Wienen Makes it Two in a Row at Muddy Creek Raceway ATVMX
Harold Goodman took the Moto 1 Holeshot
Blountville, Tenn. (April 21, 2012)
Photos by:Ken Hill
–Round two of the AMA ATVMotocross National Championship Series headed to Muddy Creek Raceway for round two of the ten-race series. It was Chad Wienen who came out victorious, sweeping both motos of the day and extending his points lead over defending champion John Natalie in the overall standings.
The ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier came from Motoworks/Can-Am’s Joel Hetrick for the second race in a row, as the young Pennsylvania rider showed some of the fastest speeds of the weekend. And ATVMX veteran Harold Goodman shot out to the Moto 1 SSi Decals holeshot, but it was Baldwin Motorports/PEP’s Josh Upperman who got into the early lead before Natalie moved into the lead by lap three. Wienen had a mid-pack holeshot but quickly put himself within striking distance of Natalie’s lead and the duo picked up the intense battle right where they left off at round one. Wienen stalked Natalie until the final lap and once again cut underneath the Ironman to steal the last minute lead and Moto 1 victory as the rain started to fall on the Muddy Creek Raceway terrain.
Hetrick got off to a bad start but put his Motoworks/Can-Am into the third spot around lap five and kept a comfortable cushion on Upperman, who finished in fourth. Thomas Brown struggled off the start, but worked his way through the pack on his TBROWN Yamaha powered by Moto-X-Perts, where he maintained a fifth place finish, just ahead of Lonestar/SSi Decals rider Nick DeNoble.
In Moto 2, Wienen took control early on, while Natalie settled into a close second and that’s how they finished. Hetrick started off in fifth place as he passed his way back into the third spot, gunning for the leaders that were less than four seconds away throughout the entire race. Wienen went on to secure his second straight win of the season, while Natalie and Hetrick grabbed the other two podium positions.
Wienen takes his second straight victory in TN
“The new Yamaha is awesome, I’m starting to get more comfortable on it and especially in the mud today, I feel like I barely even rode the thing!” Wienen said. “It’s crazy to think that nine months ago I was laid up in bed and after a lot of hard work and determination we’ve gotten to where were at and I’m just having fun and paying my dues, taking it one race at a time.”
Although Upperman claimed the SSi Decals Holeshot Award, the Honda rider settled into fourth and maintained that position for the rest of the second moto, going 4-4 for fourth overall for the day.
Thomas Brown (YAM) finished with a 5-6 score to take fifth overall, just ahead of Joe Byrd (HON), who took home sixth overall. Nick DeNoble (HON) ended the day with seventh place, ahead of Derek Swartfager (HON), while rookie Mark Madl (HON) took ninth and Harold Goodman (HON) rounded out the top ten.
The 2012 AMA ATV Motocross Championship heads to Budds Creek in Budds Creek, Md., for round three of the ten-race circuit. For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
AMA Pro ATV Results
- Chad Wienen, Yamaha, (1-1)
- John Natalie, Can-Am, (2-2)
- Joel Hetrick, Can-Am, (3-3)
- Josh Upperman, Honda, (4-4)
- Thomas Brown, Yamaha, (5-6)
- Joe Byrd, Honda, (7-5)
- Nick DeNoble, Honda, (6-7)
- Derek Swartfager, Honda, (8-8)
- Mark Madl, Honda, (9-9)
- Harold Goodman, HON, (10-10)
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings
- Chad Wienen, Yamaha – 100
- John Natalie, Can-Am- 88
- Josh Upperman, Honda – 76
- Thomas Brown, Yamaha – 65
- Joel Hetrick, Can-Am – 65
- Nick DeNoble, Honda – 58
- Derek Swartfager, Honda – 54
- Mark Madl, Honda – 54
- Joe Byrd, Honda – 43
- Jeff Rastrelli, Suzuki – 42
About the AMA ATV Motocross Championship
The AMA ATV Motocross Championship is the nation’s premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, hosted at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 10-round series features the Nation’s best racers, teams and sponsors, and is America’s largest and longest-running ATV national motocross program. Since 1985, the series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while premiering the professional class. For more information, please visit http://www.atvmotocross.com.
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