Fresh off his huge win at the inaugural ATVSX, Baldwin Motorsports Honda’s John Natalie not only enters this weekend’s opening motocross round of the championship as the points leader, but also the rider to beat early in the season-long battle for the title. Natalie made the big switch from running his own team to joining forces with one of the most successful and well-respected efforts in the sport, and so far the new relationship is thriving. Natalie essentially went unchallenged in Daytona, grabbing the holeshot and leading all 15 laps of the Main Event. 

The two riders who joined Natalie on the Daytona podium were arguably the two leading contenders for the AMA Pro ATV Class crown – Joel Hetrick and reigning champion Chad Wienen. Hetrick has made the foray into team ownership in 2015 and based off the impressive speed he showed at Daytona, the new Corrosion Specialties/Hetrick Racing Honda effort is ready to contend right out of the box. Despite a third-place effort, Wienen might argue that Daytona was a bad start to the season as he searches for his fourth straight title aboard the Wienen Motorsports Yamaha entry. He was forced to qualify for the Main Event through the LCQ and was never able to make himself a factor in the battle for the win. With the return to the traditional motocross format this weekend, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the champ put the No. 1 bike back up front.

Daytona proved to be a mixed bag of results for many of the top riders in the premier class. Thomas Brown had hoped to begin his first season as a team owner with a strong ride, but a crash on the opening lap forced him to come from behind aboard his Maxxis Yamaha, powered by Moto-Xperts machine. Despite the adversity, Brown showed his resilience and fought his way up to a sixth-place effort.

Up-and-comer Jeffrey Rastrelli has the talent to enjoy a breakout season in 2015, especially considering he is the lead Can-Am rider this season with JB Racing. He put himself at the front of the field early in Daytona, pressuring Natalie, but crashed out of competition and recorded a 16^th-place finish.

In his first race with Root River Racing, veteran Josh Upperman displayed some of his tenacity as well, overcoming a start outside the top 10 to finish seventh. Upperman is more motivated than ever to capture that elusive first championship and seeing his former team at Baldwin Racing walk away with the win at Daytona is sure to add fuel to his fire coming into Echeconnee.

The first two motos of the 2015 season are sure to be intense and loaded with excitement as the sand track at Echeconnee provides a truly unique racing surface for the riders to tackle. It’s impressive length will push lap times over two minutes and the ever-changing sand will emphasize the importance of line choice. With more space and a wide open layout to let their ATV’s hang out, there’s really no telling which rider will ultimately emerge as a frontrunner on Saturday afternoon. All the more reason to keep a close eye on who seizes the momentum at this round of the championship and carries it into the heart of the 2015 campaign.