Kory Ellis

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Jeremiah Jones would work his way up to a 10th place finish behind Jason Luburgh

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Doug Gust was immediately interviewed the television crew for he upcoming broadcast on OLN, which will begin on Thursday April 6th at 3PM

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John Natalie Jr and the rest of the Pros headed back to their pits and began signing autographs for the fans that lined up in long lines.

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Jason Dunkelberger seeked some help from Suspension expert Mike Hallock after having some issues in the first Moto.

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The Suzuki Crew worked on Doug Gust machine between Motos, and it is amazing to see him running stock tires and even a stock axle in a Pro Race.

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Pro Moto Two

Tavis Cain waits on the line for the start of the second Moto after he put in another impressive performance in the first Moto and is well on his way to another top 10 overall finish for a great start for the season for Team Duncan.

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Joe Haavisto is another rider that has kicked off the new season on fire as he spent five weeks training prior to Glen Helen and it has really showed on the track for this top rate privateer.

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It must be a Factory Yamaha thing because for the second Moto it was Pat Brown with the wheelie down the start for the parade lap.

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John Natalie Jr was throwing up some serious roost around the first turn for his parade lap

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The gate dropped and the race was underway with trail of dust following the Pros down the straight away.

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Leading the way to the first turn would be a sea of blue with Kory Ellis and Pat Brown leading the way on their Yamaha YFZ450's.

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Right behind the Yamaha Pair was Joe Byrd and Jeremiah Jones followed by Jason Luburgh and John Natalie Jr

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The rest of the Pros ripped through a spray of sand

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When the roost settled, Dust Gust and Dustin Wimmer were revealed with their quads locked together, which all but ruined Doug’s chance at earning himself a spot on the podium after his first Moto win.

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Meanwhile, Pat Brown was leading the way after the first lap with Kory Ellis right behind him in second.

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Joe Byrd and John Natalie Jr were running tire to tire for the third spot.

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Tavis Cain was running strong in the 6th spot chasing after Jason Luburgh

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Joe Haavisto and Donald Lysinger were near the back of the pack after the two collided during the first lap.

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Travis Spader bad luck continued as he was back in the rear of the pack with Dustin Wimmer.

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Jeremy Lawson would stall his Honda through the whoops, which would sent him to the back of the pack by the end of the second lap.

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In less than two laps, over seven riders had experienced some serious issues to drop them out of the hunt and Jeremiah Jones would be the next victim as he would pull himself out of the race when he experienced engine issues with his Suzuki LT-R450, which sent him to wait at the finish line for the end of the race to avoid a DNF.

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The next victim would be Pat Brown in the fourth lap when he apparently also had engine issue which whipped away his run at the front and instead was scored with a DNF. The past two rounds, Pat has looked awesome and even at the 2005 season finale at Loretta’s, but he just doesn’t have any luck on his side.

Kory Ellis would take over the lead

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Joe Byrd remained on the charge in the second spot followed by John Natalie Jr

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Jason Luburgh remained within striking distance of Natalie Jr in the 3rd spot.

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Jason Dunkelberger had his first Moto problems behind him as he chased after Tavis Cain for the 5th spot

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Harold Goodman was having a good run in the 8th place behind Keith Little

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The Rookie, Rocco Arno Jr rounded out the the top 10 right behind Chad Wienen

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The battle for the lead continued as Joe Byrd was on a mission to catch Kory Ellis for the lead with only small gap seperating the pair with only a few laps to go in the race.

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John Natalie Jr was once again experiencing arm pump, which allowed Jason Luburgh to move in and begin to apply the pressure for third.

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Dunk made the pass on Cain and now Little was applying the pressure on Cain for the sixth spot.

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Doug Gust also wasn't given up, and he was picking off rider after rider as the race progressed and was up to 11th place and knocking Chad Wienen's door for the 10th spot.

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With only two laps to go, Kory Ellis would stall his Yamaha when his kill cord came out through the whoops, which allowed Joe Byrd to make the pass and take over the lead and the the second Moto win, which was more than enough for him to Win his second Overall Win in a row.

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Kory Ellis second place finish was enough to launch his way onto the podium by tieing Kieth Little in points, but with the better second Moto the final podium spot would go to Kory Ellis with Little missing the Podium due too the short end of a tie for third, which dropped him back to a fourth overall finish.

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The battle for the third spot came down to the wire between Jason Luburgh and Joh Natalie Jr as they launched over the finish line table top almost side by side

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Jason Luburgh would take the third spot by a wheel, which was enough for him to move into 6th Overall with Natalie Jr finishing once again in the runner up spot to Joe Byrd.

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Doug Gust was a man on a mission and passed Wienen to take the 10th in the second moto, which put him in 5th Overall for the weekend

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Chad Wienen deserves major props for his impressive start to the 2006 season in his first full year as a Pro he is in the Top 10 and once again will not need to run a qualifier for the Pro event in Florida as he is already seeded, which is impressive for a Pro Rookie

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Heather Byrd rushed down to the finish line to congratulate her husband on his win as this pair are on a roll winning the first two rounds together

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Jason Luburgh now sits in 7th Place in Points after a great second moto win, so all he needs now a is good back to back Motos to get on the Podium this year

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An exhausted John Natalie Jr reached for a bottle of water before heading up the the podium

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Kory Ellis finally got the start he needed, and he proved that he can run out front if he can get the start.

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John Natalie Jr accepted his 2nd place place roses, and he admitted that he just wasn't inshape for this hardpacked track as he did most of his training in the sand, but he going to hit some hard packed tracks between now and Florida.

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Joe Byrd accepted his Overall Win with his signature chant and big thanks to his sponsors.

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With a large crowd gathered below it was time for the podium celebration

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Joe Byrd, John Natalie Jr, and Joe Byrd showered down the crowd below with the bubbly

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Immediately following the podium presentation was the media press conference with the top pros, so be sure to check back in a few days to see the press conference video along with race highlight video along with a video interview with Doug Gust after his first Moto win.

[Jeff2269]

It looks like in the pics that Byrd is not running the new axis shocks.

[BlueZ440]

Great Pictures...Can't wait for Florida

[QuadR8cer12]

Originally posted by Admin
With a large crowd gathered below it was time for the podium celebration

me on the top right workin hard for Harlen getting video shots :p

[450man]

Originally posted by Admin
Joe Haavisto is another rider that has kicked off the new season on fire as he spent five weeks training prior to Glen Helen and it has really showed on the track for this top rate privateer.

should be able to see in this pic

[450man]

my link didnt work. page 5 picture #9 down the page it shows joe havisto's shocks

[450man]

also page 2 picture #4. on harold goodmans bike you can see the lines coming from the shocks to the resivoir.

[hardkoratvmxr]

good coverage harlen

[LT80]

Are the amature pics up anywhwere?
I'm looking for an old, slow, fat man jumping. <G>

[Admin]

Originally posted by LT80
Are the amature pics up anywhwere?
I'm looking for an old, slow, fat man jumping. <G>

Yes, a Gallery has been posted from Saturday's Racing
http://www.atvriders.com/gallery/2006atvamxracing02oakhillmx/index.html

[LT80]

Thanks! :D
Loads of GREAT pics!!
That's a nifty camera you have there! Seems it has a "slow film" option which helps with my pics. :D :D

[Evana13]

dose any body have any pics of the 70 mod class.

[pitmomts]

Great coverage and beautiful photos, Harlen! We've got about 1500 photos we're posting at www.jandjracing.com , so check 'em out!

[catch22blaster]

sweet pics :)

[nhyfzrider]

awesome coverage!!!!!! it's like being there.

[LT80]

Did anyone other than Natalie throw their goggles to the crowd?

[pitmomts]

Natalie seems to be very giving to his fans. My son's a big one!

[brent c]

Jeff2269
Senior Member

Registered: Apr 2004
Location:
Posts: 111


(It looks like in the pics that Byrd is not running the new axis shocks.)
Jeff,
Byrd is running the new axis shocks.The piggybacks are turned back towards the motor so you can't see them. Also, the new rear shock has a piggyback on it too. VERY HIGH TECH stuff!!

[Pappy]

Originally posted by nhyfzrider
awesome coverage!!!!!! it's like being there.

true that!

proud of ya harlen, coverage was top shelf:cool:

[jc250r31]

Originally posted by brent c
Jeff2269
Senior Member

Registered: Apr 2004
Location:
Posts: 111


(It looks like in the pics that Byrd is not running the new axis shocks.)
Jeff,
Byrd is running the new axis shocks.The piggybacks are turned back towards the motor so you can't see them. Also, the new rear shock has a piggyback on it too. VERY HIGH TECH stuff!!


Actually I think Byrd is running the New Noleen Shocks in TX....He was running the Axis in CA.....The Axis Piggy's cant be turned toward the rear because of the way the body is machined......

[brent c]

Trust me, they were the new Axis shocks he ran at Tx. . I was at his house last Tuesday and saw them on the quad. He told me thats the shocks in the pictures from Tx. Brent