Welcome back to Site Lap! It's a busy time of year here in the ATV Racin' Nation as the 2013 Mtn. Dew AMA ATV Motocross National Championship kicks off at Aonia Pass in Washington Georgia. I myself am already here as the 2013 Amsoil GNCC will be paying a visit this weekend.

All apologies for skipping out last week but I have been slammed and honestly everyone is basically doing what they do this time of year. They are getting ready for the New Year. The cool thing about this New Year is the influx of Pro Riders we have seen this off season. Several riders are moving up to try their hand at the pro level and this is what we have been waiting on for a few years now.

The talent that is working its way up through the ranks of ATV MX is amazing. The battles should be most exciting and only get better with each passing round. Defending champ Chad Wienen and new teammate Thomas Brown are both ready to roll into 2013. Last season there were a lot of questions surrounding both theses riders as Chad was coming off a season ending injury in 2011 and Thomas injured himself only days before the season opener, which put him behind the 8-Ball.

Chad was able to prove the naysayers wrong and pull out a somewhat convincing championship over defending champ John Natalie. Thomas was able to rebound slowly and by season's end was showing great promise.

There will be a number of changes as far as teams and looks go for 2013. Both John Natalie and Joel Hetrick, former teammates will both be riding Hondas this year but they will not be teamed up. The good news for both riders is that they both had monumental success on that brand and both could pick up where they left off last season, which should make for an interesting championship season. The field is getting deeper and with that it means that the racing should only get better.

There are 25 riders who have applied for AMA Pro ATV License this year and that alone should excite any ATVMX fan. The list includes many returning but several new pro riders this year. Unfortunately as mentioned a few weeks ago, it doesn't look like Cody Gibson will be part of the ranks but I am not sure he will even be missed with the talent moving up.

The Pro list looks like this so far:

1. Chad Wienen
2. Ronnie Higgerson
3. Josh Creamer
4. Casey Martin
5. Adam Clark
6. Duck Lloyd
7. John VenJohn
8. Nick Denoble
9. Thomas Brown
10. Jeffrey Rastrelli
11. Brad Riley
12. Ed Edmondson
13. Joel Hetrick
14. Nick Moser
15. Sean Taylor
16. Dalton Millican
17. Tyler Hamrick
18. Alex Nowlan
19. Jesse Barnes
20. Tim Dettling
21. Josh Upperman
22. Cody Janssen
23. Cody Suggs
24. Kyle Fix

That's right 24 riders so far have signed up for pro status and the plot all of a sudden thickens. Now as normal I expect a few riders will do double duty in the Pro Am class as well but at least they are getting their feet wet and that could make for an interesting season, especially if one or more make the step up in speed faster than expected.

Here are a couple of notes concerning the upcoming season from Harv Whipple reminding pro riders of a few last minute details if they have not taken care of it yet:

1. If the pros haven't finalized there license or crew credentials they are running out of time. That can all be done online atƒ‚ www.atvmotocross.com.

2. All credentials may be picked up @ 1st event, don't expect them to be coming in the mail.

3. Introduce Danica Boehm as our new Media Manager for ATVMX.

Also, it is my understanding that the Pro and Pro Am purses and other information will be posted soon on the www.ATVMotocross.com website. Keep checking a few times a day to make sure you are not left in the dark about things this season.

And as you may have read Danica Boehm has come on board and will be cover the media side of things with us. This is a huge addition to the series especially when you consider how involved she is in the sport with her boyfriend Chad Wienen. Danica is a great social media and media individual that elevated Chad's standings around the world with her efforts. Hopefully she can elevate the coverage and attention to ATVMX as well. Good luck Danica and welcome aboard!

Before we go, I got a note from Maddie Guyer updating the progress in that camp and it looks like things are falling into place as the season approacheds.

Hey Rodney! Hope you have had a good winter, I know I have but I'm ready to get back to what we all love doing RACING!ƒ”¨ƒ”¨I'm really looking forward to the 2013 Season. This year is bringing a few changes for me asƒ”¨I will be riding some different classes on multiple quads and I look forward to this challenge.ƒ‚ ƒ”¨ƒ”¨I personally have tried to train harder during the off-season. I have ridden with Pro Jeffery Rastrelli several times, which brings me to one of the changes that I'm really excited about.ƒ”¨ƒ”¨I will be riding with the 2013 JB Racing Team. We have really bonded well so far and I only look for that to become stronger as the season progresses. We went to Waldo MX in Florida for a week in December and we plan on riding next week before Round 1 as well. I am really looking forward to spending the season with my teammates and we are hoping to do some fun things throughout the year in the pits after the racing day is over.ƒ‚ The team consists of Pro Rider Jeffery Rastrelli and Pro Am Rider Duck Lloyd, along with Grayson Eller, Tyler Peters, Blake Sarver & my brother Brogan Guyer.

Weƒ’re looking to have a great season on & off the track, and we are lucky to have some key people & great sponsors backing us this year.

I would personally like to thank Jody Bateman & Mark Baldwin; they have done an awesome job setting the quads up.

The team cannot say enough about David Eller, he has done so much for all us.ƒ”¨We also have some sponsors we would like to thank: JB Racing, Cheerwine, Fly, Racing, ITP Tires, SSI Decals, FMF, Makson Construction, LP Liquids, Pep Shocks, VP Fuel, Hinson Racing, 88 Live to Ride, Baldwin Motorsports, Rath, Renthal, DWT, Maier USA, Powermadd, RPM, Wiseco, Twin Air, Precision,ƒ‚ ƒ”¨Along with Guyer The Mover, Maximum Powersports of Peru, & Ballet Arts of Peru.

Thanks Maddie! That sounds awesome. I know JB is fielding a GNCC and ATVMX team with the new JB/Cheerwine/Can Am backed team. Duck Lloyd also road the opening round of GNCC and looked...well like a duck in water....very graceful. This could be a good training tool for Duck and endurance should not be a problem as this season progresses. Look for big things out of this team in 2013.

That's about it. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.