Can-Am Continues to Dominate at Round Two of ATVMX
Wienen Takes His Second Straight Victory at Millcreek
Pell City, Ala. (March 20, 2011) - By now it's no
secret that the defending Champion Josh Creamer did not have intentions
to race the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by
DWT this year. A change in plans caused Creamer to race round two
aboard his privateer Honda machine and he may have found out that it's
harder to defend a championship than it is to win one.
The temperatures were beyond perfect at Millcreek MX Park in sunny
Pell City, Ala. this weekend. With a full gate of AMA Pro riders and a
well-groomed track, it couldn't have been a better day for racing.
 Photo By: Mike Roth Natalie rode hard for a second overall today Nick Denoble snagged the moto one holeshot aboard his Grand Central
Stations Custom Axis Walsh Race Craft Jansen Motosports Honda ahead of a
stacked field of riders. JBR American Honda Dasa Walsh Race craft
rider Joe Byrd diced through the whoop-section, moving past Denoble for
the early lead until lap three when Wienen powered his Can-Am machine to
the front and never looked back.
Motoworks DWT Fox Shox Holz Racing Can-Am rider John Natalie settled
in behind Byrd early in the moto and pushed the Honda rider for a few
laps before making his move on lap six. Byrd rode with focus and
composure as he kept the pressure on Natalie to make a mistake. Both
veteran riders know what it takes to ride a smart race, battling smooth
and clean for the second spot. Natalie handled the pressure and held
off Byrd long enough to break away and settle in behind his Can-Am
teammate for a podium finish in moto one.
 Photo By: Mike Roth We hope to see Josh Creamer at more rds of ATVMX As the moto progressed, the loamy clay acquired big breaking bumps
that made for difficult corner positioning as both Denoble and Rookie
Joel Hetrick found out the hard way. The rough downhill corner caught
the riders and bucked them off the bike.
Baldwin Motorsports JB Racing PEP's Josh Upperman maintained a
comfortable fourth throughout the moto, but he really put a charge on
the Honda of Joe Byrd at the end - nearly catching Byrd before the
checkers. Had there been another lap, there's no telling who would have
come out on top.
Jeremy Lawson put in a solid ride aboard his Walsh
Race Craft Fox Shox Maxxis FMF Suzuki, taking a fifth in moto one.
Lawson turned it up midway through the moto, making a run for Upperman
at the end but didn't have enough time to make it happen.
Defending Champion Josh Creamer got off to a slow start in moto one
but made his way through the pack for a sixth place finish. Although
Creamer is used to running ahead of the pack, the now privateer rider
put in a good ride all things considered. Motoworks JB Racing Fox Shox
SSI Decals Can-Am rider Chase Snapp finished an impressive seventh right
behind Creamer.
 Photo By: Mike Roth The start of the AMA Pro class Joe Byrd grabbed the moto two holeshot aboard his JBR American Honda
with Wienen and the rest of the pack close behind. Wienen had the whoops
dialed in all day and used that to his advantage as he muscled past
Byrd for the lead.
"I put my head down all last year and we finally got the bike
fine-tuned this year, I started out front and that's the way you have to
do it," Wienen said. "I mean this team is the total package, the bike
is rollin'. It's going to be a long year and we're just going to take it
race by race," the winner added.
Byrd, Upperman, Lawson, Natalie and Creamer were in freight train
formation, leaving no room for mistakes. With few passing opportunities
on the track, riders were taking advantage of sections like the whoops
to go in for the kill. Upperman spotted that opportunity and blitzed
through to take the second spot from Byrd.
 Photo By: Mike Roth Wienen took his second straight victory at Millcreek "This moto was a lot harder, it was tough to pass out there and a lot
harder to get around these guys," Natalie said. "Obviously I want to
be where Chad is but I have to go back and do my homework. I had some
bad luck last year but the team fixed some things and definitely made a
championship bike this year."
Chad Wienen is leading the point standings coming out of round two
with teammate John Natalie just 12 points behind. Josh Upperman, Joe
Byrd and Jeremy Lawson currently hold the third, fourth and fifth positions in overall points.
National Championship Series heads to Ballance MX in Oakland, KY
April 2-3, with Pro class racing starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, supported
by 37 amateur classes throughout Saturday and Sunday. For more
information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
AMA Pro ATV Results
1. Chad Wienen (CAN)
2. John Natalie (CAN)
3. Josh Upperman (HON)
4. Joe Byrd (HON)
5. Jeremy Lawson (SUZ)
6. Josh Creamer (HON)
7. Derek Swartfager (HON)
8. Chase Snapp (CAN)
9. Devin Heimes (SUZ)
10. Joel Hetrick (KAW)
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings
1. Chad Wienen (100) 2. John Natalie (88) 3. Josh Upperman (78) 4.
Joe Byrd (69) 5. Jeremy Lawson (68) 6. Joel Hetrick (50) 7. Chase Snapp
(48) 8. Nick Denoble (45) 9. Travis Moore (40) 10. Derek Swartfager (38)
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 11-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. | 
