The 2010 pro class in the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Championshp Series is giong to look very different when everyone lines up for the first moto in Alabama in March. At least 5 pro quad riders will be sitting on machines from different manufacturers than they competed on last year.
The reason? Blame the economy, but several factories either pulled or reduced their funding for the world's premiere ATV motocross series with little or no public explanation.
Let's take a look at some of the riders who will be switching up rides or running a different "color" quad to start the 2010 season.
Josh Upperman
Josh Upperman's on-track performance has steadily improved. If Honda actually stepped up and put a semi in the pits, like they should, Josh would be guaranteed a spot under the Red awning. But this year they pulled what little funding they were providing to his program with Baldwin Motorsports, and the move is visibly noticeable. Josh is tearing up the DWT World ATV Motocross Championship out west on a white Baldwin Honda and is likely to show up sans the red plastic at Alabama.
Josh may not have "jumped ship," but I can't blame him given the inventory he probably has in parts and the fact Mark has his quad dialed in. But switching to the white plastics and not running the "factory" color is about the sharpest jab they could make at this point. Upperman finished sixth in the pro class for 2009.
Pat Brown
Pat Brown and Yamaha have been synonymous for about the past five years. Pat did well on the original YFZ, even taking the win at the inaugural Open Pro ATV Invitational at Steel City in August 2007 on the same weekend as the bikes national. But Pat's performance of late has lacked, and he finished 2009 out of the top 10.
Yamaha put all their eggs in one basket for 2010 with Thomas Brown (no relation), who is coming off a solid rookie pro debut on the new Yamaha YFZ45oR. Rumor has it Pat could be competing with the ATV Media All Stars team, but on what quad remains to be seen.
Jeremy Lawson
Number 16 helped turn the Can-Am DS450 into a contender in just a few short years. He gave Joe Byrd a run for the title in 2007 when most everyone else threw their hat into the now-defunct WPSA ring. Lawson finished eighth in the pro class for 2009.
Jeremy is back with long-time sponsor Walsh Racecraft for 2010 and will compete on a Suzuki LTR450. Last we heard, in mid December Jeremy was still trying to put the finishing touches on his sponsor program for 2010. Best of luck, Jeremy.
Josh Creamer
Josh Creamer's move in the off-season involved probably the two biggest announcements in pro ATV motocross. First, news broke Kawasaki completely pulled its funding, eliminating the semi and any factory-backed pro riders. Then, Suzuki announced they snapped Creamer up to run out of their truck with defending champ Dustin Wimmer on a Yoshimura LTR450. Creamer finished fifth in the pro class for 2009.
Creamer's move is big because it raises two questions: What will happen to ATV legend and Kawi team manager Jimmy White? And, where will Doug Gust be in 2010?
John Natalie, Jr.
The Ironman is one of the few pros who won't experience a drastic change to his program for the 2010 AMA ATV MX National program. The friendly Pennsylvania native returns on a DS450 but will compete with Chad Wienen and Team Motoworks/Can-Am after campaigning with Can-Am Warnert Racing last season.
Unlike most of his competition, Natalie has the advantage of seat time. He won't be adapting to a new machine like many of the pros. John is arguably the sport's best spokesman, and if he earns another title it may be one of the best things that could happen to ATV motocross in 2010. "Lucky" number 13 finished seventh in the pro class for 2009.
Doug Gust
A living legend, Gust is the man who helped develop the defending champ's Suzuki LTR450 and arguably created the first motocross ready ATV right from the factory. Suzuki would have done well to keep Doug on in a development and testing capacity, but we've also heard that Gust may not even compete in 2010. He secured a spot on the team in 2009 only after finishing third in 2008. Had he finished any lower, Digger may not have been riding yellow last season. He finished fourth in the pro class to wrap up 2009.
Doug will be running several ride schools this year, and rumor has it he could be working with Polaris in some capacity for 2010.
Chad Weinen
The perpetual journeyman, Wienen repeatedly told the ATV press in 2009 he liked the program under Kawasaki's awning and wanted to finish his career there after moving from Suzuki's rig. Fate, it seems, would not agree with him. Word came of Wienen's jump from Kawasaki long before news broke of the team folding and Creamer's eventual move.
Number 44 proved his ability to adapt quickly once again and has already won the Montreal Supercross this winter on his new Can-Am ride. He joined former champ John Natalie on the Canadian built DS450 with Team Motoworks/Can-am, and Wienen has also won the first four rounds of the DWT World ATV Motocross Championship this year. Look for Chad to be Dustin Wimmer's toughest competition in the AMA ranks, if he can keep the DNF gremlins at bay.
We'll see if Chad has found a home he can settle into instead of moving on after just one season like his past two rides. He finished in third in the pro class for 2009.
Joe Byrd
Like Upperman and fellow Honda rider Harold Goodman, "The Professor" lost his support from Honda for 2010. It's unclear what Byrd has planned in his shop to roll out in March at the opening round, but my guess is he'll be on a Honda. Byrd hasn't changed brands since before his days on a 250R, and, like Upperman, he probably has a healthy inventory of Honda machines and parts he can rely on for the season.
Admittedly, we'd love for the earlier rumors to have been true of him rolling up on a factory KTM ride, but it doesn't look like those are going to play out.
The Byrdman is always a threat, but if he's got a limited parts allowance or just a handful of race quads, then he could be susceptible to mechanical gremlins throughout the season. Joe experienced a handful of mechanical problems in 2009 but still finished second in the pro class.
When will it end?
Other notable changes in the pro class for 2010 include Goodman, who is expected to focus exclusively on desert racing in 2010. Former pro-am star and 2009 amateur champ Cody Gibson looked ready to join the Kawasaki factory team, but we hear he'll be competing in the pro class with JB Racing in light of Kawasaki's departure from ATV motocross.
We don't know what the fate of Kawasaki satellite riders Keith Little and Russell Shumaker is. Other young pros including Cody Miller, Greg Gee and Nick DeNoble are anticipated to return to the nationals in 2010.
As for the rest, we'll have to wait until March in Alabama at round one to see how the 2010 season will play out for the pro class. These are certainly turbulent times for the ATV racing industry. Let's hope we can weather the storm and avoid another "lost decade" like we saw during the 1990s. One thing to be thankful for is the current abundance of high-tech, motocross ready sport ATVs still available at a dealer near you.
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