2006 WPSA - Final Round - Raceway Park - Englishtown, NJ - Pro Coverage

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The Jacks Links WPSA (ESPN 2) series wraps up their inagural season with a double header in Englishtown, New Jersey at Raceway Park. There has been some intense racing on the various Raceway Park tracks, but nothing would compare to the race specatators would witness this weekend on the ATV MX track.

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Brad Phillips was on hand this weekend to capture the race for the checkered flag as well as what would become an intense battle for the championship between Honda rider Dustin Wimmer and Team Suzuki rider Doug Gust.

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Brad and his crew were even willing to get covered in dirt to get some new angles.

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I met many spectators this weekendthat had never seen an ATV race before the WPSA came into town. They all expressed how much they enjoyed the racing and were even more drawn in after they experienced the family orientation of ATV Racing. For many young kids, whether it was their first or 100th race, they were all excited to get their favorite riders autographs.

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The stands were filled with fans and fellow riders for the pro race.

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Walsh Racing's, Jeremy Lawson was ready to hit the track and continue his rise in the points standings

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California Resisdent, Dana Creech has been hanging out on the East coast for a few weeks in preperation of the final race of the series.

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John Natalie and Canadian Pro Rookie Greg Gee, were both ready to hit the track. This race marks Natalies first race back following an injury to his hand that he sustained at another race in western Pennsylvania.

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Jason Luburgh made the switch the Suzuki LT-R 450 and has been putting in consistent finishes along with less DNF's. Jason and his Father dicuss strategy shortly before he heads out for moto one of the weekends of double header (round one being on Saturday)

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With clear skies and a freshly groomed track, the pro riders were ready to hit the track to battle for the win as well as showing the thousands of viewer that will tune in the following week to view all the racing action on ESPN 2.

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Cameras and track crew were situated at various locations to capture and insure safety all around the track.

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Yamaha had their 3 pro quads polished up and ready for battle

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Yamaha rider and New Jersey resisdent, Pat Brown took the early lead in the first qualify moto on Saturday.

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Pat Brown set a blistering pace and held the lead till the checkered flag flew.

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Pat went on to win both of his motos on saturday.

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Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer both split moto wins in the remaining two qualifying motos. Riders were battling hard all over the track. Lost Creek Cycles, Jason Dunkelberger battled hard with Josh Creamer during the second moto. Josh was able to overtake Dunk for the 3rd position.

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Cody Miller made the trip from Texas this weekend to compete in the pro class. Cody ran into some problems in the final heat after his two 8th place finishes earlier that day.

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Travis spader's first moto performance was on par as he took a second place. A 13th place finish in the second moto started his bad luck as he would go on to finish out saturdays round in 19th place.

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Jeremy Lawson went 12-3 to earn a spot in the final. His bad luck stuck again as he was forced to pull of and finish off the final moto in 18th place.

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Sage Baker rode his Alba YFZ to a 16th place finish after going 12-5 during the earlier motos.

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Jason Dunkelberger is another rider that has made the switch to the new Suzuki this year. After finally dialing it in, Jason has made a stong surge at the end of the year. Putting in two top ten finishes earlier in the day and finishing out the day in 13th.

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Hetrick Racing's, Trent Kandel put in two good motos to earn a seat in the final moto. Trent finished just outside of the top ten with the cameras rolling.

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Dana Creech Racing's own Dana Creech, scored himself a top ten finish while he went 3-11 earlier in the day.

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Edging out Dana for the 9th place position was Suzuki Rider, Jason Luburgh.

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Rocco Arno, another New Jersey resisdent, placed just outside the top 5 in 6th place at the end of the day.

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Josh Creamer continues marking up great performances in his pro rookie year. Josh crossed the finish line in 4th place, propelling him upward in the points race.

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Pat Brown's two wins earlier wasn't quite enough momentum to overcome Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer in the final moto.

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It was a hard battle, but Doug Gust was not able to make a pass stick on the young Dustin Wimmer.

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Dustin Wimmer took top honors on Saturday which also put just a couple points ahead of Doug Gust heading into Sunday's last race.

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Sunday would prove to be some of the most heated racing all year. Separated by just a few points, Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer had a large amount of pressure on their shoulders. Doug was the first to answer the call with a holeshot and moto one win.

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Dustin Wimmer had no problem answering Gust's number one finish. In the second moto, Gust and Wimmer were teamed up in the same moto. What would prove to be just a tease for the final, it was Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer out front battling hard.

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When the final rolled around, the anticipation was at an all time high. It all came down to one race to see who was going to walk away with the win and the championship.

Premis Rider, Brock Lyons is another young pro rider. Brocks two top ten finishes put him on the starting line of the final moto. A 19th place finished out his weekend.

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Mike Brown made the short trip from New York to score himself a ride in the final moto on Sunday. Brown finished out 18th when he crossed the finish line.

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Donny Lysinger brought out his Hellbound Racing quad to compete at his hometrack. A solid 17th place ride was a respectable position after coming back from his serious injury earlier in the year.

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Jason Dunkelberger once agian rolled out his set of pink wheels to gain a little extra attention from the cameras for his sponsors. That he did, as I could not miss him going by me. Jason scored a 16th place finish in the final placing him 7th in series points.

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Josh Creamer was able to edge out Jason for the 15th place position but was unable to beat him in points as he finished out the season in 9th.

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Taking it easy on his recovering wrist, John Natalie Jr. still managed to finish 13th on Sunday. His finish put him in 10th place for the year, even while missing a few races caused by his injury.

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Hetrick Racing's, Matt White, went 5-9 to get into the final moto. Matt fell outside of the top ten in 12th place when the big show ended.

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Chad Wienen's consistent 5th place finishes scored him a secure entry into the final. His 11th place finish in the final placed him 6th, just two points behind Jeremy Lawson in the points chase

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Greg Gee and Rocco Arno battled hard for the 9th place position. In the end it was Rocco who prevailed. Rocco ended the year 11th in points.

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Jason Luburgh beat his previous day finish, putting him in 8th place. Jason's consistency this year earned him an 8th place finish in points.

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Kory Ellis put his Yamaha YFZ in the front pack with his 7th place finish and 6-8 moto finishes. Kory finished out 12th in points.

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Travis Spader turned his luck around and finished out the day in 5th place.

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Pat Brown took home a moto win, but was not enough to bring him out on top in the final. A 4th place finish put him 3rd in points.

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Out in front was the real show. For all the glory of the checkered flag, and the shine of a championship....it was Dustin Wimmer and Doug Gust side by side knocking on each others door for that front spot.

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As the fierce battled continued, it was the vetern Doug Gust taking the win and championship. Dustin Wimmer put in an amazing ride and fight for the win.

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Doug Gust was the man of the weekend and the man of the year. Doug proved he still has it and can overcome the young and upcoming riders. Doug ensured that he will return next year with hopes to bring home another championship.

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That concludes my pictures from the pro class. Be sure to check out the photo galleries for more ATVRiders.com pictures.

Randy Lehr has been plagued with bad luck this year more than anyone I know. Randy was running in the top five in two motos before he was forced to pull off from bike problems.

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I look forward to seeing Randy out there next year on a new bike. Bad luck can only last so long.

[5thgearpinned]

Great pics shane........ Randy was struggling but he was still very fast on the track! (I havent seen 'Helmet Skinz' in forever!) See you in KY?