Round 2 of the Mtn. Dew AMA ATV Motocross National Championship rolled into Muddy Creek Raceway with a vengeance. Though over an inch of rain greeted the masses early on Friday morning for practice, one could only hope the forecasted sunny skies would rush their way in. Finally late in the day, things started turning around and with some hard work by the Victory Sports crew the track was ready for racing on Saturday morning.

Many of the amateur riders were there for their first round of the season and many felt like it was after the rains that shortened the racing in Georgia for round 1. Everyone seemed to bring their ƒ“A gameƒ” and championship contenders are already emerging. The 50cc all the way through the A classes saw some great racing and this should be only the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the standout battles for the weekend included Duck Lloyd chasing down and passing former ATV Pro National Champ Travis Spader. Spader grabbed the early lead while Duck struggled on the start but soon positioned himself to battle for the lead. Duck was told by a couple friends prior to the start of the Junior 25 Plus class that he would have this one but Spader would be the one he wouldn’t beat. Don’t tell Duck that, because he will do his best to prove you wrong. And this time he did. Spader, who is now 40 years old, says he is looking forward to the war this season for the championship in that class.

Another battle that stands out was the battle in moto 1 in the Open B class when Women class 2^nd place points holder took the moto win against the guys. She ended the weekend 3^rd in the class. Chloe Beurster who leads the Women class after last weekend’s win sits in the points lead of the Open B class too. So to say the Women mean business this year and the possibility of a lady winning a coed class may be on the horizon for one of these young ladies. It really is hard to believe that only a few years ago the girls were wondering how to beat Heather Byrd and Michelle Natalie. Now it’s a whole new game and a whole new level. Women’s ATV MX will never be the same.

ƒ‚ I guess one could say the Pro Am class may be set to be a ƒ“Barn Burnerƒ” this year as well. Tim Dettling, who took the win convincingly in their first round of competition, is set and ready to make things happen. Tim said he has the backing and support from his new sponsors now and this season may be one of enlightenment to the ATV Racin’ Nation and just who this Ohio boy actually is. Ronnie Higgerson who has focused more on the Pro ranks the last few seasons took advantage of the new ruling to compete on Sunday in the Pro Am class. This may be the shot in the arm his program needed. Higgerson showed the speed and confidence that he hasn’t had a chance to show in a while. He actually put together a good run on Saturday and I expect to see the #665 a part of some heated competition soon. Duck Lloyd took 3^rd in the class looking strong here too. Another couple of names to watch out for this season will be the rookie Pro Am rider Brett Musick and Brent Sellers. This class will once again prove to be the perfect springboard to the AMA Pro ATV Motocross ranks.

There were many more instances that help make a memorable Muddy Creek event and they will soon become a part of the lore of what is Muddy Creek. Now though I would like to take this time to introduce or perhaps re-introduce you to an individual so woven into the fabric of ATV MX that you may actually overlook or sometimes even forget about what kind of an impact he has made in our industry.

Dave Porter began his ATV racing career back in the infancy of what we now know as the Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross Nationals. Dave like so many of our heroes started out racing 3-Wheelers. He and Mark Baldwin are among an elite group of individuals still seeded in our sport today. Dave as many may already know has a reoccurring article on the popular ATV website www.atvscene.com called appropriately ƒ“Old Schoolƒ” . He has also written a few articles for Quad Magazine and really is quite well known in the industry. Dave now helps out Casey Martin in the pro class and still lines up himself on occasion to do battle.

ƒ‚ In 2010 Dave and Casey worked forƒ‚ Rathƒ‚ Racing and Polaris they were on the podiumƒ‚ a lotƒ‚ and did something no one else had ever done before, they won a Pro-Am national with a Polaris.

In 2012 Dave and Casey hooked up again and they tackled the Pro-Am classes together on a limited budget but made an honest effort battling in one the most competitive Pro Am classes in recent history.

In 2013 Casey racing the Pro class and Dave is there once again to help. Dave has his own shop and makes a number of his own components and they are using them. Dave makes a lot of aftermarket parts for a wide range of sport ATVs such as, swing arms, axle locking nuts, bearing carriers, steering stems, top clamps, case savers, A-arms, etc. The name of his company is PRPƒ‚ Racing. To date Dave has 8 national championships, his son Matt has 2 and in 2010 Dave helped Preston Young win one. In the last 12 years PRP Racing has helped win 12 national championships.

Going back a few years PRP helped John Natalie win 250 Pro-Am in 1999. Daveƒ‚ wrenchedƒ‚ for him that year and gave him a lot of help. The list of big name guys he has helped over the years could go on and on. If one had to guess you’d say over the years Dave has sponsoredƒ‚ over 16 national championships by what I understood. Our hats are off to you Dave Porter and to Casey Martin as you guys begin a new chapter in ATV MX history.

That’s it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Hearts and All Your Vital Organs.

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