AMA Pro ATV Motocross Championship Points Race
::Continued::

In moto two, Hetrick again flew off the line to claim the holeshot and the lead, and this time, he was even more impressive as he created a nice gap and held it all the way to the checkered flag. “I was so excited to take that win, especially after the issues we had earlier this season. Now I know I can do it, and I’m hoping for another win at Red Bud,” said Hetrick.

Nick DeNoble, who has shown quite a bit of improvement this season, was looking good at rounds seven and eight, finishing sixth overall at Spring Creek and rounding out the top five at Millfield, OH. DeNoble looked as if another top five was in his future for Unadilla as he grabbed the holeshot and led for several laps before claiming a fourth place finish in the first moto. Unfortunately, DeNoble would encounter mechanical issues in moto two, putting him in tenth overall for the day.

American Honda’s Joe Byrd seemed to have turned his season around after taking the overall win in round six at Steel City, but Byrd’s luck took a turn for the worse after a crash during one of his riding schools left him with injuries and unable to race at round seven. At Sunday Creek Byrd appeared to be feeling well, and was hoping for a spot on the podium, but mechanical issues dashed his hopes of the podium. Byrd again encountered mechanical gremlins at Unadilla and could not get his quad to fire for the second moto.

“I went out to do my hot lap and the quad just sputtered off the line. I pulled back to the gate and we tried to fix it, but couldn’t figure out what the problem was before the gate dropped, so I never even got to race. In fact we still aren’t sure exactly what the problem was,” said Byrd, who is frustrated at having two bad seasons in a row, but is undeterred in his quest to continue racing. “I hope we can put together some good motos at the last two rounds. I’d really like to take another win before the season is over,” he stated.

The last couple rounds of the 2011 AMA ATV Motocross Championships should be two of the most intense and interesting rounds that we have seen in several years, with a tight points battle between the leaders and a host of rookies that could cause an upset on the podium, the pro championship could easily come down to the final round at Loretta Lynn’s in August.