Chino, Calif. - May 26, 2009 - It was touch-and-go as Yoshimura and Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki headed into this weekend's race in Delmont, Pennsylvania. Was Dustin Wimmer ready to get back on the track and rack up enough points to salvage his championship bid? But as the days grew closer to the start of the Steel City round of the AMA Pro ATV Championship Series, the decision was made - Yes! Wimmer would compete.
The Center Valley PA native had no opportunity to practice leading up to this home state round, but his practice times on Saturday were among the fastest.
"I knew I was going to have to just dig deep down and find the strength to make it through two motos," Wimmer explained. "I hadn't even been to the gym in three weeks so stamina was going to be the hard part."
Even with a valiant effort, Wimmer was unable to push through to make a podium. He ended the day 8th overall (finishing 9th and 11th) salvaging 22 points.
"My goal this weekend was to get as many points as possible," Wimmer continued. "I now have 206 points - just 25 points behind the leader. This has become a very competitive series, with a lot of riders who could have shot at the title. I'm glad I was healed enough to race Sunday, but now I have three weeks to get into shape again. I'm just going to rest a few days and then push as hard as I can."
Teammate Doug Gust, coming off a great race at Sunset Ridge, was out to prove he could do it again. Gust's hard driving and finely-honed strategy skills kept him fighting at the front of the pack for both motos, and gave him a 4th overall (finishing 4th and 3rd) for the day and 6th in points for the season.
Team Manager Kory Ellis was happy with the weekend's outcome: "We left the decision up to Dustin when we got the OK from the doctor. Dustin wants the Championship again, so he was all for it. Even though he was pretty rusty from not riding at all, I thought he looked really good out there. He rode cautiously but he was out there just to do the best he could so he can come out the next race at 100%. I was really pleased with Doug's performance. He has finally gotten back in gear and actually did better this race than last round. He's definitely riding better than he has all season - getting better starts and getting around people early. He's back doing what he's capable of."
Also making news at Steel City was Harold Goodman who got, not just one, but two holeshots. He went on to get 7th overall. In other classes Joel Hetrick took the top spot in the Pro Am Unlimited Class and Neal McGrath took the 450A. Congratulations.
Next up is the Unadilla round in New Berlin, NY on June 13th-14th.