2007 ATVA MX Nationals #11 - Unadilla, New Berlin NY Race Coverage

[Pappy]

Round #11 of the ATVA Motocross National series is now in the history books and could aptly be named the "Thrilla at the Dilla"! as the racing action combined with some serious summer storms made for an action packed weekend for fans and racers alike.

Arriving friday afternoon to sunny skies and warm temperatures, I found an almost idealistic location on a near perfect track. Within minutes, that all changed as dark clouds whisked over the valley and set the stage for some track watering via mother nature.

Photo Galleries (http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/thumbpage.aspx?e=3042473)

Race Results (http://www.atvriders.com/atvresults/atvamx200711unadillaraceresults.html)

[Pappy]

With a thunderstorm looming, I was able to catch a few shots of those on the track who might have been pushing a little harder to try and beat the rain!

[Pappy]

I hadn't made it further then this section of track and I could see why Unadilla is such a favored track by so many. The elevation changes and wide track would offer some spectacular opportunities for the riders and with large world famous jumps, big air would most certainly be on tap!

[Pappy]

Pressing my luck I made my way to other areas of the track, always keeping an eye for an open trailer to dive into if the rain decided to fall.

[Pappy]

Other then dark skies, the conditions late on friday were prime, with the track in almost perfect shape and speeds were flat out as traction could be had in almost any corner! Rain had hit the night before but the soil soaked it up and little effort was needed from track workers to get it back in shape.

[Pappy]

The Rain finally fell and it really didn't let up much at all friday night. With so many races this year being problematic with regards to dust control, rain wasn't really a bad thing and knowing the Unadilla track could take it allowed most to make the best of the situation.

[Pappy]

The storms rolled in and then left allowing the hot sun and humidity to return.

[Pappy]

Matt Shapaka was on fire this season until a crash at Muddy Creek put a halt to his success as he suffered a broken wrist. Matt was in good spirits as he cruised the pits and said he should be making his return to racing at Lorreta Lynns.

[Pappy]

For some, the mud was an excuse to have fun and goof off

[Pappy]

I lifted my camera just incase the fun loving young ladies had a spill, which they did not. Now I am not sure what sparked what followed but its proof some will do anything to have their picture taken:D

[Pappy]

For some teams, cleaning up can also be a form of punishment as I spotted this rider getting his treatment of water torture:eek: :p I reckon he will push a bit harder next moto:devil:

[Pappy]

The wet track conditions were improving as the saturday morning practices we're ran. The Pro's were do out soon and I know they were keeping an eye on the sky and how well the track was running in. The workers had this place in in great shape considering the vast amount of rain that fell overnight.

[Pappy]

The Womans Pro/Am class first moto was on deck and when the gate dropped it was a wheel to wheel drag race to the first turn and beyond as Heather Byrd and Angela Butler sought to battle the points chase for yet another round.

[Pappy]

Heather Byrd won the fight to be the leader as the pair rounded the second turn and headed for gravity cavity

[Pappy]

Butler wasnt making it easy for Byrd as she pushed the leader in every corner and over every jump

[Pappy]

Lap after lap the battle raged

[Pappy]

Byrd and Butler battle at every event, and for anyone saying that these two racers are boring based on there just being two riders at their level, I would have to ask what race you are watching because the pair can put on a show that rivals any race on the planet.

[Pappy]

Byrd held off a hard charging Butler for the moto win, and during a complete downpour during the second moto followed it up and swept the event for the overall. The championship heads to Lorettas with the winner claiming the championship.

I asked Heather what she thought about heading to the final round with the championship being an all out tie. She simply stated she would have liked to have settled it at this round, but she looks forward to a battle and intends on being the victor in what surely will be a knock down drag out race to the podium!

[Pappy]

Angela Adkins rode to a win in the Womens class aboard her Honda 450r

[Pappy]

Beth Monroe followed Adkins both motos to take 2nd for the event

[Pappy]

Amy Thompson finished 3rd in the Womens Pro Am Class behind the Byrd & Butler

[Pappy]

With the rain holding off and skies clearing, the Pro riders made ready for their first practice of the weekend

[Pappy]

Richard Pelchat made his way to this event from his home in Canada. Pelchat was among many names to be added to the ATVA entry list at this event.

[Pappy]

GNCC Pro rider Chris Bithell was a surprise entry as his specialty is usually steered to avoiding tree's and rocks during the grueling 2 hour GNCC events. Bithell was outfitted for the MX race and mentally seemed ready to go out and see how he could fare against some of the best MX racers in the world!

Jasmin Plante can also be seen ahead of Bithell as the riders are called to the line.

[Pappy]

The track may have been in great shape, but the starting area for the Pro's was sloppy. This was the first turn

[Pappy]

The Pro's made short work of the track and were soon airing it out over every thing Unadilla offered. Josh Creamer was absolutley flying during practice.

[Pappy]

I ventured down to the largest jump at the track, the "Skyshot". One of the first riders I encountered was Chris Bithell. As he dropped down out of my sight, i could hear he was hard on the gas and committed to the large jump, which he cleared like he had wings!

[Pappy]

The air these guys were getting was insane!

[Pappy]

Joe Byrd heads for the downside

[Pappy]

During practice, I could tell Creamer was going to be a rider to watch. He was smoking fast and man did that Kawi rip!

[Pappy]

I chuckled to myself, and was sure wishing to see the Ironman on the gate

[Pappy]

Christopher Tait is taking his licks this year as his Pro class rookie year is almost over. I had the chance to chat with him about this season and he pretty much summed it up by saying he knows what he needs to do in the off season to train and with a season under his belt is looking forward to next year.

[Pappy]

Joe Byrd would have his hands full this round with some young guns taking aim at the old man. Joe seemed to be making everyone geuss what he was up to as he cut practice short. At the time I thought to myself he may be using some form of sy-ops tactic to make others re-think his game plan, but in the end I believe he had some mechanical issues that decided to show themselves at the worst time possible. Always the player, Byrd went about his routine in usual calculating fashion, leaving atleast me wondering what he was up to:p

[Pappy]

Pat Brown was looking good, and he had his YFZ pulling hard during practice.

[Pappy]

Jeremy Lawson wasnt playing any games, he just pushed the throttle forward and let her eat!

[Pappy]

Creamer and Bithell hooked up and were running strong. Very few riders were taking the inside line in this long sweeper but those that did found a line that cut time off their laps.

[Pappy]

Travis Spader was very smooth during practice. I can't help but wonder what he thinks when he has a patient telling him about how they have a pain due to playing golf:p He is starting to look more and more like a professional (as in doctor type) when he has his gear off, but on the track he is all racer!

[Pappy]

Micheal Brown heads off leaving a shower of roost as he gets to know the Unadilla track

[Pappy]

Daniel Lewis #621 and #45 Rich Stambach get friendly heading through a turn.

[Pappy]

Jasmine Plante lands the skyshot and heads down the long landing ramp. It may appear smooth in this picture, but after saturday it became very choppy.

[Pappy]

Dustin Wimmer checks the Unadilla tree tops for gypsy moths:eek2: Wimmer was smooth, so smooth he did not seem fast if that makes sense. I can usually judge how fast a rider is by how much effort I need to capture them in corners, and I had my hands full with Wimmer:p

[Pappy]

Clay Holmes race quad gets a tweaking as saturdays racing and practice winded down.

[Pappy]

It appeared that not everyones trip to the event went smoothly:chinese:

[Pappy]

And by the looks of the blood on this phone book, not everyone left without a few scars

[Pappy]

The amatuer action at the ATVA's is excellent, with some serious racing on tap in every class.

[Pappy]

Martin Cristofferson was described by his dad as a quad nut, riding since he was old enough to throw a leg over one. His family was in full force to assist him off track, but he had things well in hand on the track claiming a 450 B class win, and winning the Production B class!

[Pappy]

Nick Bender was sporting the Gordons Fisherman gear to help stave off the mud during an early moto on saturday. Nick left Unadilla with some engine issues but the last i saw of him had him sporting a big smile as usual!

[Pappy]

Andrew Travis rode to a 2-9 finish in 450A

[Pappy]

Bill Ingersoll rode to a solid 2-2 in Open C taking the class win!

[Pappy]

Clay Holmes will be on Pro row next season, after being the man to watch in Pro AM this season. Clay grabbed yet another win with a 1-2 finish!

[Pappy]

The racing action rolled on rain and shine, with all classes sporting great competition.

[Pappy]

#111 Adam Blackburn ripped off a 1-1 for the 450C class win!

[Pappy]

Night finally came after a day that saw conditions change so much with heavy rain, blistering sun and just about every type of track terrain one would ever encounter. There is no rest for the weary as Pro Chris Bithell's day did not end as night fell. Chris said he had a blast running MX and was excited for the racing to get underway on sunday. Chris had to jump through some hoops to get approved to run the Pro class but it all worked out and he would be on the gate Sunday ready for action.

The expierence he gained at this event could well help him later this year when the GNCC circuit makes a stop at this facility, where Chris is battling for a championship. I don't know if he can do the skyshot with a full blown XC quad, but it wouldnt surprise me to see him hit it:devil:

[Pappy]

Sunday morning dawned and the much awaited Pro MX racing debut of Chris Bithell would soon be history. He looked great during practice and I was anxious to see how hard he could push it for 20 minutes of intense mx action.

[Pappy]

Jasmine Plante gets ready for his call to the line as Joe Byrd can be seen over his shoulder

[Pappy]

Axis race support has been great this year and is much appreciated by those that require set up or tech assistance.

[Pappy]

Mike Brown had his race support all decked out!

[Pappy]

Travis Spader looks on as the riders quads were assembled on the gate

[Pappy]

Byrd packs in his gate as the minutes counted down to the first moto

[Pappy]

Heather Byrd took up a position to watch the first moto. Stress levels run extremely high as the tension builds.

[Pappy]

Hot laps were soon underway and the first turn was in excellent shape

[Pappy]

With Creamer and Wimmer onboard for this round, I was excited to see how this would all play out.

[Pappy]

Lawson I knew would be charging hard and he could prove to be a factor to anyone wanting an upset

[Pappy]

Byrd was running well on his hot lap, taking a look at the changes from the last practice session.

[Pappy]

The hot lap complete, all final preperations made, the gate readied and the 30 second girl filling my lens.....this thing was about to kick off!

[Pappy]

The gate dropped and the run to the first turn was on!

[Pappy]

The sound coming towards me was scary as I knew what the first turn was about to handle

[Pappy]

Joe Byrd had his DASA powered Honda in the wind as he railed the first turn leading the pack of riders all wanting to put him behind them!

[Pappy]

Spader and Tait collided causing Tait to hit the ground hard. After a few minutes in the dirt he was finally carried off the track to await medical treatment. Thankfully he was just battered and bruised and would be able to return to competition for the second moto. The wreck set up a red flag and the riders were re-gated for another start

[Pappy]

The second start was under way and once again Byrd powered his way out front with Wimmer clawing his way to the outside looking for the lead

[Pappy]

Byrd was riding with a bullseye on his back and Wimmer was hunting him down!

[Pappy]

The leaders completed the first lap and the battle was still hot and heavy, Byrd wasnt giving an inch and Wimmer wasn't going to let him slack!

[Pappy]

As the pair dropped down into gravity cavity, the lead was about to be contested as Wimmer got a huge run down the hill

[Pappy]

Wimmer made a charge as he tried to out jump Byrd but couldnt make a run after landing

[Pappy]

Lawson was within striking distance of Wimmer as the trio headed into another turn. If lawson could show a wheel to Wimmer, it might just take some pressure off Byrd

[Pappy]

Pat Brown and Josh creamer had their own battle as the pair headed out of sight into the back section.

[Pappy]

I could hear the announcer make the call that Wimmer had over taken the lead and when they came past me on the next lap it was Wimmer out front and pulling on the Honda riders Byrd and Lawson.

[Pappy]

Byrd later stated on the podium that he had some mechanical issues and had to let Wimmer go. Lawson made a run on Byrd down the straight but couldnt make it stick and Byrd remained in second place.

[Pappy]

Lawson was fighting Byrd at every turn but just couldnt get by him

[Pappy]

The action was so fast paced that the rest of the field was hard to keep track of. Plante was running well and inside the top 5 early in the race.

[Pappy]

Creamer was having mechanical issues of his own and was stuck mid pack

[Pappy]

Micheal Brown was running great and finished the first moto in 6th

[Pappy]

Pat Brown battled his way to a 4th place moto one finish

[Pappy]

Chris Bithell did not get a great start but ran a good first moto. He finished 10th

[Pappy]

Travis Spader tries to run down Micheal Brown but time ran out, as he followed brown in for 7th

[Pappy]

Justin Bres had a crash and finished in 12th, and for those that did not notice, he has made the switch to a Honda this round.

[Pappy]

Byrd claimed his ATVriders.com holeshot check but he wasn't to happy with the first moto. As many races as this man has won and the championships he has can not quell his competitive ferocity!

[Pappy]

Dustin Wimmer took his spot as the moto 1 winner and did it in commanding fashion. Moto 2 was only a few hours away and teams were busily prepping to prevent him from walking away with another win!

[Pappy]

Moto 2 was nearing and the riders began to get on the gate. Wimmer was looking pretty serious as he had a job to do and I think it is a safe bet he wanted a repeat!

[Pappy]

Joe Byrd directs a bulldozer as the start area was groomed before the start

[Pappy]

Pat Brown takes a gander at the gate as the remaining riders were getting themselves situated.

[Pappy]

Harve Whipple is the main man and takes his job as the ATVA Pro referee very seriously. He seems to go out of his way to make things right and make sure every event is the best it can be.

[Pappy]

The gate dropped and the first turn got busy in a hurry, with Joe Byrd pulling another holeshot. Wimmer was to the inside and hard on the gas.

[Pappy]

Byrd looks over to check Wimmer....when he should have looked to the other side to catch a hard charging Chris Bithell coming up fast on his left!!

[Pappy]

Bithell was off to an awesome start and went down the straight in a tie for 3rd with Lawson! I forgot to ask him which roost hurts more, Byrd's or Bill Ballances:p

[Pappy]

Wimmer wasnt waiting this moto and overtook the lead on the first lap.

[Pappy]

Byrd and Lawson clear the skyshot as Wimmer pulls away

[Pappy]

Bithell had dropped to 6th but was looking like he belonged there racing Pro MX!

[Pappy]

Pat Brown and Jasmin Plante battle for the 4th spot early in the race

[Pappy]

Byrd was charging but Wimmer was keeping enough distance between them that it would take a mistake for the gap to close up.

[Pappy]

Plante had won the battle over Brown and sat securely in the 4th spot

[Pappy]

Pat Brown had wrecked allowing Bithell and Pelchat to work out who wanted the 5th spot the most

[Pappy]

Back upfront it was the Wimmer show as he was on a mission!

[Pappy]

Creamer was running a practice quad as his race machine suffered damage and was unridable. He was working his way through traffic the entire race.

[Pappy]

Spader was putting in a solid ride and finished 8th

[Pappy]

Tait was making laps and it was great to see him back out there and not laid up in the ER.!!

[Pappy]

Wimmer out front and in control with 2 laps to go

[Pappy]

Byrd was keeping pace but wasnt going to be able to mount a last lap charge to challenge Wimmer

[Pappy]

Lawson was holding the 3rd spot with no other rider close enough to take it from him.

[Pappy]

Wimmer on cruise control heading out for the last lap

[Pappy]

Bithell put in one hell of a ride and finished a respectable 7th!!! great ride!

[Pappy]

Plante rode into the 4th spot for moto 2

[Pappy]

Pelchat rounded out the top 5 taking the 5th spot

[Pappy]

Creamer glides in taking the 6th spot

[Pappy]

Lawson looked tired as the heat took its toll, but he was happy to be on the podium!

[Pappy]

Byrd would have prefered to be the winner ofcourse, but stated he has to worry with winning championships not battles!

[Pappy]

Wimmer gots the spoils and earned them! he dominated each moto and showed he has what it takes to clean house!

[Pappy]

The competitive nature of sports may have been evident but it soon disappeared when lawson sent Wimmer a shot of the bubbly:devil:

[Pappy]

It was good to see smiles all around

[Pappy]

Thats all I have for ya folks, I hope you enjoyed the coverage and if you can, get to one of these events and see it all happen first hand!!!

[Goose19561]

Nice job Pappy! Great report. :) Pics are awesome!

[Jersey450R]

Great Coverage!

[hetrick_racing9]

nice pics pappy nice seeing ya there also and your kids

[Joetrx]

r

[Joetrx]

I am very proud of our canadian rider Jasmin Plante #91 getting such as good result. :cool:

[Pappy]

For those asking about the pics i took of the moon....here ya go

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1316/956441375_f62d65dfaf.jpg

[etccb]

Great job pappy.


I think there were a few people that were out of line on here after walnut.

[Pappy]

I wasnt able to get down to see the sled jump, however my youngest son Ryan got me a picture

[SRH]

Originally posted by Pappy
Bill Ingersoll rode to a solid 2-2 in Open C taking the class win!

haha nice, i expected it to be muddy in practice ....but i went a little overkill with the xc tires and duct tape in practice for how the track dried out:o

[WhiteZrider]

Stupid question..But wheres gust?

Was he hurt and I didnt hear about it or...:confused:

[hasbeenttduner]

Originally posted by WhiteZrider
Stupid question..But wheres gust?

Was he hurt and I didnt hear about it or...:confused:

Didn't race it.The zuk guys are hitting atva's lately when they are close to them for practice.I saw a post somewhere that said they would be at LL.By they I don't know if they ment all or one or two or....will they really be there???????

[tamehart]

Awesome Photos and Coverage Pappy! Keep up the great work!

[JRP]

Originally posted by tamehart
Awesome Photos and Coverage Pappy! Keep up the great work!

is that chris tait? If so, he seems really small/young, lol

[matt76]

ANYONE FOR SURE KNOW IF ZUKI, KAWI WILL BE AT LORETTAS??

[Jersey450R]

Originally posted by JRP
is that chris tait? If so, he seems really small/young, lol

yup, hes very small...but fast!
i went to florida with him last year. him and donny are about the same, both with similar style. great kid too...very personable and nice. kid can fricken eat!

[catch22blaster]

Awesome pics Pappy your the man!!!

[Pappy]

Originally posted by catch22blaster
Awesome pics Pappy your the man!!!

Hows the wrist doing Matt?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1176/1261327165_9b991f0b9d_b.jpg