All eyes may be upfront when the gate drops, however, the heart and soul of the AMA Pro class is alive and well as several riders have pushed themselves to the breaking point as they want a spot on that podium. The action has been intense and some of the closest and most fierce competition has been raging in small groups as the outright fight for position plays out lap after lap. Ford Brothers Racing/Fly Racing/SSi/Maxxis Tires/DWT/Maxima/Fourwerx Carbon/Walsh’s Bryce Ford has been quietly sneaking up into the top three and appears ready to put the final polish on his program that should see him going for wins at virtually any round. Ford has been carrying his momentum even through the tough times as he bounces back when mistakes are made.

JH Racing/FTR Graphics/Fly Racing/Walsh Race Craft’s Westley Wolfe, Phoenix Racing’s Jeffrey Rastrelli, Ford Brothers Racing/ Fly Racing/SSi/Maxxis Tires/DWT/Maxima/FourWerx Carbon/Walsh’s Cody Ford and GennUSA Racing/Integrated Financial Concepts/CST Tires/Walsh Race Craft’s Nick Gennusa all have had successes and failures this season and yet any one of them can have a breakout race at any point that has them on the box. TDR Motorsports/OnTheBox Performance/Pafford EMS/Decker Training Facilities’ Brandon Hoag looked to be headed to the forefront of the class, yet his season has been bogged down with issues as he fights back to regain his status as a front-runner.

However, rookie ML2 Motorsports/Walsh Race Craft/Maxxis/Yamaha’s Max Lindquist has stepped up to steal the thunder as he has shown moto after moto he is learning and his results are starting to suppress riders who have more seat time and should be running away from this rookie who refuses to go quietly into the night. At this point in the season, we can still state that its anyone’s race even though it would take Hetrick and Wienen to both have major issues for the door to the number one spot to be opened but anything is possible!

The buzz around the pits had the Wienen Motorsports crew happy as their rider had secured the fastest qualifying time of the day. It was a beacon of hope as the chatter quickly turned to the weather. The series has been fortunate to have had solid weather thus far, but the forecast was turning ominous and looked to strike a blow. The question quickly turned to when it would impact the track.

The rain began to fall, setting up a very wet and slick first moto as the gate dropped and everyone quickly became the monotone brown as mud covered everything. The pace was incredibly fast even in these conditions as those experienced in a good mudder were clawing their way around the Unadilla track making it difficult to keep track of who was who. In the blink of an eye a rider was down as fans struggled to verify exactly who had been a victim of a mistake. It was indeed Hetrick who found himself making an error that sent his ride on its side and him into the muck. Struggling to find traction to right his Yamaha, Hetrick’s fight turned from racing to getting back on four wheels. After what had to feel like an eternity, Hetrick was back on track but with a host of bent parts he would only be able to fight his way back to 10^th in moto one.

Wienen was out front and controlling the race as he rode to the moto one victory after a vicious race that took its toll on everyone, Rastrelli had put in a grueling effort and landed himself squarely behind Wienen taking second as Ford claimed another podium finish with a valiant effort claiming third. HuntScapes/Baldwin Motorsports/Capital Powersports’ Michael Allred had his best pro moto to date in terrible conditions landing him in fourth and also had him taking the moto one holeshot. Wolfe would round out the top five finish in the muddy conditions. The teams hustled to get things cleaned and fix any issues as the weather remained on everyone’s plans. With Hetrick fighting back to a tenth place in moto one, everyone knew he was wanting to come off the gate swinging in the second moto and he would soon have that chance.

The conditions did not deteriorate as moto two approached in fact many stated after the race that the track itself was in great shape. Excuses wouldn’t be blamed on the weather or track conditions as the gate was filled for the second time. Excitement was at a fever pitch as the engines screamed waiting for the gate to drop! The first turn got busy quick as Chad Wienen ripped the moto two holeshot. For Wienen, the day was his as he never faced a hard challenge the remainder of the moto and would ride to a 1-1 taking the overall spot and the points lead away from Hetrick who did redeem himself with a solid effort taking second in moto two. Hetrick stated he just couldn’t put in the effort he wanted two in the second moto and would score fifth on the weekend.

Ford did not have the moto he was looking for as he crossed the finish line in fourth but that was well earned and got him second overall as he takes another step closer to a coveted win. Rastrelli has been beaten and battered this season, but as of late has been putting in great motos and fighting back to earn his spot, Rastrelli claimed the final podium position with third overall. Wolfe has been pushing insanely hard to get and stay on the podium and has had success as well as a few motos he’d like to forget. Here at Unadilla Wolfe rode a solid going 5-3 for fourth overall as he just missed another trip to the box. Rounding out the top five was Hetrick who salvaged all he could going 10-2 for fifth overall. Hetrick now sits 16 points behind Wienen in the championship standings.

Behind the top five was several riders who took a huge step here at Unadilla. Allred showed signs of life that hopefully will energize him to push and train to get up to the top five to battle for a spot. Lindquist continues to learn and as the season draws down we should see him as well fighting with those who are finishing just out of his reach. Cody Ford had to overcome some small mechanical issues and a flat tire but is another racer you cannot dismiss as we head into some tracks that offer no advantages keeping the field equally matched.

The next stop for the series is Redbud which has proven to be a real beast in the past. A good mix of soil and loose sand that gets rough will put everyone to the test. We have seen the wins swap between Hetrick and Wienen, however at this venue anything can happen as passing becomes difficult and getting out of the main line can cause some chaos throughout the race.

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