by: Chelsea Taylor
Thursday, June 2, 2016 | 4:25 PM
Wienen Aims to Halt Hetrick’s Three-Race Winning Streak
Monster Mountain MX Park Gears Up for Inaugural ATVMX National
The world’s fastest ATV racers are set to travel to Tallassee, Alabama for the Inaugural Monster Mountain ATV National this Saturday, June 4, for the sixth round of the 2016 ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship.
This Saturday marks the first time that the ATVMX series will descend upon the iconic Monster Mountain MX Park and the championship title fight continues between Maxxis/Elka Suspension/Liquid Wrench’s Joel Hetrick and Wienen Motorsports/Yamaha/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Walsh Racecraft/FLY Racing’s Chad Wienen. Hetrick comes into this round with three consecutive wins behind him and will aim for a pair of first place moto finishes in order to gain valuable points toward the National Championship.
“It’s been great to get these three victories, but my main goal at Monster Mountain is to get both moto wins so I can start gaining points toward the championship,” said Hetrick. “We are reaching that point in the championship where every moto matters.”
Although Wienen has not won a race since the second round, the defending champion has maintained consistent results where he has not finished off the podium thus far. It has also been apparent that Wienen has been putting in valuable practice hours as he also leads the way in the holeshot standings. Wienen heads into Monster Mountain eager to add another win to his resume.
“Even though I haven’t been in the middle of the box these past few races they’ve still been good points races for me,” said Wienen. “Heading into Monster Mountain I’m going to get a solid two weeks of training in, and hopefully we will have some great weather and we can go out and do some real racing.”
Savage Motorsports/Maxxis/Walsh Racecraft/Elka Suspension/BCS Performance’s Ronnie Higgerson will ultimately be a rider to keep an eye on this weekend. Although he sits eleventh in points, the Illinois native had a stand-out performance just two weeks ago where he landed his first ever podium finish. Higgerson will aim to repeat his success this Saturday.
“I’ve actually been to Monster Mountain before,” said Higgerson. “I think I have an advantage on some of the guys who haven’t been there. I love the track and the facility in general. I’m excited that we get to race there and I’m just going to keep training hard like I have been and hopefully get back on the podium.”
After a two round podium hiatus Maxxis/FLY Racing/Baldwin Motorsports-backed John Natalie will be looking to return to the box at the conclusion of the second moto. Natalie’s veteran experience could benefit him this weekend where he will be able to quickly adjust to the brand-new track.
Two weeks ago Maxxis/Root River Racing/JB Racing’s Thomas Brown just missed the overall podium with his fourth place finish. Brown will be looking to redeem himself this Saturday as he attempts to make his second podium appearance of the season.
After battling with an illness at the previous round, JB Racing/Root River Racing/Gold Speed Tires’ Jeffrey Rastrelli comes into this round aiming to move up in the points championship where he currently sits fifth. The Florida native is familiar with the hot and humid conditions that will be present this Saturday and will be able to excel against the rest of the competitors.
Root River Racing/Hoosier Tires/Rage ATV’s Josh Upperman has a string of finishes behind him where he has yet to finish outside the top ten. Upperman is known for excelling on tracks that are similar to Monster Mountain and will look to use that as momentum for another solid finish this Saturday.
The 2015 rookie of the year and AGX Designs/Walsh Racecraft/Maxxis’ Nick Gennusa has spent the past few races proving he has the speed needed to contend for his first overall podium. However, the New Jersey native faced a mechanical issue in the second moto at High Point ultimately taking him out of podium contention.
Maxxis/Liquid Wrench/Elka Suspension/Honda’s David Haagsma and Koster Racing/Blommel Motorsports/Walsh Racecraft’s Brett Musick head into Alabama ranked ninth and tenth and will both be aiming to improve their seasons past results at the Monster Mountain National.
Saturday’s race schedule is as follows: practice at 10 a.m. followed by a timed qualifying session at 11:30 a.m. Pro motos are at 2 and 4 p.m. with an autograph session taking place at 4:30 p.m.
For a complete schedule of the weekend’s activities, please visit Monster Mountain ATV National event page on the series website by clicking HERE.
Saturday spectator passes run $20 for adults and $10 for children (6-11), with kids five and under getting in for free. Each pass includes pro pit access and pro autographs at no additional charge.
Amateur racing will take place throughout the weekend alongside the AMA Pro class, and local riders are invited and encouraged to compete in the event, as ATVMX offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur race entry fee is only $40 and riders can sign up at the event.
Local racers expected to compete next weekend will be: Andrew Taylor (Pro Sport), Ethan Putnam (Production C), father Michael Sr. (Senior 40+) and his son Michael Gleason Jr. (Production B), Tristan Evans (90 Open Jr./90 Shifter 8-11) and Thomas Coutee Jr. (Junior 25+).
For more information on the 2016 ProX ATV Motocross National Championship, visit the official series website at www.atvmotocross.com. Join the conversation on the series Facebook page, follow on Twitter and Instagram, and be sure to always hashtag #ATVMX.
Previous Round Results and Points Standings
High Point Raceway
Mount Morris, Pennsylvania
Round 5 of 12
Saturday, May 21
2016 AMA Pro Class Event Results:
- Joel Hetrick (2-1)
- Chad Wienen (1-2)
- Ronnie Higgerson (5-3)
- Thomas Brown (3-7)
- John Natalie (4-6)
- Josh Upperman (7-4)
- David Haagsma (8-5)
- Brett Musick (9-8)
- Nick Moser (10-9)
- Nick Gennusa (6-14)
Overall National Championship Standings:
- Chad Wienen (214)
- Joel Hetrick (186)
- John Natalie (149)
- Thomas Brown (147)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (140)
- Josh Upperman (139)
- Nick Gennusa (127)
- David Haagsma (104)
- Brett Musick (102)
- Ronnie Higgerson (94)
SSi Decals Holeshot Award Standings:
- Chad Wienen (6)
- Joel Hetrick (4)
- John Natalie (3)
- David Haagsma (1)
ATVriders.com Top Qualifier Award Standings:
- Joel Hetrick (3)
- Chad Wienen (2)
About the ProX ATV Motocross National Championship
The ProX ATV Motocross National Championship presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, is the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, hosted at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 12-round series features the Nation's best racers, teams and sponsors, and is America's largest and longest-running ATV national motocross program. Since 1985, the series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while premiering the professional class. For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
About ProX
Whether on the track, in the woods or on the street, riders trust OEM quality engine components from ProX Racing Parts. Specializing in high quality components for powersports applications, all parts are manufactured to highest quality standards at state of the art manufacturing facilities around the world. As the industry evolves, so does ProX. By stocking over 9,000 part numbers and with so many products continually being added, you won’t go anywhere else! For more information please visit www.pro-x.com.