Wienen Fastest in ATV Open Qualifying

Leads Wimmer, Creamer and Natalie into Today's Race

 

DELMONT, Pa. (August 30, 2008) -- Chad Wienen won a shootout with teammate Dustin Wimmer to take top slot in qualifying Saturday for this afternoon's ATV Open at Steel City Raceway. The $10,000 invitation-only race is part of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Series weekend here.

 

Wienen (No. 44 Team Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper Suzuki) turned a three-minute, 14.583-second lap around the tough technical course to top the speed charts. Wimmer (No. 191 Team MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper) was second fast, just .734 of a second behind. Josh Creamer (No. 9 Team Monster Energy/Kawasaki) was third quick.

 

Wienen was pleased with the qualifying format this year, which set gate picks based on qualifying times.

 

"Last year there was a lottery gate pick and I got 16^th, so that made it a bit difficult," said Wienen, who finished second in last year's ATV Open. "It's a big change this year, going off of our times. Dustin will be right on my heels so it should be a great show for the fans. I'm looking forward to putting down some good lap times. This is a huge opportunity for us."

 

Wimmer and Wienen have a healthy rivalry, pushing each other on and off the track.

 

"Both of us want to win," said Wienen, who was sidelined with shoulder injuries for much of the 2008 ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA/ATVA National Championship. "He proved it this year with a championship, but I want a championship, too. This is about bragging rights for next year. I'm looking forward to ending the year strong and going into next year with a win."

 

Wienen said the Steel City track suits his riding style.

 

"The track is by far my favorite one this year," said Wienen. "It's very technical and where the Pros belong. When we went out, I couldn’t believe how wide it was. It's working well for us. It's going to be an awesome track for us."

 

The ATV Open final is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. In addition, a full card of Amateur motorcycle and ATV racing is scheduled for tomorrow.