Walnut, IL (May 4, 2009) - Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chad Wienen brought home his first win of the season in front of throngs of excited fans at his home track during round five of the AMA Pro ATV MX championship at the Sunset Ridge National in Walnut, Illinois. Wienen went 1-1 in perfect weather conditions to close down the point's margin and moves into third place for the Championship. This is the first round since series leader Dustin Wimmer has been out with an injury and he drops to second in the points behind new series leader Joe Byrd, who struggled during the day with 6-19 moto scores. Warnert Racing Can-Am's Cody Miller nabbed second followed by Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Doug Gust in third. The Sunset Ridge National event also marked round four of the amateur portion of the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.
"I just felt really comfortable and got great starts which helped me along the entire weekend," Wienen said. "It was just a weekend where everything came together and I don't think anything could have gone better for me. Having my fans cheering me on made my job a lot easier."
Wienen started the weekend off right, taking the $100 ATVSource.com Top Qualifier Award, but it was his teammate Josh Creamer that grabbed the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot award in moto one. Creamer held the lead until the third lap, until Wienen rocketed past him to take over the top spot all the way to the checkers. With more than half the race over Motoworks Can-Am's Jeremy Lawson, who started in the middle of the pack, also passed Creamer to move into second place. The lone Rockstar Makita Suzuki rider for the weekend, Doug Gust, turned the pressure on Creamer in the last lap, but Creamer outlasted him to come in third.
After the first four riders left the inside gate pick option open, Warnert Racing Can-Am's Cody Miller snagged it to secure a great starting position. Miller not only earned his team their first moto lead of the year, but also grabbed his first Pro holeshot ever by taking the second $250 MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot award.
"On the hot lap it really hooked up for a good line and when I came around in the start, I was like, 'holy [cow], I've never been up here before, this is wild,'" Miller said of his first Pro holeshot ever. "Then I got passed four times and I started to settle down and concentrate and when the race was over, I thought there might have been a chance I was on the podium so to get second overall I couldn't believe it."
Wienen stayed close behind Miller in second place, with Lawson, Baldwin Honda's Josh Upperman and Creamer following in lap one. Having a less than perfect weekend, Honda's Joe Byrd finished sixth in moto one and stalled in the first lap of the second and did not re-enter the race.
Creamer spun out in lap two and dropped to 16th place, leaving space for Lawson to move in second place until the eighth lap when his axle broke. Creamer recovered enough to salvage eighth and securing just one spot shy of the podium in fourth overall. Upperman was able to move into second place all the way to the finish collecting fifth overall. Motoworks Can-Am's Frenchman, Jeremie Warnia from Paris, France had a stellar weekend by moving up the pack from seventh to fourth by the motos end taking home sixth overall.
Yamaha's Patrick Brown found his way back into the Top 10 after a rough start to the season by finishing seventh and tenth for a 7th overall to the day.
Rounding out the Top 10 Overall were the rest of the Can-Am field including Brandon Smith earning his highest overall of the season in 8th, followed by John Natalie in 9th after a stellar second moto finishing 3rd. Jeremy Lawson's tough break relegated him to 18th for the second moto but still managing a Top 10 with 10th overall.
Kawasaki's Cody Gibson continues his Pro-Am Production domination collecting the two moto wins for the overall followed by Cody Grant who earned consecutive 2-2 scores and Josh Williams who has improved each race this season landing him on the podium for the first time this season.
ATVision powered by Quad Magazine brings you high quality coverage of the Sunset Ridge National this coming Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. on www.quadmagazine.com.
The ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship continues May 23 and 24 with the Steel City Raceway in Delmont, Penn. For more information visit www.atvmotocross.com.
Results of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship presented by Parts Unlimited
Round 5 - Sunset Ridge National, Walnut, Illinois
4. Josh Creamer (KAW) 3-8
5. Josh Upperman (HON) 10-2
6. Jeremie Warnia (CAN) 8-4
7. Patrick Brown (YAM) 7-10
8. Brandon Smith (CAN) 11-7
9. John Natalie (CAN) 16-3
10. Jeremy Lawson (CAN) 2-18
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings
1. Joe Byrd (195/1 win); 2. Dustin Wimmer (184/3 wins); 3. Chad Wienen (164/1 win); 3. Josh Creamer (153); 5. Josh Upperman (135); 6. Doug Gust (130); 7. John Natalie (129); 8. Jeremy Lawson (122); 9. Clay Holmes (116); 10. Cody Miller (109).
Pro-Am Production Results
3. Josh Williams (SUZ) 4-3
5. Casey Martin (HON) 5-5
6. Brandon Stout (YAM) 7-6
7. Joseph Bruening (KTM) 6-8
8. Travis Moore (HON) 9-9
9. Landen Hurst (PLS) 8-10
10. William Cottage (HON) 11-11
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro-Am Production Point Standings
1. Cody Gibson (115/3 wins); 2. Cody Grant (80/1 win); 3. Chase Snapp (70); 4. Casey Martin (60); 5. Travis Moore (58); 6. Joseph Bruening (57); 7. Devin Heimes (50); 7. Bobby Ross (50); 7. Josh Williams (50); 10. Brandon Stout (42); 10. William Cottage (42).
About the ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited
The AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited is the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, and competes at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 11-round series features the Nation's best racers, teams and sponsors, and is America's largest and longest-running ATV National Motocross series with more than 20 years of competition. The series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while keeping close to the grassroots fun that makes people love to go to the races. For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
About the ATV Promoters Group (ATVPG)The ATVPG is composed of the individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events. For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.