2006 ATVA MX Nationals Round #5 – Budds Creek - Amateur Coverage

[tamehart]

The ATVA national series stopped in Mechanichsville, Maryland this weekend to let riders from all over the country competing for championships have a try at the well known Budds Creek race track. Earlier in the week, many weather reports were stating thunderstorms throughout the weekend. Thankfully this time the weather men and women were wrong, the weekend turned out to be nearly perfect with a little rain spout Friday evening and a short downfall during the day on Saturday. The rainfall was just right to keep the somewhat sandy track from drying out to quickly.

[tamehart]

Mototees keeps things looking forward for our sport as they continued their live broadcast to all those that were unable to attend and didn’t want to miss a second of the action. They were also selling the compiled video from Round #1 at Glen Helen. In a few short weeks, riders and enthusiast will be able to purchase the recording of all the action at this weekend’s race. With multiple videographers, they were sure to catch all the action.

[tamehart]

Along with Elka, Custom Axis, Fox Racing Shox, Maxxis, ITP, Mototees, Terry Racing, and more on vender row, this young woman was selling lemonade to many as they passed by. Throughout the weekend, it was great to see the support Elka, Axis, Tireballs provided to racers throughout the weekend. Thanks a lot to all those companies giving back to your customers and helping our sport grow.

[tamehart]

As Harlen mentioned in the Pro Race coverage, Donny banks spent the week at the Budds Creek facility at the request of the owner to have help in preparing a top notch quad national race track. The track was everything I expected it to be. With a mixture of sand, the braking bumps developed as over 700 entries tore up and down the track. The trick to the track was how the braking bumps changed throughout the race. Lines changed as quickly as they developed. The ability to see these lines and take advantage put many riders out front. And the ones that thought the track was the same as it did in the morning were the ones who had trouble. Here is an innocnent picture of the track before it changed its attitude.

[tamehart]

With the GNCC series off this weekend, the men behind Cardio Stack Racing, Jasen and Jamie, along with Phil Cole sported their “factory” shirts as they answered questions from racers and kept an eye out for their amateur riders out on the track. Not only were the Pros attracting fans, but many amateur riders brought many spectators through the gates.

[tamehart]

After giving respect to our country with the playing of our national anthem, everyone was anxious to go racing. The hills began to fill up and the engines began to roar. Harlen Foley, the man behind it all is pictured wearing the press "gidde up"

[tamehart]

As the number of entries grew, the need for more qualifiers became evident. The production A class took only 20 of the best racers to the final gate on Sunday. Nathan Crommer #328 started out his weekend good as he opened up a lead in the first qualifier of the day for the production A class.

[tamehart]

The weather must have brought out the racing spirit into full effect, as there was great racing in every class this weekend. Making the trip from Ovieda, FL, the # 713 of Kyle D. Mcculloch decided to make the trip worthwhile as he shot his way to the final with a 5th place finish in the qualifier. His 8th place in the final set him up for an overall 8th position among some of the fastest riders in the country.

[tamehart]

Tom Fink, a local D6 A class rider and ATVRiders.com member, made the trip down from Coatesville, PA to compete in the 265A class as well as the Production A class. A 6th place finish in the production A qualifier put him into the final. His DNS in the final sent him to the back. He put that aside of him and hammered down on his East Coast Yamaha YFZ to finish the 265A with a 4th overall finish.

[tamehart]

Chris Williams piloted his white Honda 450r to a 7th place finish in the qualifier, although was unable to repeat his performance in the final and finished out the weekend with a 17th overall spot. His speed was shown in the 16-24 class as he knocked out a 6th place overall finish. Coming off a 1st place finish in the 16-24 class in Macon, Chris shares the points lead with the #84 of Thomas Brown.

[tamehart]

Testing his endurance, Thomas Brown entered 3 classes at this weekend’s event. The production A class proved to be the most challenging class for Brown as he ended up with a 16th overall performance. By the end of the weekend Brown wrapped up a 7th place finish in the 4-Stroke A class as well as a 4th place finish in the 16-24 class. He remains tied for first place in points for the 16-24 class and within range of 3rd as he sits in 6th place in the 4-Stroke A class.

[tamehart]

Honda Rider, Hunter Johnson #357 made it into the main by way of the last chance qualifier. Rounding out with a 14th place overall finish and his ability to make all 5 rounds of the Production A class thus far, Hunter sits in 8th in total points. Hunter also competed in the 265A class and took the 3rd overall spot for this weekends race.

[tamehart]

Jeff Thompson went 8-14 for an overall 13th place finish aboard his Lost Creek Cycles #80 Yamaha. Like many other production A riders, Jeff also raced the 4-Stroke A class. A 4th place finish propels him up to 4th place in points, just 2 points behind 3rd place.

[tamehart]

Unable to capitalize on his 2nd place qualifying finish, Cody Grant’s 13th final finish earned him a 10th place overall. Cody sits in 5th place in points. Signing up for the Pro-Am Production race as well Cody challenged himself against the next step up. A 14th place finish earns much respect to be able to compete with these guys.

[tamehart]

Nmotion rider Aaron Meyer from Harrison, Ohio had an off weekend at this weekend’s event. In the qualifier for the Production A class, Aaron held a 2nd place position. In the end, he slipped to positions. A 10th place finish in the second moto yielded him a 9th place overall finish. In the 4-Stoke A class Meyer finish out with a 17th overall. Meyer holds 4th place in the Production A and 2nd place in the 4-Stroke A points race as we head to round #6 in a few short weeks.

[tamehart]

Going against the norm, Russell Shumaker from Bristol, Wisconsin was the only competitor in the final moto of the Production A class aboard a Suzuki. Along with his skills, Shumaker proved that the Suzuki is capable of great things. He went 4-2 for an overall 3rd place finish earning him enough points to take over the 4th place position. Russell holds 1st place in points in the 4-Stroke A class with his first place finish this weekend coupled with his 1st place in Macon and a 2nd place finish at the Gatorback.

[tamehart]

The intensity of the riders along with the technicality of track sent a few riders out over the berms. During practice Dustin Royer took his quad out of the berm as he carried a little too much heat coming into the corner. When race time came around, Dustin was able to keep his quad on all fours and roll to a 2nd place overall finish as he went 2-3. Dustin fell just outside of the top ten with an 11th overall finish in the Pro-Am Unlimited class.

[tamehart]

This weekend proved to belong to Nathan Crommer. Aboard his Honda, Nathan took the competition for a stroll as he ran away with first place finishes in the Production A and 265A classes. With these finishes, Crommer holds the points lead in both classes.

[tamehart]

With the last spray of roost from the Production A class, we move onto the 70 shifter modified class.

[tamehart]

Hannah Sharp waits for her moto with her friends in the 70cc Production Class. Hannah holds onto 3rd place in points entering the 6th round of the ATVA Nationals.

[tamehart]

The 70cc Shifter Modified class has had 4 different victors leading up to round #5. With the tough competition, it was unpredictable who would take the overall for this weekend. In the qualifier it was evident that Brandon Tittle carried his steam from his win in Macon, GA with his win in the qualifier. Getting to the front was not an easy task however. Off the start he had the fast Cam Covil, David Beer and the #7 of Robbie Leonoard to work around.

[tamehart]

As they entered the whoops, along pro row, Robbie Leonard was leading the way with the #209 of Bret Musick hot on his heels.

[Lostcause]

Thanks for the great shots!!! What about those FL boys? Not doing to bad. :D

I Wish Alex Kirchner wouldn't have got hurt. She was ready to give those Girls a run for their money. Next Year!!!!

Hey-- but I have got to give everyone props....... To go out and ride a National race is an experience that you just can't describe. The rush of that first turn............

[tamehart]

Brandon Tittle came into striking range as he took the left lane through the whoops hoping to put together a better jump combo and send him out front. Making the pass on Musick, Tittle set his sights on Leonard.

[tamehart]

Just behind the top 3 sits Cam Covil followed closely by the #44 of Tyler Pittman

[tamehart]

Next time through the whoops, Tittle edged himself close enough to Leonard to be able to snag the top position before the checkered flag.

[tamehart]

As the gate dropped, the field was one rider short. Unfortunately, Brandon Tittle was unable to come back and try for an overall win following his qualifier win. Instead he had to settle for a 12th overall as he marked up a DNS. Capitalizing on Tittle’s misfortune, Tyler Pittman put his cobra into the 3rd place spot. Pittman went 5-3 for an overall 4th place finish.

[tamehart]

David Nevrotski of Philiadelphia, PA held of the charging Jesse Putman. Nevrotski went 8-7 for a 7th overall finish.

[tamehart]

Finishing out the weekend in the 2nd overall spot was the #209 of Brett Musick.

[tamehart]

Pushing his quad, Cam Covil owned Budds Creek as he took home the moto 2 win along with the overall for the 70 shifter Modified class.

[tamehart]

With this win, Covil becomes the only one with two wins in his class. With this, he sits in 2nd place in the points race just behind Tyler Pittman.

[tamehart]

I will continue my coverage with Women Production class, Women Sport class along with the 90cc Production Auto class tomorrow evening. I will follow up with some misc. pictures from other classes and around the track.

Many riders brought the "Entire" family with them this weekend.

[tamehart]

We now shift gears into the Women Production class. The first moto on Saturday proved to be much more exciting than the Sunday final heat. Heather Byrd claimed the holeshot with Jamie Luburgh hot on her heals. Paula Shank remained just 2 quad lengths back as they entered the first turn.

[tamehart]

With only 4 entries and the absence of Angela Butler, this would be a perfect time for Michelle to reel in a good finish and collect the points along with it. Reiser’s holeshot didn’t start things off well for her. As she charged through the whoops, trying to catch Shank, she bobbled causing her quad to stall.

[tamehart]

Heather Byrd remained out front with Jamie Luburgh falling back little by little.

[tamehart]

Michelle regained her composure and was hard on the gas. She made the pass on Shank and set her eyes on Jamie.

[tamehart]

Charging up the hill, Michelle closed the gap even closer and began to apply pressure on Jamie Luburgh.

[tamehart]

Next time around Michelle had slipped by Luburgh. Jamie wasn’t giving up though, as she kept pressure on Michelle.

[tamehart]

As the laps went on, Michelle was able to open up a comfortable lead on Jamie and would head into the final moto with a second place finish.

[tamehart]

The second moto found the riders in the same positions they last left the track. Paula ran her Suzuki hard all weekend with the fastest women in the country. She finished 4th overall.

[tamehart]

Falling back to third place after the pass my Michelle Reiser, Jamie Luburgh followed suite with back to back 3rd place finishes for the weekend.

[tamehart]

Michelle rode her #113 Yamaha to a second overall finish just behind Heather Byrd.

[tamehart]

The woman of the weekend was the #1 of Heather Byrd. Not only was she the woman of the weekend, but she has been the woman to catch thus far into the season. The man usually not far from her side, Joe Byrd, took a 2nd place overall finish this weekend in the pro class.

[tamehart]

The Women’s Sport B/C class brought out 11 women from all over the country to try their hands at the competition at Budds Creek facility. Out front all weekend was the #26 of Candace Lee. Kellie Lanzer charged hard in the first moto to keep pace with Lee, but settled into a secure 2nd place finish in the first moto.

[tamehart]

Battling all weekend was the #36 of Melissa Walker and the #350 of Carrie Debault. Walker went 8-8 for an 8th overall whereas Debault went 9-9 for an overall 10th place.

[tamehart]

Kayla Davis rode her near stock Honda 450r to an 11th place overall finish. Hopefully we will see Kayla more and watch her move up to the front.

[tamehart]

Katelynn C. Dantonio of Westerville, OH rode to a 10th place finish on Saturday, but came back Sunday with an impressive 5th place finish. This combination earned her a 7th place overall finish.

[tamehart]

The 90cc Production Auto Sr. 12-15 unfortunately had to send some riders packing up before the final moto on Sunday. To insure a spot in the main event, riders were battling for positions. The #77 of Nicolas Moser made the trip down from Pipersville, PA to compete. That he did, he overtook Brittany Snider in the qualifier to take the win.

[tamehart]

The second qualifier had seen the #93 of Bren Marra aboard his Cobra out front. Cody Tittle had a great start but fell back a few positions to the 4th place. Tittle wrecked on the start of the second moto sending him to the back. He worked his way up to 17th earning him a 15th place finish for the weekend.

[tamehart]

With the top riders lined up at the gate, the race for the first turn was on. As I said, Tittle would suffer from a spill as he led the pack down the first hill. Bren Marra would take over the lead and hold the lead over Amber Park to take the win.

[tamehart]

The battle continued behind Marra for the remaining positions. Christopher Hamm out powers three rides as they climb one of Budds Creek’s many hills.

[tamehart]

Brandon Rhodes made the trip from Florence, AL to his third national of the season. With his 16th overall finish, Rhodes sits in 10th place in points.

[tamehart]

Nicholas Moser came into the final with a 1st place finish in his qualifier. An 11th place finish in the final put him in the 8th overall position.

[tamehart]

Christopher Hamm marked up a 7th place finish in the second moto following up with his 3rd place finish in moto 1. Hamm finished out the weekend in the 5th overall position.

[tamehart]

Staying hard on the gas all weekend long, Bren Marra took his Cobra to the victory circle with a 1-1 and the overall win. Budds Creek marks Bren’s 3rd win of the season and holds a 13 point lead over Krisy Laurine in the points race for the 90cc Production Sr. Class.

[tamehart]

Anthony Mastrocola made the trip down from Altoona, PA to race his first ever national. He brought along his new Suzuki that he recently picked up from Cernics. Anthony had a great start in his first moto but experienced arm pump on the concluding lap, he dropped one position into the 3rd position.

[tamehart]

In the main event, Mastrocola experienced some bad luck as he would end up hitting a tire sending him to the back of the pack. Running out of time, Anthony finished out the weekend with a 14th overall position as he went 3-15.

[tamehart]

Zach Martin came down from Middletown, OH to Budds Creek this weekend to race in the Open C class. His took his orange and white YFZ for a 3-10 ride finishing out the weekend with a 9th place overall.

[tamehart]

If you remember my Motorama coverage, you may remember the name Steve Dibble. I mentioned to watch out for Steve this season. Steve had some great runs this weekend but was struck with a couple bad luck bobbles that cost him dearly. In the Pro-Am Production race he went 8-17 for 17th overall. In the Pro-Am Unlimited class he went 12-11 for a 15th overall finish. To even make it into many of these main event races is a challenge. Nationals bring out the fastest riders from all over the country. This great racing is what makes each trip worthwhile.

[tamehart]

Natalie’s broken axle in practice cut his time out on the track down to a minimum. To make up for this, he decided to run the pro-am production race to get a few laps in. He gained an easy lead, but soon slowed up and kept pace with Pro-Am front runner Josh Upperman.

[tamehart]

Natalie and Upperman made some perfect photo opts for the crowd as they would hit the big table tops and throw down some style. Both riders made this jump, but Natalie was able to stay much lower than Upperman as they soared across and into the next corner.

[tamehart]

Not to often do you find concrete starting gates like the ones found at the Budds Creek facility. The key to a good start began with a clean starting pad. Mechanics brought their brooms to the gate along with their pit boards. Here is Travis Spader along with his mechanic. To warm up the rubber on the tires, creating a softer compound that will grab easier, riders smoked their tires just before the drop of the gate.

[tamehart]

Just down the starting line waiting to take the track was Gil Attix. Making his debut for the season, Attix had his work cut out for him with the stiff competition.

[tamehart]

Keith Little was looking fast on his LSR Honda this weekend. Little went 10-8 for a 9th overall finish.

[tamehart]

Cale Dowen started Saturday with a 2nd place finish in his qualifier. In the final moto, Cale racked up a DNF and was dropped back for a 16th overall finish. Bouncing back on Sunday, Dowen went 1-2 for a 2nd place finish just behind the #20 of Josh Upperman.

[tamehart]

A flawless weekend for Josh Upperman it was, as he took the #1 spot in both the Pro-Am Production and Pro-Am Unlimited classes.

[tamehart]

This will conclude my pictures for now. I don’t have near as many pictures of Amateurs as I did for Gatorback due to the fact that I raced this past weekend. Thanks for looking and hope to see you all out for Birch Creek.

Here is Joel Hetrick’s quad just before he went out on the track to rip up.

[hetrick425ex]

joel who???

:)

awesome pictures/coverage hartman!!!

[badvox]

Originally posted by hetrick425ex
joel who???

:)

awesome pictures/coverage hartman!!!

Now thats funny right there!!

Awesome coverage and great photos.

[Evana13]

Originally posted by hetrick425ex
joel who???

:)

awesome pictures/coverage hartman!!!

THATS YOUR COUSIN RIGHT?

[yamablaster24]

any pics of Adam Clark in the Pro Am? Thats my buddy :eek:

[tamehart]

#31 Adam Clark. I have a few of him racing, but here is one of the single shots I got of him.

[mxbrian87]

any pictures of #87 in production C (division 3 on sat) ?

[bowtiedmax]

Sure have alot of great pictures !! By chance do you have any of Jesse Skvarek #32 in 90 Production Jr.

Thanks:)

[Moser87m]

yeah great pictures, how bout some youth production pictures. thanks I'm the white and red bike 87.

[Admin]

Over 1,000 Amateur Photos have been uploaded in the Photo Gallery.

Budds Creek Amateur Photo Gallery Link (http://www.atvriders.com/gallery/2006atvamxracing05buddscreek/index.html)

[Gabriel22Racing]

you have any pictures of #7 Jason Connell on a 300ex in the youth production class with black plastic and elka/jb racing front end?

[tamehart]

I don't have any from budd's, but I think I posted one in the Birch Creek coverage.