AL Elks
08-25-2006, 06:45 PM
DOUG GUST TAKES 2006 WPSA CHAMPIONSHIP WITH VP’S MR9
Englishtown, NJ (August 20, 2006) Powered by VP’s MR9 racing fuel, “Digger” Doug Gust won a ferocious battle with 19-year old Dustin Wimmer in the season finale for the WPSA Power Sports ATV Series Championship at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. After the dust had settled, Gust was left standing on top of the podium and in the process, he clinched the inaugural Riders’ Championship. Trailing Wimmer by two points going into the last race, Gust swapped leads with Wimmer numerous times before coming out victorious by the length of a couple quads.
The Super Quad 450 Pro Division had been a four-way contest between Gust, his Team Yoshimura Suzuki teammate, Jeremiah Jones, John Natalie and Wimmer until injuries took out Jones and Natalie. But with the ESPN cameras capturing every nail-biting moment, it was just a few feet that separated the two would-be champions.
Coming out of Round Eight, Gust was just hanging on to the lead by one point. This was a make it or break it weekend for Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Saturday’s race found Gust trailing Wimmer throughout the race and at the checkers – two points down.
Sunday morning dawned and the two nervous dirt gladiators won their first heats. Still
two points down, Gust and Wimmer had a dress rehearsal for the main event when WPSA
matched them up for the second heat race. Gust took the win with Wimmer in second - one
point down. Whichever rider won the main event would walk away with the crown.
For Gust and Wimmer the afternoon was torturous as they had to survive the time warp
until the main event. Doug commented on this later: “Dustin mentioned how nervous he
was, but even with all my experience, I was really nervous, too.”
The race began in true Hollywood tradition - the 19 year old up and comer vs the 39 year old tried and true veteran. “I was racing quads before Dustin was even born,” Gust quipped after the race. With at least a dozen cameras zoomed in, Gust and Wimmer swapped leads thoughout the entire race – in one single lap there were three instances of one overtaking the other. The fans cheered as they watched a race that turned from man vs boy into man vs man. The win came down to only a few quad lengths with Gust coming out victorious.
“This Championship is one of the sweetest ever,” Gust said later at the awards ceremony. “Dustin is a great competitor and I just happened to come out on top today. It’s safe to say though that Dustin Wimmer has arrived.”
At the awards ceremony, Gust dedicated his win to teammate Jeremiah Jones. The announcer was able to put through a live cell phone call from Jones at the Louisville rehabilitation facility who congratulated Doug on his win. With Jeremiah’s help, Suzuki received the WPSA manufacturer’s award for 2006. “I am really proud of both Jeremiah and Doug this year,” Team Manager Wayne Hinson boasted. “They are two fine men with a lot of talent and heart.”
Englishtown, NJ (August 20, 2006) Powered by VP’s MR9 racing fuel, “Digger” Doug Gust won a ferocious battle with 19-year old Dustin Wimmer in the season finale for the WPSA Power Sports ATV Series Championship at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. After the dust had settled, Gust was left standing on top of the podium and in the process, he clinched the inaugural Riders’ Championship. Trailing Wimmer by two points going into the last race, Gust swapped leads with Wimmer numerous times before coming out victorious by the length of a couple quads.
The Super Quad 450 Pro Division had been a four-way contest between Gust, his Team Yoshimura Suzuki teammate, Jeremiah Jones, John Natalie and Wimmer until injuries took out Jones and Natalie. But with the ESPN cameras capturing every nail-biting moment, it was just a few feet that separated the two would-be champions.
Coming out of Round Eight, Gust was just hanging on to the lead by one point. This was a make it or break it weekend for Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Saturday’s race found Gust trailing Wimmer throughout the race and at the checkers – two points down.
Sunday morning dawned and the two nervous dirt gladiators won their first heats. Still
two points down, Gust and Wimmer had a dress rehearsal for the main event when WPSA
matched them up for the second heat race. Gust took the win with Wimmer in second - one
point down. Whichever rider won the main event would walk away with the crown.
For Gust and Wimmer the afternoon was torturous as they had to survive the time warp
until the main event. Doug commented on this later: “Dustin mentioned how nervous he
was, but even with all my experience, I was really nervous, too.”
The race began in true Hollywood tradition - the 19 year old up and comer vs the 39 year old tried and true veteran. “I was racing quads before Dustin was even born,” Gust quipped after the race. With at least a dozen cameras zoomed in, Gust and Wimmer swapped leads thoughout the entire race – in one single lap there were three instances of one overtaking the other. The fans cheered as they watched a race that turned from man vs boy into man vs man. The win came down to only a few quad lengths with Gust coming out victorious.
“This Championship is one of the sweetest ever,” Gust said later at the awards ceremony. “Dustin is a great competitor and I just happened to come out on top today. It’s safe to say though that Dustin Wimmer has arrived.”
At the awards ceremony, Gust dedicated his win to teammate Jeremiah Jones. The announcer was able to put through a live cell phone call from Jones at the Louisville rehabilitation facility who congratulated Doug on his win. With Jeremiah’s help, Suzuki received the WPSA manufacturer’s award for 2006. “I am really proud of both Jeremiah and Doug this year,” Team Manager Wayne Hinson boasted. “They are two fine men with a lot of talent and heart.”