Chad Wienen Interview:
2008 AMA Pro ATV Open Motocross Champion
| Chad
Wienen Interview Links |
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| #44
Chad Wienen - 10 Quick Facts |
| Birth
Date: |
1/25/1985 |
| Weight: |
205lbs |
| Hometown: |
Galena,
IL |
| ATV: |
Suzuki
LT-R450 |
| Occupation: |
Pro
ATV Racer |
| First
ATV: |
Kawasaki
Lakota |
| Started
Racing: |
14
Years Old |
| First
Year Pro: |
2005 |
| Favorite
Racer: |
Tim
Farr |
| Favorite
Food: |
Chicken |
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Chad
Wienen catapulted himself into the spotlight
in 2007 with a career first pro podium finish
at the AMA Pro ATV Motocross season opener at
Mill Creek in Alabama, and he followed it up
with dominant performance as Glen Helen and
Oak Hill, but mechanic issues at both events
would end his inspiring charges for yet another
podium finish, but they were more than enough
to capture the eye of Suzuki.
By the time Round 4 headed
to Georgia, it was announced Chad Wienen would
be added as the third man on the MSR / Pro
Taper / Yoshimura / Suzuki ATV Motocross Team
joining both Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer to
compete for the WPSA Championship, and didn’t
waste any time adapting to his new Suzuki
LT-R450 ride.
At round 2 of the 2007 WPSA
Season in his home state of Illinois, Chad
Wienen, earned his 1st ever Pro ATV Win, which
was the beginning for this rising star of
ATV motocross. Wienen would go on to secure
4 more wins for a total of 5 out of 10 wins,
which was more than any other competitor,
but unfortunately for Wienen, a few mechanical
issues would shattered his hopes for a championship.
But no sooner than the 2007
season ended, Chad Wienen was already preparing
for 2008 WPSA race season, and he spent most
of his time in Florida training at Tommy Tantillo’s
Motocross Track with several other Pro ATV
motocross racers.
Suzuki’s and Chad Wienen’s
main focus for 2008 was going to be the WPSA
Series, but they fortunately decided to run
the opening round of the 2008 AMA Pro ATV
Motocross season till the WPSA season kicked
off in May, and Chad Wienen picked up where
he left off in 2007 with yet another season
opener Podium finish at Glen Helen, and he
was once again chasing after a Podium finish
at the at both Mill Creek & Ballance Moto
X, but after impressive moto one finishes,
Wienen was sidelined in the 2nd moto at each
event, which dashed any hopes for another
podium finish.
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| Suzuki's
Chad Wienen kicked off the 2008 AMA
ATV Motocross season with a Podium finish,
but it would be last time he would make
a podium appearance until round 9 at
Red Bud, and Wienen would claim his
2nd straight win at Loretta Lynn's to
end out the 2008 AMA Pro ATV Motocross
season |
Chad Wienen’s luck went
from bad to worse when a crash during practice
injured his shoulder at Round 4 and to top
it off, the 2008 WPSA season was cancelled,
which meant he wouldn’t even have a
chance at a fresh start in the series he planned
on chasing after the championship.
Chad would continue to race
with his injured shoulder at the next two
rounds with lack luster results, so it was
decided that he sit out Unadilla to allow
his shoulder time to heal, which proved to
be a smart move because would make his return
with a top 5 overall finish at Muddy Creek,
but he wasn’t finished. Chad would go
on to Podium at Red Bud and wrapped up the
2008 AMA Pro ATV Motocross Season with an
Overall Win at Loretta Lynn’s, which
let everyone know a healthy Chad Wienen was
back.
The 2nd Annual AMA Pro ATV
Open Championship at Steel City gave Chad
Wienen his opportunity to seize the last remaining
2008 championship, and he was ready for the
challenge as he dominated the field with the
fastest lap-times on the very technical track,
and more importantly, he took the checkered
flag to claim the win and his first ever Pro
ATV Championship.
After
Chad Wienen’s amazing performance at
Steel City, we had the opportunity to interview,
and here is what he had to say:
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| Chad
Wienen was on the gas at Steel City
leading the ATVs in practice and timed
qualifying by securing the fastest lap-times
on 4 wheels, which was among the top
10 on AMA Pro Bikes |
ATVriders.com:
Chad, you had a great race at Steel City.
How does it feel to come to an event like
this and take the win?
Chad Wienen: It definitely feels good! I really
worked hard. This year didn’t start off
too well for me and it really means a lot to
me to come out here and win.
What
did you think of the event this year compared
to last year?
Last year was good, especially because it
was the first year, but this year, there were
more people watching with everyone racing
on the same day. The bikes put on a good race,
but I think the quads were one of the best
races of the day to watch.
