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AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Round #9 - Unadilla MX
New
Berlin, New York
July 16, 2011
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AMA ATV MX Nationals
- Unadilla - Pro ATV Race Report
::Continued::
Baldwin Motorsports’ Josh Upperman was
in the top five off the start and put in a hard
charge, working his way past Richard Pelchat and
Nick DeNoble, while under pressure the entire
time from John Natalie. Once in second, Upperman
was able to get a little breathing room and cruised
to a solid second place finish in the first moto.
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| PEP's
#20 Josh Upperman was on the move in Moto
One as he charged his way past both #46
Richard Pelchat & #123 Nick DeNoble
into the 2nd spot, but he wasn't alone with
#13 John Natalie in chase for nearly the
entire moto till the final laps when Natalie
would go from 3rd to 5th, which allowed
Upperman to gain some valuable points on
John Natalie jr in the tight race to the
Pro ATV MX Championship |
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#20 Josh Upperman held off #13 John Natalie
till the final laps with Natalie taking
over the 2nd spot, but Upperman finished
2nd Overall, which was enough to narrow
Natalie's points lead down to just 3 points
with 2 rounds of racing left |
In the second moto, Upperman came off the line in
second behind Joel Hetrick, but he was not alone
as John Natalie was right on his grab bar. Upperman
kept a blistering pace and held off Natalie for
most of the moto before Natalie was able to get
by and take over the number two spot. Upperman stayed
close and finished in third for the second moto,
giving him second overall and allowing him to close
the points gap on Natalie.
“It was a tough race out there today. We were
really battling. I just tried to put my head down
and keep going. I got a little tired out there because
it was so rough, but I’m up on the podium
and I’m pretty happy about that,” said
Upperman.
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| IRONMAN
#13 JohnNatalie Jr amazingly claimed the
ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award just
a few weeks after breaking his arm |
Can-Am/Motoworks’ John Natalie, Jr., who
took the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award,
was in the number six spot off the start, after
a heated encounter with Chase Snapp off the start
that sent both racers off the track. Natalie still
rode a solid moto despite still dealing with a
broken arm. Natalie charged hard and after battling
it out with Thomas Brown and again with Chase
Snapp, he would work his way up to the number
three spot behind Josh Upperman.
Natalie was closing in on Upperman, but Jeremy
Lawson and Nick DeNoble were right behind Natalie
and applying the pressure. Natalie would bobble
late in the moto and allow Lawson and DeNoble
to get by, sending him back for a fifth place
finish.
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| DWT's
#13 John Natalie challenged #20 Josh Upperman
in both Motos, but in Moto 2, Natalie made
the pass in the final laps to claim the
final spot on the Podium & peserve a
slim 3 point lead in the points race over
Upperman |
For moto two, Natalie was on a mission and flew
off the line in third behind Josh Upperman. Natalie
stayed right on Upperman, but the rough track
prevented him several times from making a pass.
Natalie decided to play it safe and waited for
an opportunity and just two laps before the finish
line; Natalie got around Upperman and took over
the number two spot. Natalie’s 5-2 finishes
would put him in the number three spot on the
podium.
“My hat’s off to Joel Hetrick for
running a great race. This track was really hard
packed and hard to pass, but I gave it my all
and we had a great battle out there. We had a
great day and I put the Can-Am on the podium!”
said Natalie, who is still clinging to the points
lead.
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Pro
ATV Motocross Podium (left to right)
John
Natalie Jr
(2nd), Joel
Hetrick (1st),
Josh Upperman (3rd)
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