by: Ken Hill
TimeMonday, April 16, 2018 | 8:50 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(304) 284-0101
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Chad Wienen Earns Second Win at Underground ATVMX National
Joel Hetrick and Jeffrey Rastrelli Round Out The Top Three
KEMP, Texas (April 16, 2018) - Round three of the 2018 ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) Series presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, headed deep into the lonestar state for a showdown that would rival any old western tale ever told. With a crazy swing in temperatures preceded by a night filled with high winds and heavy rains, the racers would be very skeptical as to how well the track at Underground MX would shape up. However, by the time practice started the track was almost perfect as a drying wind and strong sun helped turn things around and in favor of the racers and crew.
Rockford Fosgate/Ti-Lube/Honda’s Joel Hetrick would come out and lock down yet another ATVriders.com fastest qualifier award as well as earning the added purse provided at this round for the holeshot. With a specialty pro purse possible, most of the riders were eager to get strong starts and finish well for a piece of the fortune being offered.
Moto one saw Hetrick secure the holeshot, the money and the moto win. Hetrick had some good fortune on his side, as he nearly took himself out in a rough section, but he was able to rebound and retain the lead. Wienen Motorsports/Yamaha/Maxxis’ Chad Wienen put on a hard charge, but found himself nearly duplicating Hetrick’s mistake. Wienen was able to hang on, and remained in the second place position after the pair had built up a sizeable gap from the rest of the pack. Tbrown84 Training/CST Tires’ Thomas Brown was digging deep to try and earn a win in front of his hometown friends and family. Brown would ultimately finish 3rd in the first moto.
The racing behind the leaders was intense, as the track was getting rough. The riders started to mix it up through the deep rutted turns, and over the jumps that demanded precision and the will to back off the throttle when needed. Baldwin/Jeff Rastrelli Land Grading/Ford Brothers Racing Honda Jeffrey Rastrelli was doing all he could to reel in the top three, and would have to settle for fourth. GBC Motorsports/Hetrick Racing/Walsh Racecraft/Solo Pilot’s Westley Wolfe, who secured his best finish this season, and is still mending from a crash at the opening round, closely followed Rastrelli with a fifth place finish.
While the first moto was exciting, moto two started to build its own level of intensity, as everyone knew Wienen was gunning for the win. The start was once again a few seconds of chaos as the pro class fired off the gate and headed for the first turn. Just as in moto one, Hetrick would clinch the holeshot and build on his success from moto one. However, some misfortune struck Hetrick and he ended up high siding a berm in the same spot as he did last year allowing Wienen a wide open pass, which he took full advantage of, and ran away with the moto two and overall win at round three. As Hetrick did his best to get his Honda unstuck and re-fired, his chances for a podium were looking slim.
With true grit, Hetrick put his head down and was back to making up ground. Hetrick would finish fifth in moto two, giving him a second overall on the day. After a very uncanny set of circumstances the added bonuses to this round should make him enjoy the day, and look towards the upcoming rounds where he can get back the points he left on the table here in Texas.
Finishing third overall was Jeffrey Rastrelli who was locked in a duel with Thomas Brown nearly the entire second moto. For several laps Rastrelli shadowed Brown, and then they would swap positions and battle through more laps seemingly equally matched. The brawl ended when Brown snapped a chain giving Rastrelli second in moto two, and third overall.
GennUSA Racing’s Nick Gennusa was having one of his best weekends in Texas as he finished fourth overall on the day with moto scores of 7-3. Wolfe ended the weekend with a fifth overall finish. Gennusa and Wolfe were both riding with lingering injuries from previous rounds, but proved they had a no quit attitude in them this weekend. Wolfe would also race the Pro-Am class, and take the overall win.
Brown would ultimately finish the weekend sixth overall, after his moto two trouble. JH Racing/Walsh Race Craft/SSi Decal’s Zachary Kaczmarzyk finished seventh overall for the second-straight weekend. Kaczmarzyk also raced in the Pro-Am class finishing second overall.
Ford Brothers Racing/Baldwin Motorsports’ Ronnie Higgerson finished the weekend in eighth, while Root River Racing’s Dylan Tremellen earned the ninth overall position in Texas. Hinson/Walsh Race Craft/Honda’s Paker Wewerka rounded out the top 10 overall, and is now currently tied in the point’s championship standings with Tremellen for tenth.
The series heads to Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana on May 5 and 6 for round four of the 2018 ATV Motocross National Championship Series. It is looking to be another epic round of competition as the points tighten and the championship battle intensifies.
Underground ATVMX National
Kemp, Texas
Round 3 of 10
Saturday, April 14
2018 AMA Pro Class Event Results:
- Chad Wienen (2-1)
- Joel Hetrick (1-5)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (4-2)
- Nick Gennusa (7-3)
- Westley Wolfe (5-4)
- Thomas Brown (3-10)
- Zachary Kaczmarzyk (10-6)
- Ronnie Higgerson (8-11)
- Dylan Tremellen (13-7)
- Parker Wewerka (6-14)
Overall National Championship Standings:
- Chad Wienen (119)
- Joel Hetrick (110)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (100)
- Thomas Brown (85)
- Nick Gennusa (72)
- Ronnie Higgerson (69)
- Zachary Kaczmarzyk (65)
- Westley Wolfe (61)
- Wes Lewis (53)
- Parker Wewerka (51)
SSi Decals Holeshot Award Standings:
- Joel Hetrick (5)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (2)
- Chad Wienen (1)
ATVriders.com Top Qualifier Award Standings:
- Joel Hetrick (2)
- Chad Wienen (1)
For more information on the 2018 ATV Motocross National Championship, visit the series official website at www.atvmotocross.com or call (304) 284-0101. Join the conversation on the series social media channels, along with receiving the most up-to-date news and exclusive content.
- Facebook: @atvmotocross
- Instagram: @atvmotocross
- Twitter: @atvmxdotcom
- YouTube: @atvmotocross
About the ATV Motocross National Championship:
The 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 10-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.
How to Watch:
Racer TV and MAVTV are the official homes for coverage of the ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) events. All 10 rounds, from the season opening ATVSX inside the hallowed grounds of Daytona International Speedway, to the ATV Dirt Days finale at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee, will air in 30-minue; taped-delayed telecasts on MAVTV, while Racer TV provides live streaming coverage of four differing events. Catch all the action at www.mavtv.com and www.racertv.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association:
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.