by: Chelsea Taylor
TimeThursday, May 19, 2016 | 4:35 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chelsea Taylor
304-284-0101
[email protected]
Hetrick Looks to Earn Third Consecutive Win at ATV Stampede
ATV Motocross Moves to Legendary High Point Raceway
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (May 19, 2016) – Round five of the 2016 ProX ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, is set to take place this Saturday, May 21, with the ATV Stampede to be held at the iconic High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. While the reigning champion and Wienen Motorsports/Yamaha/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Walsh Racecraft/FLY Racing’s Chad Wienen sits in the top spot of the points championship, Maxxis/Elka Suspension/Liquid Wrench’s Joel Hetrick heads into this weekend fresh off back-to-back wins.
While Hetrick will use the past two victories as momentum this Saturday, he will also look to use his home turf advantage, growing up just a couple hours away from the iconic High Point Racway. This is the only time that quads are able to race at High Point Raceway, but the dirt is similar to where Hetrick has spent many hours training in preparation. While Hetrick has been able to fend off the competition at the last two rounds, he knows as well as anyone that it’s only going to get tougher as the season continues. The Pennsylvania native took the win here just one year ago and will look to repeat his success this Saturday.
“I had a great race at Ironman,” said Hetrick. “I didn’t gain any points, but I also didn’t lose any either. I’m still in the hunt for the championship and I will be ready for High Point.”
However, the win will not come easy to Hetrick as he will have the defending champion just as eager to stand on the top spot of the box at the conclusion of the second moto. Wienen has not finished off the podium since the season began and has two wins in addition to two second overalls. The four-time champion is fully prepared to battle Hetrick along with the rest of the field for the overall win heading into this weekend.
Although there has only been two names to reign victorious this season, there is a full slate of riders with the potential to change that at the ATV Stampede. One of those is JB Racing/Root River Racing/Gold Speed Tires’ Jeffrey Rastrelli who finished on the podium at the previous round. Rastrelli has spent the first four rounds proving that he has the ability to take the win and will look to put everything together on Saturday.
“I had a rough couple of rounds before Ironman,” said Rastrelli. “It feels great to be back where I know I’m supposed to be and I hope to get back on the podium at the next race.”
Another Pennsylvania native that will be looking to make some noise at High Point Raceway is Maxxis/FLY Racing/Baldwin Motorsports’ John Natalie. The veteran rider has had his fair share of success this year and is eager to earn his first overall of the season at his home track.
After suffering from a mechanical issue at Ironman, Maxxis/Root River Racing/JB Racing’s Thomas Brown will return this weekend looking to turn his season around. Brown made a podium appearance at the season opener, but has yet to return to the podium since.
Root River Racing/Hoosier Tires/Rage ATV’s Josh Upperman had one of his best rides thus far finishing second in moto one at Ironman and will look to earn his first overall podium of the season.
AGX Designs/Walsh Racecraft/Maxxis’s Nick Gennusa also found himself running one of his best races and will attempt to repeat his success and make his first podium of the year on Saturday afternoon.
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 4 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: Wes Lewis (Pro/Pro Am), Shane McMillen (Open B/Production B), brothers Rian (Open C/450 C/Production C) and Kolton Smittle (90 Automatic Jr. 8-11/70 Automatic 6-11), Brandon Smitley (Production B/450 B/College 16-24), Dylan McClellan (Youth All Star 13-15/ Schoolboy Sr. 14-17) and Jacob Visnic (Youth All Star 13-15/Schoolboy Sr. 14-17/Schoolboy Jr. 13-15).
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 on Saturday, July 23.
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
Ironman Raceway
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Round 4 of 12
Saturday, May 7
2016 AMA Pro Class Event Results:
- Joel Hetrick (2-1)
- Chad Wienen (1-2)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (4-3)
- Josh Upperman (3-5)
- Nick Gennusa (7-4)
- Brett Musick (10-6)
- Nick Moser (12-8)
- Thomas Brown (6-14)
- John Natalie (5-15)
- David Haagsma (9-12)
Overall National Championship Standings:
- Chad Wienen (167)
- Joel Hetrick (139)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (128)
- John Natalie (116)
- Thomas Brown (113)
- Josh Upperman (107)
- Nick Gennusa (105)
- Brett Musick (77)
- Joe Byrd (79)
- David Haagsma (75)
SSi Decals Holeshot Award Standings:
- Chad Wienen (5)
- John Natalie (3)
- Joel Hetrick (2)
- David Haagsma (1)
ATVriders.com Top Qualifier Award Standings:
- Chad Wienen (2)
- Joel Hetrick (2)
About the ProX ATV Motocross National Championship
The ProX ATV Motocross National Championship presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, is the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, hosted at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 12-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.
About ProX
Whether on the track, in the woods or on the street, riders trust OEM quality engine components from ProX Racing Parts. Specializing in high quality components for powersports applications, all parts are manufactured to highest quality standards at state of the art manufacturing facilities around the world. As the industry evolves, so does ProX. By stocking over 9,000 part numbers and with so many products continually being added, you won’t go anywhere else! For more information please visit www.pro-x.com.