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Showdown at Englishtown
Team Yoshimura Suzuki Rider Doug Gust
is 2006 WPSA Champion
Englishtown, NJ - (8/22/06) - It all
came down to the last lap in the last race of the WPSA
Power Sports ATV Series Championship. The Super Quad 450
Pro Division had been a four-way contest between Gust,
Jones, Natalie and Wimmer until injuries took out Jones
and Natalie. But with the ESPN cameras capturing every
nail-biting moment, it was just a couple of quad lengths
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."
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Gust
passes Wimmer for the lead |
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,
KY 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."
Yoshimura support rider Russell Schumaker was also
named Amateur Athlete of the Year and received the "A"
Class Championship as well as runner up in the Pro-Am
Division. Schumaker is another up and coming rider who
will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Team Suzuki/Yoshimura Programs Partners American
Suzuki - Yoshimura R&D of America - Hinson Clutch
Components - Dunlop Tires - Motul - Fox Racing Shox
- Galfer - AC Racing - BMC Filters - Tag - Regina -
RPM - Walsh Racecraft - Quad Tech - Douglas Wheel -
Motion Pro - Precision Steering Stabilizer - VP Fuels
- Mechanix Wear - Pro Design
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