Wienen, Hetrick and Natalie Go Head-to-Head for Ironman National Win
Second Annual Event is Set for Showdown this Saturday

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 4, 2016) – The 2016 ProX ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, continues this weekend with the Second Annual Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana. With one of the most competitive AMA pro classes in history, this weekend will be nothing short of exciting with Wienen Motorsports/Yamaha/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Walsh Racecraft/FLY Racing’s Chad Wienen and Maxxis/Elka Suspension/Liquid Wrench’s Joel Hetrick going head-to-head for the overall win at Ironman Raceway.

With two wins behind him this season, Wienen will be looking to add another overall win to his resume and extend his points lead. The four-time champion is on a mission to make it five-in-a-row and has shown no signs of slowing down thus far. Throughout the first three rounds there has been a noticeable difference in his training regimen that has produced better starts and allowed Wienen to jump out to the early lead. Wienen moves into Indiana with the hope to take home the coveted win.

However, just two weeks ago Hetrick was able to snag his first win of the season at the Muddy Creek National. The Pennsylvania native is still on the road to recovery from a knee injury he suffered as a result of a crash at the opening round, but it seems as if he is getting more comfortable as the weeks go by, ultimately producing results needed to take home his first AMA Pro National Championship. Hetrick holds the third place position in points heading into the fourth round, but will look to take the overall win as he continues his quest for the National Championship.

“I haven’t been able to run yet,” said Hetrick. “I’ve barely been able to jog, but I think if I can get to running again my knee will finally be better. I was able to win one moto at Ironman last year and hopefully we can put everything together to take the overall win this year.”

Perhaps one of the most consistent riders this season has been Maxxis/FLY Racing/Baldwin Motorsports-backed John Natalie. Natalie heads into this weekend after a podium finish at Muddy Creek and sits second in points. With this being only the second year that the ATVMX has competed at Ironman Raceway, the majority of the AMA Pro field will be placed on an equal playing field, but Natalie’s veteran experience will come into play as he strives to take home the win this Saturday.

“There’s a lot of times I’m not the fastest guy out there, but somehow I find a way to make it on the podium from my experience,” said Natalie. “It’s hard for people to understand but we are still tuning the bike and getting it dialed in. I just have to put the speed and consistency together to get a win.”

Maxxis/Root River Racing/JB Racing’s Thomas Brown will also be contending for the overall win this weekend aboard his Yamaha machine. Brown took the inaugural win here last year and will look to use that momentum to repeat his success this weekend. Brown took a hard hit during the second moto at the last round, but was able to rebound for a fourth overall. The Texas native will line up against twenty other racers all with the same goal in mind, to take home the win.

JB Racing/Root River Racing/Gold Speed Tires’ Jeffrey Rastrelli will ultimately be another rider to keep an eye on this weekend. Sitting fifth in points, Rastrelli has proven that he has the speed to take the win after landing a spot on the podium at the FLY Racing ATV Supercross at Daytona International Speedway. Most recently, Rastrelli found himself turning some of the fastest qualifying lap times at the previous round and will look to put everything together to take home his first win of the season.

The 2015 Rookie of the Year and AGX Designs/Walsh Racecraft/Maxxis’ Nick Gennusa heads into this round ranked sixth in points. Gennusa has yet to have a top-five finish, and will look to do just that this Saturday. Following Gennusa by just two points is Root River Racing/Hoosier Tires/Rage ATV’s Josh Upperman in seventh. Upperman finished second at the Ironman National last year and will use that as motivation to find himself on the podium once again.

Joe Byrd Riding School/Honda’s Joe Bryd sits eighth, followed by Maxxis/Liquid Wrench/Elka Suspension/Honda’s David Haagsma in ninth and Koster Racing/Blommel Motorsports/Walsh Racecraft’s Brett Musick round out the top ten heading into the Ironman National.

Saturday’s race schedule is as follows: practice at 10 a.m. followed by a timed qualifying session at 11:30 a.m. Pro motos are at 2 and 5 p.m. with an autograph session taking place at 4:30 p.m.

Saturday spectator passes run $20 for adults and $10 for children (6-11), with kids five and under getting in for free. Each pass includes pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge.

Amateur racing will take place throughout the weekend alongside the AMA Pro class, and local riders are invited and encouraged to compete in the event, as ATVMX offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur race entry fee is only $40 and riders can sign up at the event.

Local racers expected to compete next weekend will be: Logan Stanfield (Open B and Production B), Tyler Trent (Open B and Production B), Blake Sarver (450 A), Ryan Beaven (Junior 25+), Brogan Guyer (College 16-24), father and son Dustin (30+ C) and Clayton Deckard (90 Open Sr. 12-15 and 90 Shifter 12-15) and Hunter Reynolds (90 Open Jr. 8-11 and 90 Automatic Jr. 8-11).

RacerTV will provide a LIVE broadcast of the racing action from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. including both pro motos via www.racertv.com. A highlight show featuring the event will air on MAVTV later this summer.

For more information on the 2016 ProX ATV Motocross National Championship, visit the official series website at www.atvmotocross.com. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #ATVMX.

Previous Round Results and Points Standings

Muddy Creek Raceway
Blountville, Tennessee
Round 3 of 12
Saturday, April 23

2016 AMA Pro Class Event Results:

1. Joel Hetrick (1-2)
2. Chad Wienen (3-1)
3. John Natalie (4-4)
4. Thomas Brown (2-7)
5. Jeffrey Rastrelli (6-3)
6. Josh Upperman (7-5)
7. David Haagsma (5-8)
8. Nick Gennusa (8-6)
9. Brett Musick (10-9)
10. Joe Byrd (9-10)

Overall National Championship Standings:

1. Chad Wienen (120)
2. John Natalie (94)
3. Joel Hetrick (92)
4. Thomas Brown (91)
5. Jeffrey Rastrelli (90)
6. Nick Gennusa (73)
7. Josh Upperman (71)
8. Joe Byrd (57)
9. David Haagsma (54)
10. Brett Musick (51)      

SSi Decals Holeshot Award Standings:

1. Chad Wienen (4)
2. John Natalie (3)
3. David Haagsma (1)

ATVriders.com Top Qualifier Award Standings:

1. Chad Wienen (2)
2. Joel Hetrick (1)