Thrilla' at Unadilla

The pro motos were close this weekend at the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross National at the Unadilla complex in New Berlin, N.Y., despite Monster Energy Kawasaki's Chad Wienen finishing 1-1 for the pro overall.

Baldwin Motorsports American Honda rider Josh Upperman pulled the holeshot in moto one and held on to the lead for several laps. He was followed by Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Doug Gust and Wienen.

It didn't take long for Weinen to pass Gust in a corner at the far back of the track, but Upperman provided a greater challenge to the new series leader. Wienen shadowed Upperman for several laps before passing the Honda rider to take the win in moto one.

In moto two, Gust pulled the $250 MotorcycleUSA.com holeshot, but Wienen passed Gust by the time the field hit Unadilla's infamous Gravity Cavity on the first lap.

Can-Am/Warnert Racing's John Natalie quickly moved into third and pressured Gust for second for nearly the entire 22-minute moto.


Natalie got around Gust by diving to the inside of a turn leading to a challenging uphill double just three corners from the checkered flag. Natalie's last-second pass, combined with a fifth-place finish in moto one, earned him third overall for the weekend.

And Gust's 3-3 finish netted him second overall behind Wienen.

The story this weekend was the fate of defending champion Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider Dustin Wimmer and his closest competition, American Honda backed Joe Byrd.

Both Byrd and Wimmer dealt with poor starts and finished mid-pack in the first pro moto. In the second moto, Byrd rolled off the track with a mechanical failure. Throughout the weekend, it sounded like the former champ was missing shifts in some of the corners. If I had to guess, Byrd may have struggled with transmission or clutch problems.

Wimmer rode stronger than he did in moto one and made several smooth passes around Upperman and Motoworks/Can-Am rider Jeremy Lawson to finish fourth in the second moto and take sixth overall. The defending champ lost his points lead to Byrd two rounds ago after dislocating his shoulder in practice, but both riders relinquished the top spot to Wienen after his dominating finish this weekend.

After seven rounds, Wienen now leads the battle for the 2009 ITP/Moose Racing ATV Motocross Championship with 254 points and two wins. Byrd hung on to second with 245 points, and Wimmer is close behind with 235 points as the battle heads to Muddy Creek in Tennessee June 27.