ATV Motocross Nationals, Round 9 Results
Hetrick Outlasts Wienen to Earn Fourth Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross Championship Win Via Tiebreaker at RedBud
Title Fight Remains Unchanged Heading into Final Round of 2015
Photos by: Ken Hill
BUCHANAN, Mich. (July 26, 2015) – With the 2015 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing (ATVMX), winding down, Hetrick Racing/Corrosion Specialties Honda’s Joel Hetrick kept the momentum of his late season surge going on Saturday. In a head-to-head battle with main championship rival Chad Wienen, the current points leader and reigning three-time titleholder, Hetrick outlasted the Wienen Motorsports/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Walsh Race Craft Yamaha rider at legendary RedBud MX to earn his fourth overall victory of the season via tiebreaker. Despite equaling the series lead for wins with Wienen, Hetrick was unable to gain any ground in the points battle heading into the final round of the championship.
A warm afternoon in Southern Michigan provided conditions that would ultimately challenge the riders as the afternoon wore on, both as a result of the higher temperatures and an increasingly rough RedBud track. This combined to make an afternoon filled with hard-fought, exciting racing.
Perhaps to no one’s surprise, Hetrick kicked off the day by once again posting the fastest lap of time practice. It was his eighth ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier award in nine rounds this season. When the motos got underway, Vechery Racing/Never Sleep Designs Honda’s Casey Martin claimed his first SSi Decals Holeshot Award of the season. Behind him, Hetrick and Root River Racing’s Josh Upperman banged wheels in the first turn as they fought for track position, forcing Hetrick to briefly back off the throttle and get shuffled into the field.
Wienen made the first statement of the day by winning Moto 1, but had to settle for second.
The aggressive battle in the first corner proved to be the opportunity Wienen needed to eventually put his Yamaha at the front of the field on the opening lap, with Martin slotting into second ahead of Upperman in third. Hetrick fell all the way back to seventh, but immediately began his aggressive charge back to the front.
With a lead of over three seconds to his favor before the completion of the first lap, Wienen put himself into a virtually unbeatable position from the get go an put the pressure squarely on Hetrick to keep pace. Despite having so many riders in front of him, Hetrick found a way to climb back into second by Lap 2 and from there did all he good to track down Wienen. The gap between the two riders stabilized at about six seconds for most of the moto before Wienen eventually pulled away to take the win by 13.870 seconds. Hetrick’s impressive runner-up effort put him in a position to earn the overall, while Maxxis Yamaha, powered by Moto-Xperts, rider Thomas Brown was able to make a last-lap pass on Vechery Racing/Never Sleep Designs Honda’s Ronnie Higgerson for third. JB Racing/Can-Am/Liquid Wrench’s Jeffrey Rastrelli was fifth.
Moto 2 proved to be an opportunity for Hetrick to bounce back from what he surely considered a frustrating first moto, and he put himself at the front of the field immediately by grabbing another SSi Decals Holeshot Award over Rastrelli and Wienen. Hetrick moved out to over a second lead by the completion of the opening lap and with Rastrelli sitting between Hetrick and Wienen, it was the window Hetrick needed to open an insurmountable advantage.
Wienen moved into the runner-up spot by Lap 3, but continued to gradually lose ground to his championship rival throughout the remainder of the moto. Hetrick completed his wire-to-wire moto win by taking the checkered flag 6.262 second ahead of Wienen. Brown once again finished third after moving into podium position early in the moto. Rastelli was fourth, with Higgerson fifth.
Hetrick seized control of Moto 2, which allowed him to claim the overall win. Photo: Ken Hill
By virtue of their identical moto scores, Hetrick (2-1) and Wienen (1-2) ended the afternoon tied for the overall win. However, Hetrick’s triumphant effort in Moto 2 awarded him the tiebreaker and a hard-fought victory. Brown’s consistency landed him third (3-3), while Rastrelli (5-4) and Higgerson (4-5) tied for fourth, with Rastrelli getting the edge.
With identical point totals for the afternoon, Hetrick was unable to gain ground of Wienen in the AMA Pro ATV standings, a welcome consolation for Wienen after missing out on the overall win. A total of 15 points separate the duo and they will enter the final round as the only two riders mathematically eligible to win the championship. Brown is all but a lock for third in the final standings and currently sits 51 points out of the lead. Rastrelli (-154) and Upperman (-156) will continue their battle for fourth, with just two points sitting between them.
Brown finished third with a pair of impressive rides to the front.
AMA Pro ATV Overall Results (Moto Results)
- Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pa., Honda (2-1)
- Chad Wienen, Galena, Ill., Yamaha (1-2)
- Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha (3-3)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Fla., Can-Am (5-4)
- Ronnie Higgerson, Cuter, Ill., Honda (4-5)
- Nicholas Gennusa, Wall Township, N.J., Yamaha (7-6)
- Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda (8-8)
- Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda, (6-10)
- Brett Musick, Verdunville, W.Va., Yamaha (9-9)
- Vital Cazenave, Union City, Tenn., Honda (15-7)
AMA Pro ATV Championship Standings
- Chad Wienen, Galena, Ill., Yamaha – 432
- Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pa., Honda – 417
- Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha – 381
- Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda – 278
- Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Fla., Can-Am – 276
- Nick Gennusa, Wall, N.J., Yamaha – 268
- Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Ill., Can-Am – 247
- Vital Cazenave, Union City, Tenn., Honda – 202
- Brett Musick, Verdunville, W.Va., Yamaha – 192
- Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda – 191
Specialty Awards
ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award
- Joel Hetrick – 8 points
- Jeffrey Rastrelli – 1 point
- Chad Wienen – 1 point
SSi Decals Holeshot Championship
- Joel Hetrick – 18 points
- John Natalie – 6 points
- Josh Upperman – 3 points
- Thomas Brown – 2 points
- Casey Martin – 1 point
- Chad Wienen – 1 point
The 2015 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship will host its final, championship-awarding round of the season from Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, on August 8.
For more information on the 2015 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship, visit www.atvmotocross.com. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow on Twitter @ATVMXdotcom and Instagram @ATVMotocross, and be sure to always hashtag #ATVMX.
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 www.atvmotocross.com.
About Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew, a product of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, Mountain Dew exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to original Mountain Dew® and Diet Mountain Dew®, the permanent DEW product line includes Mountain Dew Code Red®, Mountain Dew LiveWire®, Mountain Dew Throwback®, Mountain Dew Voltage® and Mountain Dew White Out®. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on twitter @mtn_dew.
Related Posts
HMF YFZ450R Cross-country Racer Project Test Review →
2022 Yamaha YFZ450R Test Review →
Honda TRX450R CRF250F MX ATV Review →
