ATVA ITP / Moose Racing National Motocross Series Amateur Race Report Round #2 - Oak Hill MX February 11-12, 2006

Pro-Am Production

Alba Action's Kory Ellis would bundle up and race the Pro-Am Production Class in Preparation for the Pro Main on Sunday

McNett Racing’s Matt White and Team Motorsport Honda’s Josh Upperman along with Joe Byrd Quad Riding School sponsored Clay Holmes had it going on in California during round one. The qualifying battles were intense, the LCQ’s were intense, and the main moto on Sunday pressured the word intense to describe the action. After the SoCal round at Glen Helen, White had the first place overall spot with Upperman in second and Holmes in third. Then came Texas.

Factory Yamaha Pro Kory Ellis of Murrietta, CA hadn’t been able to get much seat time between the back-to-back rounds, not to mention sleep, and so decided to get a taste of the Oak Hill track by running the Pro-Am Production class. Try as they might, White, Upperman and Holmes couldn’t quiet keep Ellis’ pace. White, who’s had the fire of a driven man in his eyes for the first two rounds, hung with Ellis to finish second behind him in the overalls. Upperman had a tremendous run in the qualifying moto with a 2nd place finish but couldn’t get his machine and himself on the same page in moto two and finished one spot out of dead last. Holmes, after having to get into the main through the LCQ, struggled to strap on a 15 place overall position. This turn of events left White still on top of the overall standings with Upperman dropping to 3rd overall and Holmes to 6th overall. The man of the weekend was Texas based Cody Miller. After having his own share of problems in California with a 6th place overall, Miller brought home to the Lonestar state a 3rd place finish at the Wrangler at Oak Hill which slotted him into the second place overall position in the series’ standings after the first two rounds.

Pro-Am Unlimited

Cale Downen would once again finish in second place behind Josh Upperman with Brock Lyons finishing in the third spot.

So you see, it goes like this. During this year’s MX Nationals the Pro/Am Production class runs both motos on Saturday and the Pro/Am Unlimited class runs both of their motos on Sunday. This affords Pro/Am racers who want to compete in the Pro class to be in form for the Sunday Pro motos and vice versa. If a Pro wishes to get some track time, they can run the Pro/Am Production class on Saturday and be well familiar with the track come Sunday. Josh Upperman, a dedicated Pro/Am class racer contest both Pro/Am classes. He races on Saturday and Sunday. As we mentioned in our Pro/Am Production coverage, Upperman, a Team Motorsport Honda backed racer, didn’t have the luck he’d looked for in the Production class, but, then there was Sunday’s Pro/Am Unlimited class.

Upperman netted the overall win at round one in California the first weekend of February and did a repeat performance in Texas. His two consecutive podiums in the class put him on top of the overall standings for the series after two of the fourteen rounds were in the books. As always, coming out of Illinois and one formidable rival, Cale Downen, a rather stocky, well conditioned Pro/Am racer, kept Upperman honest not only in California but in Texas as well. Downen, a Yamaha blue privateer, took second place finishes behind Upperman in both rounds and held a solid 2nd place in the overall standings over Brock Lyons who, after tallying 4th place finishes at both events, held down the 3rd place overall position. Coming into the picture, attending his first round of this year’s MX Nationals, Johnny Hale of Owasso, Oklahoma took his red ride around the Oak Hill circuit to finish second at that event and begin his bid for a national championship.

Production A

Cory Gauthier would finish in the runner up spot in the Production A Class, but would take both Motos in the 16-24 Years for the Win

Known as the “stepping stone” class to the Pro/Am and Pro classes, the Production A class is a place for racers with talent hidden inside their psyche somewhere to get their feet wet with the best ATV competition in the world. This year’s Production A class is already shaping up to be one of, if not, the most competitive classes in the amateur ranks. After two rounds, it seems as if the battle will be waged all year between a lad from Kentucky and one from Wisconsin. Casey Martin, the KY lad, and Cory Gauthier, the Wisconsin challenger, are locked in a struggle for the top spot in the class. Martin, after two rounds held a slim one point lead over Gauthier for the top ranking in the series. And, not to discount the third place encounter taking place, Nathan Commer and Charles Moore were nursing a dead tie with 30 points each to see who could gain the early momentum. Commer, a Mississippi based racer, won the Wrangler at Oak Hill MX in Texas, but, since he’d missed the first round, found himself bidding for third overall as the series headed to Florida in March. More than likely, the Production A class will come down to a Texas Death Match between Martin, Gauthier, Commer and Moore with a little Russel Shumaker thrown in.

Women’s Production
Their battle began a few years back and hasn’t come to an end yet. Heather Rose Byrd, wife of Pro racer Joe Byrd, and Angela Moore Butler, wife of Scott Butler (Pro racer Keith Little’s mechanic), will slug it out anytime, anyplace, as long as they’re on ATVs at a race track. These two ladies won’t settle anything less than a win, which leaves one in disappointed after each event. Byrd, the 2005 Women’s Champion, took the win in California by outpowering Butler with her DASA Engine. In Texas, Butler would end up on her hinnie when she grabbed too much throttle over a large stepup, which sent her sailing into the berm and flipping off her Honda. This mishap allowed Byrd some breathing room and the ability to coast to her second win on the season. Not to size the Women’s Production class up as a two gal show, but, out of Florida, on her well manicured Honda, Alex Kirchner turned many a fan’s head as she stayed within shooting distance of Byrd and Butler the entire race at Oak Hill. She looked to have what it takes to challenge the “Byrd & Butler Battle” for supremacy and carried back to the Sunshine State a well earned 2nd place finish at The Wrangler. As for Michelle Reiser, girlfriend of ‘05 National Champion John Natalie, she’s been nursing a torn ACL ever since California and barring any further complications, should be back on her game by the time the series settles at round three in Florida.

Heather Byrd would grab the Holeshot both Motos on her to her second win of the season		Florida Resident, Alex Kirchner, raced hard in both Motos to finish out the weekend in second place

Women’s Sport

Tennesse Resident, Briann Stout ran away with both Moto wins in the Women's Sport Class on her Yamaha YFZ450 with Stock Suspension

taking a quick glance at the overall results of the Women’s Sport class, it becomes apparent that not a one female who raced the class in California came to Texas. In other words, out of two rounds, there have been 22 different contestants in the class. This fact of racing puts two Yamaha mounted ladies in the front running in the overall standings. Briann Stout of Martin, TN and Adrinne Cooper of Simi Valley, CA currently sit in a tie for the overall series’ lead with Lynette Raymond of Lakewood, Colorado tied with Emma Mockin of Newry, Ireland for second. As with first and second place in the overalls, Leslie Ragon of Martin, TN and Tammy Balser of Port Angeles, Washington are deadlocked in a tie for third in the overalls. Anyone associated with National ATV racing knows that in a class where a lot of different racers compete in a few of the rounds that consistency counts. Early money is on a run for the championship by Stout and Ragon, both of Tennessee and in close proximity to the remaining 12 rounds.

50cc Production (6-8)

Cole Sepesi Makes the trip from Michigan worth while with the Win

Cole Sepesi sports a blue mohawk addition to his helmet, not his head. This little Michigan monster came off a 9th place finish overall during the ‘05 season in the 50cc Limited class with one large dose of momentum. So far this year, he has netted a second place finish and a first place podium in the 50 Production class during the first two rounds and sits tall above the rest with a total of 55 points in the class. Running second and third, and, for that matter, tied for the two positions at this point, Jeremy Ledonne, runner up for the National Championship in ‘05, and Tyler Herron of Illinois have amassed 40 points each at the first two ‘06 rounds. With three “50cc Skitters” so close and in contention, look for this year’s class championship to be decided by which dad has the most near heart attacks in the mechanics area. It’s slated to be a good one.

70cc Production Auto

Karlie Eckert was the top finishing girl in the 70cc Prod. Auto with her 3rd place finish

Jeremy Ledonne may be struggling somewhat in the 50cc Production class but he’s top dog in the 70cc Production class. As with all minis, Ledonne has seen his share of over tweaked mini rides that don’t act right at times. In California, Ledonne was on top of his ride and wasted the competition for the win. Problems in Texas put him finishing way back in the 7th place overall but didn’t drop him from leading the overall points. Ledonne, though, has his work cut out for him. Seems there’s a lady from Kentucky by the name of Hanna Sharp and she has a new Cobra that’s ready to strike. Sharp took a second place finish in CA and a 4th place finish at Oak Hill and is within one point of taking some of the male ego out of Ledonne. After two rounds, Ledonne has 44 points and Sharp 43. Rounding out the 70 Production podium to date after the Wrangle in Texas was Cole Sepesi with 36 points. This class, as with the 50cc Production class, is a race parent heart attack waiting to happen.

90cc Modified

Jeffray Rastrelli goes 1-1 for the 90cc Modified Overall

Jeffray Rastrelli of Florida missed the California round and, more than likely, Jake Brattain, Joel Hetrick, Glen Massung and Jesse Skvarek are all glad. Rastrelli, a seasoned youth racer at the MX Nationals, laid severe waste to the other four top runners in Texas and made it known that he fully intended to be one heck of a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. Rastrelli commanded both motos with Natalie style leads to take the overall. Brattain, winner of round one, managed to bring home a second place finish behind Rastrelli to hold onto the overall series’ points lead with Glen Massung, a Pennsylvania based youth racer, capitalizing on his third place finish at Oak Hill to hold onto the third place in the series standings after the first two rounds.

40 Plus

Tommy Tantillo wins the battle with Robert Summers to take the Overall

Rider’s rheumatism is the name of the game for those gentlemen of the sport who just can’t seem to part with their ATVs and their racing game. One of those fellows goes by the name of Tommy Tantillo and hails out of Manorville, NY. Tantillo is in good shape and you can ask any of the 40 Pluser crew and they’ll tell you “he’s one hard Yank to top.” Tantillo leads the class overall standings with a third place finish in California and a win in Texas. He netted 51 points in the first two rounds of this year’s series and holds an early season commanding lead over second place James Perry of JPMX notoriety who has 39 points and Roger Moore of Texas with 34 points. We may laugh and kid with these older type fellows, but, when it comes down to it, they’re as competitive as the Pros with a little more caution thrown in. Not to mention, large quantities of Ben Gay stashed in the rig back in the pits.

If you thought the racing action was intense in the first two rounds of the series, you haven't seen anything yet as the some of the fastest racers on the East Coast break out of their winter igloos, and head to Florida for round three of the ATVA MX Nationals at the Gatorback in Gainesville, FL

Fighting for your Rights All Terrain Vehicle Association P.O. Box 800 Pickerington, OH 43147-0800