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AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
Ballance Moto X
Bowling Green, Kentucky
April 13-14, 2008
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AMA ATV Motocross
Nationals Pro ATV Race Report - Moto Two
::Continued::
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Joe
Byrd just coasted around the track in the
2nd Moto to salvage as many points as possible |
The second moto was a big disappointment for many
other racers as well. Joe Byrd suffered electrical
issues that held him back, while Greg Gee’s
rear brakes fell off, slowing him down as well.
All Jeremy Lawson could do was limp his quad around
the track due to all the damage it sustained in
his wreck during the first moto. Chad Wienen also
had mechanical issues and found himself stuck on
the side of the track, but perhaps the biggest disappointment
of all was for Dustin Wimmer. Wimmer who had a perfect
season going, got a bad start and things just got
worse for him from there. “I spun off the
gate, so I got a bad start,” he explained.
“Since I was in the back, I got covered in
mud; and it was really thick heavy mud. There was
so much of it caked on my helmet that I could barely
keep my head lifted.” Mud was not the only
issued that plagued Wimmer’s second moto.
“Towards the end, my clutch went out and I
was barely able to finish the race,” he stated.
Even though Dustin had some bad luck this time he
still plans to continue with the AMA series in pursuit
of a championship.
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John
Natalie setup Doug Gust through a switch
back section by allowing Doug to go wide
and John went from the inside to the outside,
which allowed him to take over the lead
position in a clean and well planned pass |
While many racers were dropping off, John Natalie
was hot on Gust’s heels waiting for his
opportunity to take over the lead. Natalie got
his wish toward the end of the race and slipped
by Gust taking his first win aboard his Can-Am
DS450. Gust came in 2nd, which secured him the
overall win. “I have an awesome team behind
me this year,” said Gust. Last season Gust’s
performance suffered due to sinus problems, but
his recent surgery during the off-season to correct
his breathing problem. The veteran racer credits
that surgery for helping put him back on the podium.
“The surgery really help with my breathing
and now I’m in really great physical condition
this year,” he said.
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| Rocco
Arno finishes a career best 5th Overall
after an impressive 4th place finish in
the 2nd Moto, which had his father ready
to have a nervous break-down on the sidelines
as he cheered on his son to finish line.
Rocco's weekend didn't start as well because
he barely made it to the main event finishing
in the final qualifying position in the
LCQ, and hopefully this top 5 finish will
not be the last for the Rocco Arno family
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Jasmine Plante came in 3rd for the second moto,
which earned him 2nd overall. Despite Wimmer’s
bad luck, he claimed 3rd overall and still holds
the series points lead. Josh Creamer took 4th
overall with Rocco Arno taking 5th. Natalie ended
his day in 6th overall with Pat Brown in 7th and
privateer Russell Shumaker keeping things consistent
for an 8th place overall. 9th place overall went
to Can-Am racer Richard Pelchat and Sage Baker’s
6th place finish in moto two earned him 10th overall.
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AMA
Pro ATV Motocross Nationals Podium (left
to right)
Dustin Wimmer(3rd), Doug Gust (1st), Jasmin
Plante (2nd) |
The next round of the AMA ATV Motocross Nationals
is scheduled for April 26th-27th at Birch Creek
in Danville, VA. A few racers will not be at the
next round as they will be busy preparing for
the opener of the WPSA series in two weeks, however,
most will be returning and plan to run both series’
as there are no conflicting rounds between the
two this year. The increased Pro turnout for the
Nationals this year should keep things interesting
and competitive, and since this season seems to
be so unpredictable, it’s still anyone’s
guess as to who could take the championship.
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