PROFESSIONAL ATV RACING HITS SOUTH FORK DIRT RIDERS THIS WEEKEND
TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (May 8, 2007) -- The top names in professional ATV racing will converge at South Fork Dirt Riders this weekend as the WPSA PowerSports ATV Tour readies for its second round of the 2007 season. The Jack Link's ATV Championship is scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the facility, located just outside Springfield, Ill. The event will be telecast on ESPN2 on Saturday, June 23 at noon EDT.
The racing weekend will feature the nation's top Pro riders, competing in three Classes: SuperQuad Pro 450, QuadTerrain Challenge Pro Stock, and SuperSport Side by Side. The SuperQuad Pro 450 Class features big air, motocross style racing. QuadTerrain Challenge features larger, utility-type ATVs, competing on an obstacle course that includes log jams, mud bogs, rock crawls, as well as high-speed sections. The SuperSport Class comprises four-wheel utility vehicles piloted by a driver and co-driver, sitting side by side. The purpose-built racing machines compete on a modified course that includes both big air sections, as well as obstacles.
The race weekend will also feature nearly 20 other classes for Pro Am, Amateur, Junior and Women's classes.
John Natalie, Jr. (No. 13 Elka, Maxxis/Honda) returned to winning form two weeks ago at the season opener. After dominating qualifying and the final, Natalie, who returned to competition this season after suffering a severely broken thumb last year, came out of the event with a four-point lead in the season ending SuperQuad Pro 450 Riders' Championship.
Just behind Natalie is veteran rider and defending WPSA champion Doug Gust (No. 55 Team Rockstar, MSR, Pro Taper, Yoshimura/Suzuki) and sophomore sensation Dustin Wimmer (No. 191 MSR, Pro Taper, Yoshimura/Suzuki). The factory Suzuki teammates welcomed Chad Wienen (No. 44 Team Rockstar, MSR, Pro Taper, Yoshimura/Suzuki) to the team at the opener, making for a nearly unstoppable combination of experience and talent.Other riders to watch include: Joe Haavisto (No. 75 Lost Creek Cycles/Suzuki), Harold Goodman (No. 708 American Honda/Honda) and Keith Little (No. 12 Lonestar/Honda).
The Kawasaki factory team of Josh Creamer (No. 9 Monster Energy Drink/Kawasaki) and Jason Luburgh (No. 8 Monster Energy Drink/Kawasaki) will also be in contention, as will many others.
Veteran Snocross and ATV racer Jesse West came out of the box with a victory at the season opener, riding Arctic Cat's newest quad. The rider of the No. 888 ITP Tires, Oil Boyz/Arctic Cat will certainly be a force here.
Also in contention is longtime rider and defending WPSA titlist Daryl Rath. Riding the No. 67 Jack Link's/Arctic Cat, Rath will put his experience to the test here on what has been traditionally a tough QuadTerrain course.
Can-Am factory team Warnert Racing will bring its full force to bear here as it welcomes longtime terrain competitor Chris Borich to its already impressive squad. Warnert's other riders are Scott Kilby (No. 207 Warnert Racing/Can-Am), Josh Frederick (No. 245 Warnert Racing/Can-Am), Adam Vaughn (No. 83 Warnert Racing/Can-Am) and Anthony Baker (No. 4 Warnert Racing/Can-Am).
The PowerSports ATV Tour unveiled the new SuperSport Class as a professional class at the season opener. Fans and racers alike were in awe of the capability of these race-bred machines and their riders. Based on utility vehicles--like the Yamaha Rhino, the Arctic Cat Prowler--these machines are built from the ground up to race and will certainly be a highlight of the weekend.
All Pro Class Riders will be vying for one of the richest purses in ATV racing here. The Tour will award $22,500 in purse monies this weekend for the SuperQuad Pro 450 and QuadTerrain Pro Stock Classes. The purse pays to 20th place in the QuadMX Series and to 15th place in QuadTerrain Challenge. The purse structure awards $4,000 to win in QuadMX and $2,000 to win in QuadTerrain Challenge, with $15,000 and $7,500 available in each Series, respectively.
The Jack Link's ATV Championship kicks off Friday, May 11, with a full card of qualifying and finals for the Pro classes, as well as Amateur, Pro-Am, Youth and Women's classes scheduled for the weekend. Tickets, which start at $10 per day for adults and $5 for kids 6-12, will be available at the gate.
About the PowerSports ATV Tour