AMA ATV Motocross Nationals Round #9 - Unadilla MX New Berlin, New York July 16, 2011

Can-Am/BCS Performance’s Cody Miller was looking solid, but Miller ran into issues early in the race after he became a victim of the Natalie/Snapp battle, and had to call it quits in the second lap after he was sent off the track into some hay bales.

BCS Performance's #22 Cody Miller got off to a rough start in Moto 1 after running in the 8th spot for 2 lap, Miller went off the track & lost the battle with 2 hay bales, which sent him tumbling, but luckily he was ok. Miller came back in Moto 2 & finished in 12th place

“Natalie and Snapp were battling and they went wide and I got pushed out in the hay bales. I ended up crashing and then someone else plowed into my quad and it got messed up pretty good, said Miller, who would come back for moto two and finish in eleventh place, just ahead of Chase Snapp.

Chase Snapp was in second coming off the gate behind John Natalie, but the pair connected and both would go off the track. The battle between the two raged on from there with both racers going off the track once again, with Snapp getting sent into a barrel. Snapp continued to race, but his motor would give way later in the moto and he would be forced off the track. “It was pretty heated between Natalie and me in the first moto. He didn’t need to stuff me on the start because he was out front. That sent both of us off the track and we both ended up falling back,” said Snapp. In moto two, Snapp got off to a slower than usual start and then got hit by a rock, breaking his goggles.

“I tried to stay out there, but I was losing positions because I couldn’t see, so I pulled into the pits and got a new pair of goggles. I gained a couple of positions but it was too late in the moto for me to make up a lot of time. I’m going to go home and regroup and hopefully come back at Red Bud and be on the podium,” said Snapp.

Harold Goodman hung on for 14-13 finishes in the rough conditions even after tangling with Travis Moore off the start in the first moto.

American Honda’s Joe Byrd seemed to struggle as he got off to a mid-pack start in the first moto and would eventually find his way into eighth place before reaching the checkered flag. For moto two, Byrd was mysteriously MIA on the starting gate and did not race.

Can-Am/Motoworks’ Chad Wienen, who will be out the rest of the season due to injuries he sustained in a crash three weeks ago, has been doing well and is expected to be attending round ten at Red Bud. “I won’t be racing of course, but I’m excited to go there and support the team and see so many of the people that have supported me through this,” said Wienen, who is already up and about and trying to stay active. Wienen’s mechanic, Ryan Cox, has been keeping him in the loop as far as round nine’s racing goes and Wienen was quick to congratulate one racer in particular.

“I have to congratulate Joel Hetrick on his win today. I know he works really hard and it’s awesome to see him be able to achieve an overall win in his first year as a pro,” said Wienen.

Round number ten of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships will head to Red Bud in Buchanan, MI on July 30th-31st. With only two rounds left in the series the points battle between Josh Upperman and John Natalie will heat up even more as they battle for the championship.

1 2 3 ::Page 4::