Chino, Calif. - May 4, 2009 - Round Five of the AMA Pro ATV National Championship Racing Series fired up at Sunset Ridge Motocross Park in Walnut, Illinois this weekend.
2008 series champion and current points leader, Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki's Dustin Wimmer was sitting at home with an injured shoulder. This left his Yoshimura teammate, and ATV racing legend "Digger" Doug Gust to uphold the Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki colors. "I just want to get on the podium and rack up some points," Digger said leading up to the race. "That's the goal for the weekend."
At the start of the first moto, Doug gated well with a third place start. After a tight battle with the top six positions being hotly contested, Doug earned a hard fought 4th place at the checkered flag. "Man, that was fun," Digger said after the first moto. "I've got a few sections of the track to work on, but I hope to improve my position in the next race."
Moto two was pretty rough with many top contenders hitting the deck or pulling out with various problems. Gust fought forward from a mid-pack start and eventually finished in sixth place. The combination of the 4/6 finishes put Doug into 3rd overall and his goal of a podium position was realized. "It feels good to be back on the box. My Yoshimura powered QuadRacer R450 really came through for me today," Gust said.
With some of the series front-runners not placing, there still remains the possibility of Team Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki rider Dustin Wimmer coming back and being in the hunt. Hopefully, Wimmer will be back defending his title soon.