Video - Joel Hetrick helmet cam

I ran across this cool helmet cam video of Joel Hetrick practicing on his KFX450R at a supercross-style track on YouTube. It's a little old, but hey, it's the off season. Enjoy!

Photos - Pleasure Valley pro quads

Here are some of the photos from the AMA ATV Motocross National at Pleasure Valley Raceway in Pennsylvania during the July Fourth weekend. Click on the photo for a larger image. Check back Wednesday for highlights from the Pro-Am races at Pleasure Valley.

 

PVR - Pro ATV Moto 2

Another moto win for points leader Josh Creamer

Natalie rides smart to give Can-Am their first overall win

Team Motoworks Can-Am's John Natalie Jr. and Baldwin Motorsports Josh Upperman shot out of the gate at the start of moto 2 at Pleasure Valley Raceway Sunday and battled side-by-side for the holeshot. After a few turns, Upperman came away with the race lead.

But the Honda rider's lead proved short-lived. Natalie passed the Ohio native a few turns later and tried to settle in to the lead and the same pace that gave him the win in moto 1.

Pennsylvania native and hometown favorite John Natalie Jr. lead the second pro moto, but his lead would be challenged by several riders. The top five gradually broke away from the pack early in the moto with Natalie in first, followed by Josh Upperman, rookie Cody Gibson, Josh Creamer and Dustin Wimmer.

Creamer made short work of getting around Gibson, and he even got past Upperman a few laps later. But the Iron Man proved a greater challenge.

Josh Creamer reminded everyone in moto 2 why he's the current points leader. He started the moto in fourth, but Creamer quickly passed rookie Cody Gibson, who was putting in an impressive performance by hanging with the points leader and fighting off the defending champion.

Once Creamer moved into third, he set his sights on Upperman. The seasoned pro gave Creamer a good fight but eventually gave up the second spot. The Suzuki rider then closed in on Natalie, and the two settled in for a hard-fought moto that gave the Pennsylvania crowds some exciting racing to watch.

Creamer inched closer to Natalie with every lap, until finally he passed the Can-Am rider on the tabletop coming out of the back section.

It seemed only a matter of time before Creamer would guide his Yoshimura LTR450 around Natalie, but the Iron Man defended his position well and refused to open the door to the points leader. Even if Natalie relented the moto 2 win to Creamer he could still leave Pleasure Valley with the overall. Still, a big crowd was on hand and clad in shirts plastered with the Can-Am rider's name, and he surely didn't want to disappoint.

Natalie managed to fend of the challenge from Creamer long enough that the two leaders developed an intense pace that separated them from the pack.

But Natalie slipped and opened the door for Creamer, who finally made his pass on the tabletop coming out of the back section. From there on, moto 2 became the Josh Creamer show. Still, Natalie hung on for second, which gave him the overall and Can-Am's first ATV motocross national overall win.

There was plenty of action going on behind the two leaders. Jeremy Lawson put his head down and drove through the pack to get past Wimmer and Upperman  to claim the third spot. Upperman finished the second moto in fourth with Wimmer in fifth.

Jeremy Lawson put his Walsh Racecraft Suzuki on the podium for the first time this season with two third-place finishes for third overall at the Pleasure Valley National.

Chad Wienen claimed the sixth spot in moto 2 following a disappointing DNF in the first moto after he blew out his rear shock. Wienen, also riding out of the Motoworks Can-Am semi, moved around several riders but still came away with just eleventh overall. Thomas Brown put his Yamaha in seventh place and was followed by Jeremy Warnia in eight. Patrick Brown and Cody Gibson rounded out the top 10 in moto 2.

Creamer may have won moto 2, but the weekend belonged to Natalie, who took his first overall win of the season and gave Can-Am their first overall win since entering the motocross foray three years ago. Ever outspoken, Natalie humbly summed up the win.

"The weekend went really well for me here at Pleasure Valley" Natalie said. "I was able to grab Can-Am's first ever win in front of these amazing fans."

Natalie gets a thumbs up from a fan congratulating him on the overall win at Pleasure Valley Raceway July 4.

The next round of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship series heads to New York and historic Unadilla. The current points standings: 1. Josh Creamer (356); 2. Dustin Wimmer (331); 3. John Natalie Jr (281); 4. Josh Upperman (259); 5. Chad Wienen (258); 6. Thomas Brown (233); 7. Jeremy Lawson (207); 8. Patrick Brown (180); 9. Jeremie Warnia (179); 10. Nick A. Denoble (146).

ATV MX Round 8 - Pleasure Valley

IRON MAN WINS BIG!

John Natalie Jr. finishes 1-2 at Pleasure Valley,
jumps into third in the championship chase

Photo by Matt Fredmonsky

Team Can-Am Motoworks' John Natalie Jr. took home the overall win at the Pleasure Valley Raceway ATV Pro MX National on Sunday as most of the rest of the nation celebrated our independence.

Natalie recorded 1-2 moto finishes under heavy pressure in both motos from the Yoshimura Rockstar Makita Suzuki duo of Dustin Wimmer and Josh Creamer.

Check back Monday for a full race report from both pro motos and some pro-am action from the Fourth of July race at PVR.

Photo by Matt Fredmonsky

Pennsylvania native John Natalie Jr. scored some well-deserved recognition at Pleasure Valley Raceway by taking home the pro ATV motocross overall in front of a big hometown crowd Sunday. Check back Monday for a full report from the weekend's pro motos.

ATV Motocross Returns for 2010

A winter's worth of preparation and angst will boil over this week as round one of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Motocross Championship kicks off at Millcreek raceway in Alabama.

The 2010 season is sure to look a lot different from last year, as The Great Recession continues to takes its toll on the sport. We'll also see some new faces, like rookie pro Cody Gibson, in the big show as old faces like the legend Doug Gust exit stage left into retirement and, hopefully, not into obscurity.

Racers who enjoyed factory support last year, including Pat Brown and Jeremy Lawson, will be on new machines for 2010 competing as privateers, though they won't be racing without help from the aftermarket. Lawson has returned to his Suzuki roots, and Brown will compete on a Honda. Suspension builders and engine tuners kept the sport alive during the 1990s, when the factories tucked tail and ran after the feds slapped them with CPSC rules stopping the manufacture of three wheelers and leading to the short-lived demise of sport quads.

Thankfully, Suzuki and Can-Am are still in the mix with factory rigs and paid riders. But the continued absence of Honda, with Kawasaki having bailed this year and Yamaha's dwindled support in the ATV motocross ranks, will surely give the nationals weekends a different feel.

Another positive note is the continued strength of the amateur ranks. The new crop of young riders continues to grow, and several hungry young guns wil roll into Alabama this coming weekend ready to compete for a title in 2010.

Riders like Hunter Skladzien, pictured at right on his DRR at an Ohio indoor race last month, are competing this year on finely tuned youth ATVs thanks to support from aftermarket companies like ATV Four Play and Capital Powder Coating. It's good to know no matter what happens behind the scenes with big sponsors, young riders will keep getting older and preparing for the day when the gate will drop and unleash them on their first pro moto.

The anticipation for this season to begin is likely mixed with a lot of anxiety for many pros and amateurs alike. I expect we're going to see a lot of separation in the pro motos. The big dogs like Chad Wienen, Dustin Wimmer and Josh Creamer, who are still getting paid to train and race on factory tuned quads, are likely to separate themselves from those who have been forced to return to their roots and privateer programs. Both groups are sure to create some interesting position battles as the 2010 season gets underway.

Uncertainty may loom for some, but the state of the sport is sure to create intense motos. What dramatic battles will unfold at Millcreek this weekend?

The moment we've all been waiting months for will arrive in just a few short days. Who will show up prepared? Who will leave disappointed? How will the story of the 2010 season begin? The answers to those questions will begin to reveal themselves in Alabama on Saturday and Sunday, as the roar of race quads arrives on the heels of springtime in the south. Here's to a new season of ATV motocross - here at last!

Summit Indoor Round II - Quads

Quad races heat up Summit Indoor Series

TPR again sponsored the Summit Indoor motocross series for round two in February. I spent most of the day Saturday trying to capture the quad racing action, but shooting fast action inside a dark building proved quite challenging for my little D300.

The racing was intense all weekend, as more than 200 racers showed up on Saturday alone. Each night averaged 40 motos, with more than 50 heats and conciliatory races taking place Saturday before the mains.

Quite a few KTM's were out in dominating fashion Saturday, but one fact surprised me. The TPR project YFZ450R was the only YFZR that showed up at Summit this year, and because I'm rehabbing a back injury it didn't make it on the track.

Scroll down the page for the rest of the pics. Look for a video from Saturday night's action this week.

Don't forget to check back for the video! I took more than 300 photos Saturday, so if you're not on here leave a comment with your quad make and model, number and color and I can dig through my archives to see if I shot you.