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Hetrick and Wienen Set to Battle at Sunset Ridge ATVMX National
Rastrelli, Brown and Gennusa Look to Fight For Podium Finish 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (June 13, 2018) – After a three week hiatus, which included a cancelation of round six, the ATV Motocross National Championship (ATVMX) presented by CST Tires, an AMA National Championship, heads to Walnut, Illinois for the Sunset Ridge ATVMX National. 

Rockford Fosgate/Ti-Lube/Honda’s Joel Hetrick travels to Illinois after two back-to-back wins at the Ironman and High Point ATVMX Nationals. Hetrick has cut the gap in the championship standings to only three points between Wienen and himself. Hetrick has the opportunity to take the red number plate and the lead in the fight for the title after this weekend’s race. After earning his first National Championship last year, Hetrick is prepared to defend his number one plate heading into this weekend’s race.

Residing a mere two hours away from Sunset Ridge MX Park in Galena, Illinois is Wienen Motorsports/Yamaha/Maxxis’ Chad Wienen. This weekend Wienen’s family and friends are set to turn out in great numbers to make plenty of noise for the local hero. Wienen will be looking to contest Hetrick and return to the center of the podium on his home turf. Wienen will be looking to keep his red number plate as the series moves onto Unadilla in July.

Another rider to keep an eye on this weekend is Baldwin/Jeff Rastrelli Land Grading/Ford Brothers Racing Honda’s Jeffrey Rastrelli. After running in the number one spot at the previous round misfortune struck, and Rastrelli found himself struggling to get his ATV restarted. He ultimately finished third overall, after a moto score of 3-3, but he is looking to earn his first win of the season this Saturday.

Tbrown84 Training/CST Tires’ Thomas Brown is looking to secure his second podium finish of the season as the ATVMX Series heads to Illinois. Brown earned his first podium finish at round four in Indiana, however, he is hoping to battle at the front of the pack for his first win of the season. 

Another rider still searching for a podium finish is GennUSA Racing’s Nick Gennusa. Gennusa finished fourth overall at round three, with a third place finish in moto two, but he is still searching for that overall podium spot. Gennusa has been one of the most consistent riders throughout the last couple of seasons, however he is aiming to improve his overall standing by landing on the box this weekend.

Another Illinois native is JH Racing/Walsh Race Craft/SSi Decals’ Zachary Kaczmarzyk. This year is Kaczmarzyk’s first year as a full-time AMA Pro rider, and he has shown tremendous improvement throughout the season. Kaczmarzyk has consistently finished inside the top 10 at the first five rounds, with his best performance taking place at the previous round in Pennsylvania. Kaczmarzyk will be eager to keep his momentum rolling, and possibly battle for a podium finish in front of his hometown crowd.

GBC Motorsports/Hetrick Racing/Walsh Race Craft/Solo Pilot’s Westley Wolfe has been pulling double duty racing the ATVMX and GNCC Series, and at the beginning of the year faced a shoulder injury causing a minor setback in his racing at the next couple rounds. However, Wolfe is looking like he is back in the groove of racing and ready to battle within the top five of the AMA Pro ATV class. 

Hinson/Walsh Race Craft/Honda’s Parker Wewerka has had an up-and-down season thus far in 2018. Wewerka has been racing in the Pro class on Saturday and Pro-Am on Sunday, and currently sits eighth in the Pro class. Also racing on both Saturday and Sunday is Rockford Fosgate/Ti-Lube/Honda’s Haedyn Mickelson. As of now Mickelson is currently ranked ninth in Pro, but he holds the points lead in the Pro-Am class by six points. Both Wewerka and Mickelson will look to improve their Pro class standings as they head into this weekend’s National.

This weekend Sunset Ridge MX Park will host their eighth annual Susan G. Komen Track Walk for breast cancer awareness, which has raised $49,617 since 2011 for the Quad Cities and Memorial Affiliate. The walk will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at the conclusion of the practice sessions. The cost is $25 if you register at the track, and pre-registered participants will receive a t-shirt and other "surprises." To register, please visit rider registration from 2-4 p.m. at the track.  

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 the Sunset Ridge ATV National event page on the series website by clicking HERE.

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 $50 and riders can sign up at the event. To learn more about ATVMX racing, please refer to the ATVMX101 webpage.

Local racers expected to compete next weekend will be: Zach Kaczmarzyk (Pro), Jason Jackson (Senior 40+), Quentin Ayres (Open C/Production C/450 C), Brandon Cesaroni (Production A), Kyle Smith (250 Mod/Schoolboy Sr.), Michelle Monk (WMX), Lillian Plaza (50 Open 4-8/50 CVT 4-8), Drake Koelling (Pro), Kevin Pocrnich (Senior 40+), Tyler Svob (250 Mod/Schoolboy Sr.), Chad Wienen (Pro) and Logann Mayfield (Schoolgirl 13-17). 

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. A highlight show featuring the event will air on MAVTV at a later date.

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 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.