Kawasaki Takes Steel City Raceway

TimeMonday, May 25, 2009 | 9:15 AM

Contact: Rachel Fluharty
[email protected]

For Immediate Release

Monster Energy Kawasaki Tandem Dominates
Steel City Round of AMA Pro ATV MX

Delmont, PA -- Monster Energy Kawasaki's Josh Creamer and Chad Wienen took home the top two spots on the podium during round six of the AMA Pro ATV MX championship at Steel City Raceway in Delmont, PA.; a first since Kawasaki made its return to ATV motocross racing a few seasons ago. The Steel City ATV Stampede also marked round five of the amateur portion of the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship presented by Parts Unlimited.

Creamer took decisive victories in the first and second motos, a welcome comeback to the front after a few tough races.

"It's been a rough two weeks," Creamer said. "I've spent a lot of time working on this and I couldn't be more happy."

Steel City's event featured a dry first moto and a muddy second race as afternoon thunderstorms came down. "It was pretty unpredictable," Wienen said. "I'm not a mud rider but the bike was working awesome."

In the first moto, Honda rider Harold Goodman grabbed the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot award, but Creamer moved into first place by the third lap and led the rest of the way. AMA ATV MX Series leader Joe Byrd and Weinen, the winner of the ATVSource.com Fast Qualifier Award, had tough starts and had to work their way through the pack. While coming through, they ran into Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Dustin Wimmer, the defending series' champ, who was making a dramatic return to racing after dislocating his shoulder in a practice crash just a few weeks ago. Weinen charged up to second, while Byrd battled Wimmer and and Can-Am's John Natalie just inside the top ten. Byrd and Wienen eventually charged to the front of the line, taking on Wimmer's teammate Doug Gust. They dropped the veteran to fourth by the end of the moto, and Wienen held off Byrd to take second.

Josh Upperman came in fifth followed by Natalie in sixth and Cody Miller in seventh. Goodman, Wimmer and Thomas Brown made up the rest of the top 10.

By the second motos, thunderclouds had formed and the rain came down, making the already challenging track slick.

Harold Goodman gunned for the first turn to take home his second $250 MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot award, while Natalie crashed hard on the outside. Creamer was soon on on Goodman's tail, and he mastered the slick track to make a pass and take the lead. Upperman overtook Goodman as well in the second lap, and then battled with Gust and Wienen for second. Late in the race, Upperman stepped up his pace and pulled away from the battle, making one final push to catch Creamer. He went for a pass in the final turn, but ended up a close second behind Creamer.

"I just thought, 'C'mon man, just keep pushing,'" said Upperman. "I just ran out of time."

Gust and Weinen made their moves to the front, taking the third and fourth positions while Byrd, who had another bad start coming off the line in 10th, settled for fifth place. The still-recovering Wimmer finished 11th, which allowed Byrd to extend his points lead to 25-the distance of an entire moto.

Natalie recovered from his first-turn crash to come in sixth, followed by Goodman in seventh. Russell Shumaker, Gregg Gee and Nick DeNoble rounded out the top 10.

In Pro-Am production, Cody Gibson continues his assault on the podium in first place. Gibson grabbed first place in the first moto and third in the second, while Travis Moore took eighth in moto one but came back to win moto two. Josh Williams grabbed second overall with 5-2 scores and William Cottage took third with a 3-4.

The ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship continues June 13th and 14th with the Can-Am Northeastern ATV Nationals in Unadilla, NY. For more information visit www.atvmotocross.com.

‚ 

AMA Pro ATV Results
1. Josh Creamer (KAW)‚  1-1
2. Chad Wienen (KAW) 2-4
3. Josh Upperman (HON) 5-2
4. Douglas Gust (SUZ) 4-3
5. Joe Byrd (HON) 3-5
6. John Natalie (CAN) 6-6
7. Harold Goodman (HON)‚  8-7
8. Dustin Wimmer (SUZ) 9-11
9. Nick DeNoble (HON)‚  11-10
10. Cody Miller (CAN) 7-14

AMA Pro ATV Point Standings

1.‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚  Joe Byrd (231/ 1 win) 2. Dustin Wimmer (206/3 wins) 3. Chad Wienen (204/1 win) 4. Josh Creamer (203/1 win)5. Josh Upperman (173) 6. Doug Gust (168) 7. John Natalie (159) 8. Cody Miller (130) 9. Jeremy Lawson (122) 10.Clay Holmes (120)

Pro Am Production Results
1. Cody Gibson (KAW)‚  1-3
2. Josh Williams (SUZ) 5-2
3. William Cottage (HON) 3-4
4. Devin Heimes (SUZ)‚  2-5
5. Travis Moore (HON)‚  8-1
6. Joseph Bruening (KTM) 4-7
7. Cody Grant (SUZ) 6-6
8. Jonathan Ven John‚  (HON)‚  11-8
9. Casey Martin (HON) 10-9
10. Andy Travis (KTM) 12-12

Pro Am Production Points Standings
1. Cody Gibson (115/4 wins) 2. Cody Grant (80/1 win) 3. Chase Snapp (70) 4. Casey Martin (60) 5. Travis Moore (58) 6. Joseph Bruening (57) 7.Devin Heimes, Bobby Ross, Josh Williams (50) 10. Brandon Stout, William Cottage (42)

About the ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited
The AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited is‚ the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, and competes 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 series with more than 20 years of competition. The series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while keeping close to the grassroots fun that makes people love to go to the races.‚  For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.

About the ATV Promoters Group (ATVPG)
The ATVPG is composed of the individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events.‚ For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.

‚