ATV Motocross Round 5 Championship Results
Thomas Brown Claims First Win of 2015 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship at Inaugural Ironman National
Chad Wienen Retakes AMA Pro ATV Points Lead
Photos By: Ken Hill
Brown put himself in a position to win when it mattered most and won for the first time as a team owner.
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (May 31, 2015) – The Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, (ATVMX) crowned a brand new winner at the fifth round of 2015 for its inaugural visit to Ironman Raceway, nestled just an hour outside the motorsports mecca of Indianapolis. A consistent afternoon by Maxxis Yamaha, powered by Moto-Xperts, rider Thomas Brown allowed him to take his first overall victory of the season, which was solidified by his first moto win of the year in the final race of the day.
Thunderstorms threatened the area most of the day but the morning started dry, and as has been the case for the past four rounds, Joel Hetrick started the day off on a high note by grabbing his fifth ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award. As the Moto 1 gate dropped, the Hetrick Racing/Corrosion Specialties Honda rider didn’t waste any time getting out front as he shot out to the SSi Decals Holeshot and quickly left the rest of the field in his dust.
Behind Hetrick, a battle ensued between the Yamaha duo of Brown and reigning AMA Pro ATV Champion Chad Wienen. The pair swapped the final two podium positions several times before Wienen ultimately pulled away aboard his Wienen Motorsports/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Walsh Race Craft Yamaha for second. When the checkered flag flew, Hetrick had a sizeable margin of victory at 6.2 seconds over Wienen, who attempted to put in a late charge, and Brown. Following the top three were Root River Racing’s Josh Upperman in fourth, and Vechery Racing/NSD/Pafford EMS Honda’s Ronnie Higgerson in fifth, tying his best moto finish of the season.
Hetrick (88) started his first race as the points leader in dominant fashion, winning his fifth straight moto, but a crash early in Moto 2 took him out of contention.
Prior to the start of the second moto, thunderstorms and lightning passed through the area, slightly delaying the gate drop. Once the crew had finished working on the track, the riders prepared to attack the wet conditions.
Getting out front with clear vision was a priority in the mud and it was Upperman who scored the SSi Decals Holeshot award once the field emerged out of the first corner. Brown, Wienen and Hetrick all made their way by Upperman after the first few corners, but misfortune struck Hetrick as he went down, allowing the entire field to get by and leaving him dead last. With Brown, Wienen and Upperman out front, the entering points leader needed to gain as many positions as possible in hopes of keeping his title hopes intact. Hetrick fought valiantly and made it up as high as 11th in the tough conditions before a bobble sent him back to finish 14th.
With the treacherous conditions making passing difficult, Brown held off his former teammate and mentor Wienen to win the moto, with Wienen and Upperman joining him on the podium. Yamaha rider Nicolas Cavigliasso, from Argentina, scored his best career finish in fourth, while Yamaha rookie Nick Gennusa rounded out the top five.
Wienen finished second overall for the third consecutive round and retook the AMA Pro ATV points lead.
When the overall points were tallied, Brown’s 3-1 moto scores narrowly edged out Wienen’s 2-2 finishes for Brown’s first overall win of the season and his first victory as a team owner. Wienen ended up second, while Upperman’s 4-3 results earned him his first podium finish of the season in a breakout performance for the Root River Racing effort.
After losing the red plate and the points lead at the previous round, defending back-to-back-to-back ATVMX champion Wienen reclaimed the points lead and once again controls his own destiny in his quest for title number four. His Yamaha will once again be adorned with the red plate and Wienen now sits 10 points ahead of Hetrick in the AMA Pro ATV standings. Hetrick has come from behind once already this season, but he’ll have to do it this time around beginning at Wienen’s home track. The ATVMX season’s next round will take place at Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois.
Upperman put the Root River Racing machine on the overall podium thanks to a strong final moto.
AMA Pro ATV Overall Results (Moto Results)
- Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha (3-1)
- Chad Wienen, Galena, Ill., Yamaha (2-2)
- Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda, (4-3)
- Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pa., Honda (1-14)
- Nicholas Gennusa, Wall Township, N.J., Yamaha (8-5)
- Brett Musick, Verdunville, W.Va., Yamaha (7-6)
- Casey Martin, Frenchburg, Ky., Honda (10-7)
- Nicolas Cavigliasso, Gral Cabrera, Argentina, Yamaha (15-4)
- Vital Cazenave, Union City, Tenn., Honda (9-10)
- Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Ill., Can-Am (5-16)
AMA Pro ATV Championship Standings
- Chad Wienen, Galena, Ill., Yamaha – 244
- Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pa., Honda – 234
- Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha – 220
- Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda – 168
- Nick Gennusa, Wall, N.J., Yamaha – 156
- Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Ill., Can-Am – 149
- Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Fla., Can-Am – 138
- Vital Cazenave, Union City, Tenn., Honda – 117
- Joe Byrd, Union City, Tenn., Honda – 107
- Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda – 106
Specialty Awards
ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award
- Joel Hetrick – 5 point
- Jeffrey Rastrelli – 1 point
SSi Decals Holeshot Championship
- Joel Hetrick – 9 points
- John Natalie – 6 point
- Josh Upperman – 2 points
- Chad Wienen – 1 point
The 2015 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship will continues in two weeks, returning to Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois, on Saturday, June 13. Riders will wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
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.
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