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View Full Version : 2006 ATVA MX Nationals Round #9 – Steel City - Pro Race Coverage



Admin
06-20-2006, 02:45 PM
Delmont, PA - For the first time ever, the ATV Motocross Nationals roared into Steel City Raceway for the ATV Stampede promoted by Racer Productions. The MX National is normally held at High Point, but with already several events scheduled at High Point this May and June, the racing action was moved to Steel City, and the Pro Racers and Spectators were impressed with the facility as it provided some of the best spectator viewing of almost any track on the tour, and the Pros felt it was one of the most challenging tracks of the season with some technical rhythm sections of doubles & tabletops along with some high speed off chamber turns.

With the fans flocking to spectator area for a birds eye view of the track from the hillside and the media in place to capture the action, the start of the first Moto was about to begin on this bright and sunny Father’s Day with temperatures approaching 90 degrees.

Admin
06-20-2006, 02:55 PM
Rocco Arno Jr skipped the last round at Muddy Creek and was solo at Red Bud, but this weekend, he was surrounded by his whole family once again with his Father, Rocco, by his side at the starting gate.

Admin
06-20-2006, 02:56 PM
Jason Luburgh was also back in action after skipping Muddy Creek, and he was joined on the line with his father, Andy.

Admin
06-20-2006, 02:59 PM
Richard Pelchat also made the trip down from Canada along with his girlfriend, which meant for a full gate of 20 Pros for Round 9 of the 14 Round Series.

Admin
06-20-2006, 03:14 PM
Jeremiah Jones gets lined up in his gate, and he has been on fire the past four rounds winning three rounds and finishing third at Red Bud after a horrible first four rounds of only cresting the top 10 once, but the tide has since shifted and he is now inching his way up to the front of the points standings to challenge Byrd and Natalie along with his teammate Doug Gust for the Championship.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:02 PM
After over a month, the ATVA finally made a decision on the Yellow Flag issue at Birch Creek, which penalized Gust, Wimmer, Natalie for jumping on Yellow, but not Joe Byrd.

The ATVA didn't see conclusive evidence that Joe Byrd jumped on Yellow, so the results were left unchanged, which has keeps the gap separating Byrd and Natalie Jr at 10 points instead of only 1 point after 8 Rounds of racing.

Joe received the perfect oppurtunity to really walk away from Natalie Jr in points this weekend when Natalie Jr crashed during practice on Friday, which had him sidelined for most of practice on Saturday and doubts about racing on Sunday.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:06 PM
John Natalie Jr didn't get the name "Ironman" for nothing, and he wasn't going to let his injured wrist stop him from racing this weekend even if he wasn't anywhere near 100%, so after a visit to Doc Ragon at the Mobile Medical Unit, he had his wrist bandaged up and headed to the starting line.

John gave his crew the thumbs up as he took off for the parade lap.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:09 PM
Keith Little made his first motocross Parade lap as a married man after he tied the knot with long time sweetheart, LeAnne, in Alabama the week after Muddy Creek, and she joined him at the races this weekend at Steel City.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:11 PM
Jeremy Lawson just missed the Podium at Muddy Creek with a career best 4th Overall as he has quickly moving up the ranks in the Pro Class.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:16 PM
With the riders back from the Parade Lap, all that remained before the gate dropped were the prayer and National Anthem, and for the third race in a row, #751 Trent Kandel joined the Pros on the Starting line.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:17 PM
With the fans lining the start area, it was time for some racing.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:19 PM
With the drop of the gate, a cloud of dust formed as the Pros launched off the line and up the hill for the first turn

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:20 PM
Rounding turn one first was “Digger” Doug Gust with the Holeshot closely followed by Josh Creamer and Keith Little.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:22 PM
Richard Pelchat and the rest of the pack weaved their way through a spray of roost.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:26 PM
When the roost settled, Harold Goodman and Travis Spader were left sitting still with their ATVs slightly locked together, which also brought Kory Ellis and Matt White to a halt behind the pair.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:27 PM
With Harold Goodman leading the way, the four of them quickly got underway again chasing after the rear of the pack

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:29 PM
By the end of the first lap, Gust remained out front with Little right behind. Josh Creamer held the third spot with Jason Dunkelberger and Dustin Wimmer rounding out the top 5.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:31 PM
Jeremy Lawson held onto 6th place followed by Jeremiah Jones, Joe Byrd, Jason Luburgh, and Pat Brown rounding out the top 10.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:36 PM
By the second lap, Keith Little moved past Doug Gust by using his flat track skills to get on the inside of Gust and make the pass for the lead.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:39 PM
Josh Creamer was remained the third spot through the second lap, but him and Dustin Wimmer connected in the third lap, which sent Creamer off the track and back to last place.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:44 PM
Both Harold Goodman and Kory Ellis were quickly working their way up through the pack as moved up to the top 10 after just a few laps.

Admin
06-20-2006, 04:49 PM
John Natalie Jr wasn't just cruising around the track as he stayed on the gas trying to salvage as many points as possible holding down the 14th spot early in the race.

Admin
06-20-2006, 05:03 PM
As Joe Byrd was running in 7th place, he went off the side of a jump and down a bank into a mud pit, which left him stuck for nearly a lap.

Admin
06-20-2006, 05:08 PM
Meanwhile, out front, Keith Little continued to maintain the lead by the halfway point of the race, but Doug Gust continued to apply the pressure just waiting for Little to make a mistake.

Admin
06-20-2006, 05:10 PM
Several second back was Dustin Wimmer in third place with Jeremy Lawson quickly closely the gap that separated the pair.

Admin
06-20-2006, 05:14 PM
A trio of Suzuki riders were all in chase with Cernic’s Jason Dunkelberger & Jason Luburgh leading Yoshimura’s Jeremiah Jones through the rhythm section of table tops holding down 5th through 7th place.

Admin
06-21-2006, 09:12 AM
Yamaha's Pat Brown held the ninth spot while Yamaha's Richard Pelchat and Kory Ellis swapped the 10th spot back and forth chasing after Brown.

Admin
06-21-2006, 11:01 AM
Meanwhile, Trent Kandel's Honda was quit on him, which required him and two track workers to pull off the track.

Admin
06-21-2006, 11:04 AM
Doug Gust didn't let up on Keith Little out front and eventually made the pass to regain control of the lead with only a few laps to go.

Admin
06-21-2006, 11:29 AM
The same lap that Gust made the pass for the lead, Travis Spader crashed, but fortunately, he bailed from his Yamaha and wasn't seriously injured. The Yamaha on the overhand was virtually destroyed from the impact with the rear end completely twisted out of shape.

Admin
06-21-2006, 11:36 AM
With Gust in the lead and gradually pulling away from Little in second place, the battle now was for the third spot between Dustin Wimmer and Jeremy Lawson.

Dustin continued to maintain the spot, but he was receiving plenty of pressure from Lawson

Admin
06-21-2006, 11:38 AM
Jason Dunkelberge began experiencing problems with his rear bearing carrier and drifted backwards several positions, which allowed Jason Luburgh to take over the fifth spot with Jeremiah Jones and Pat Brown right behind him followed by Dunk

Admin
06-21-2006, 12:41 PM
The same turn one lap later, Jeremiah Jones had taken over the 5th spot with Luburgh and Brown in chase.

Admin
06-21-2006, 12:45 PM
Doug Gust Points to the sky with the #1 as he crosses the finish line for the first Moto Win.

Admin
06-21-2006, 12:47 PM
A few seconds later, Keith Little crossed the finish line in second place and quickly removed his goggles.

Admin
06-21-2006, 12:48 PM
Dustin Wimmer was able to hold off Jeremy Lawson and claim the third spot.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:23 PM
Jason Luburgh finished out his best Moto yet at the ATVA Motocross Nationals since switching to the Suzuki LT-R450 with a 6th place finish behind Jeremiah Jones

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:25 PM
The "Bee" Harold Goodman was able to charge his way from nearly a last place start to finish in 8th place behind Pat Brown after passing Kory Ellis finishing in 9th place.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:27 PM
Lost Creek Cycles' Jason Dunkelberger was able to hold onto a top 10 finish ahead of Richard Pelchat.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:30 PM
Pat Brown's goggle lens partially popped out of the frame, which allowed dirt into his goggles and into his eyes. Pat continued to charge despite the situation, but he needed to wash his eyes out after the race.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:32 PM
Rocco Arno Jr would have one his best Pro finishes with a 12th place finish

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:35 PM
John Natalie Jr would end up having mechanical issues during the race compounded with his injured wrist dropped him back to 17th place, but he received a break because Joe Byrd also had a disappointing 15th place finish.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:37 PM
Josh Creamer's Oil Line popped off during the race, so he was forced to push his Honda across the finish line, which concluded the first Moto of racing

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:41 PM
In between Motos, large crowds of autograph seekers lined up along the Pro Rigs to wait for their turn to meet with their favorite Pro riders.

Admin
06-21-2006, 01:42 PM
Doug Gust & Jeremiah Jones signing Autographs

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:04 PM
If the Pro riders weren't signing autographs, they were preparing for the second Moto

Pat Brown and his father Fred

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:25 PM
Just before 3PM, it was time for the Pros to head back to the starting gate, and Dustin Wimmer was joined by his father, Gary, which shows the true family commitment of ATV racing.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:28 PM
Harold Goodman and his father Harold Sr have been a team for over a decade of racing, and it is very seldom you will see one without the other.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:29 PM
Travis Spader and Josh Creamer both had early race mishaps, which sent them to the rear of the pack, so they had plenty of stories to share before the start of the second Moto.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:35 PM
Despite all of his problems this weekend, John Natalie Jr still maintained his big smile for the camera and the fans, which was incredible considering he has since found out that his wrist wasn't just sprained, but actually broken.

He is trying to avoid surgery, which will involve pins in his wrist, so he currently has his wrist in a cast with hopes of still being able to race at Mills Creek in Alabama.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:48 PM
Travis Spader's crew quickly rebuilt his Yamaha for the second Moto, and it looked as good as new when he went out for his parade lap.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:49 PM
Joe Haavisto was also hoping for some better luck in the second Moto after running into problems himself in Moto One.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:50 PM
With the Pros all back on the line after the Parade Lap, it was time for the start of the second Moto.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:52 PM
Once Again, Keith Little launched his Lonestar Racing Honda out to the front, but this time with the Holeshot over Jeremy Lawson and Harold Goodman. Doug Gust hugged the inside corner, which worked in the first Moto to take over the early lead.

Admin
06-21-2006, 02:54 PM
As the Pros sprinted to turn two, Keith Little took over sole control of the lead, and John Natalie Jr was now in the mix along with Harold Goodman and Jeremy Lawson battling for the second spot.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:00 AM
Goodman was able to secure the second spot followed by Natalie Jr, but Jeremy Lawson became crossed up, which sent Doug Gust crashing into the side of Lawson along with Travis Spader. Jeremiah Jones avoided the collision and ducked to the inside along with Pat Brown and Kory Ellis while Jason Luburgh was forced to stop and go to the outside.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:02 AM
All three riders were forced to dismount their machines to start tugging them apart.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:05 AM
Meanwhile, Trent Kandel also went down through the second turn, and jumped to his feet to get back into the race.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:08 AM
By the beginning of the second lap, Keith Little was beginning to pull away from Goodman, Natalie jr, Jones, and Byrd rounding out the top five.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:11 AM
Yamaha's Pat Brown and Kory Ellis both passed Jason Dunkelberger to move in behind Byrd.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:13 AM
Joe Haavisto and Dustin Wimmer rounding out the top ten as they battled for position.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:15 AM
Doug Gust was all by himself way back in 17th place in hopes of salvage the race after his first Moto win.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:17 AM
Trent Kandel was also back up and rolling with Spader and Lawson behind him.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:18 AM
By the beginning of the third lap, Jones was beginning to reel in Goodman and apply some pressure.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:21 AM
Brown and Ellis continued their charge to the front by passing Natalie Jr and moving into the top five.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:23 AM
Dustin Wimmer passed Haavisto and now Dunk to move up to 7th place with Haavisto and Pelchat rounding out the top ten.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:24 AM
Rocco Arno Jr was on a charge once again and holding down the 11th spot ahead of Jason Luburgh

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:26 AM
Josh Creamer and Matt White were all over each other the first couple of laps

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:28 AM
Joe Byrd ran into problems once again in the second Moto and dropped back over 10 positions, and he was now in a battle with Doug Gust charging his way through the pack.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:31 AM
Keith Little remained alone out front, but he was about to receive some company with Jones slicing to the inside on uphill rhythm section to put the pass on Goodman and move into the second spot.

Admin
06-22-2006, 07:33 AM
By the halfway point, Little remained in the lead with Jones and Goodman just a few seconds behind him.

Admin
06-22-2006, 08:32 AM
Pat Brown continued his charge in the 4th spot continuing to lead his fellow Yamaha rider Kory Ellis

Admin
06-22-2006, 08:35 AM
John Natalie Jr was still putting in an impressive ride with a broken wrist, but he was beginning to lose some ground with Dunk making the pass and Natalie Jr dropping back to 8th place.

Admin
06-22-2006, 08:37 AM
Joe Haavisto got a little crossed up landing on one of he sweeping double jumps, and he would eventually be passed by Jason Luburgh, which dropped Haavisto back to 10th place followed by Rocco Arno Jr.

Admin
06-22-2006, 08:40 AM
Travis Spader would case into one of the doubles, which sent him off the track, so he raced around the outside of the jumps and dropped back onto the track right behind Lawson while the pair remained at the rear of the pack.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:06 AM
Matt White was forced to stop for a tire change, which dropped him back to the rear of the pack.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:09 AM
Trent Kandel's bad luck continued this weekend as he came to a stop in the second Moto, but he would later get going again to finish out the Moto.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:11 AM
With four laps to go, Jeremiah Jones made the pass on Keith Little to take over the lead

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:12 AM
Pat Brown was now really applying the pressure to Goodman in third with time running out.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:15 AM
Dustin Wimmer passed Kory Ellis and moved up into 5th place

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:17 AM
Kory Ellis was on top of his game this weekend as he continued to charge in the 6th spot.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:20 AM
Jason Dunkelberger moved back up into 7th place when John Natalie Jr began experiencing mechanical issues and dropped back to the rear of the pack.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:21 AM
In one of his best Pro races yet, Rocco Arno Jr moved up into 9th place behind Joe Haavisto with Josh Creamer rounding out the top 10.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:27 AM
After battling with Byrd for the first half of the race, Gust finally was able to make the pass and begin his charge through the pack as he catapulted his way in only a few laps from 14th up to 10th behind Rocco Arno Jr after making the pass on Josh Creamer.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:30 AM
With the checkered flag out, Jeremiah Jones would easily claim the second Moto Win.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:32 AM
Keith Little would cross the finish line in second place, which was more than enough to claim the Overall Win for the day with Jones finishing 2nd Overall.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:33 AM
In the final laps of the race, Pat Brown passed Harold Goodman and took over third with Goodman finishing right behind him in fourth place.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:34 AM
Dustin Wimmer would finish out the second Moto in 5th place, which was enough to earn him the final podium spot.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:37 AM
Amazingly, Doug Gust charged his way up to a 7th place finish right on the rear wheels of Kory Ellis literally at the finish line, which was one position from making it to the Podium after an incredible end of the race charge from 14th place

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:39 AM
Keith Little was immediately created by his wife LeAnne and mechanic Scott Butler to congratulate him on his first Overall Win since Texas last year!

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:42 AM
With a large crowd beginning to gather at the Podium, it was time for the Podium Celebration.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:44 AM
The first ever ATV National Podium at Steel City included Keith Little, Jeremiah Jones, and Dustin Wimmer.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:45 AM
It was time to pop the champagne and celebrate

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:48 AM
GNCC Women Racer, Angel Atwell, was this weekend’s honorary trophy girl, and she congratulated Jeremiah Jones on his finish.

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:54 AM
I conclude the Pro Race Coverage and ask my ATVriders.com members to pray for Anthony Mastrocola who remains paralyzed from the chest down after wrecking on during his Production C second Moto on Sunday.

Anthony Mastrocola Link (http://www.atvriders.com/atvnews/anthonymastrocola.html)

Admin
06-22-2006, 09:56 AM
A short summary report and videos from the Steel City event will be posted next week before heading to Alabama.

Fred55
06-22-2006, 10:51 AM
Does anybody know where Chad Wienen was this race?

JRP
06-22-2006, 11:37 AM
Originally posted by Fred55
Does anybody know where Chad Wienen was this race?


Hey fred, i think he dropped out of the gnc nationals, and is just running the wpsa series now.:)

BlueZ440
06-22-2006, 12:01 PM
great coverage

eganracing
06-22-2006, 05:01 PM
sounds like it was a crazy weekend of racing to me.

Pappy
06-22-2006, 10:28 PM
not bad mr. foley...not bad at all:cool:

laeger2fiddyr
06-23-2006, 04:10 PM
yeah wienen is just running the wpsa tour now, but will be racing at walnut, il:)

catch22blaster
06-23-2006, 04:21 PM
Way to go Harlen Great weekend once again

KWAD GAWD
06-23-2006, 07:20 PM
Good job Keith!

theTman
06-30-2006, 07:20 PM
:devil: creamer is on fire this year