Creamer wins ATV MX title

SUZUKI'S JOSH CREAMER TAKES HIS FIRST ATV NATIONAL MX TITLE

The No. 9 Suzuki rider claimed his first ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV National Motocross Championship title Sunday at the 2010 series finale at Loretta Lynn's.

The no. 9 will be wearing the no. 1 plate in next year's AMA/ATV pro motocross class.

A line of severe thunderstorms swept through the Midwest Saturday, wreaking havoc on the track. Loretta Lynn's ranch lost power and the motocross track had become a mud pit by the time the storms cleared out late Saturday. The bad weather canceled races and pro practice Saturday and resulted in a one-moto pro format set for Sunday. As a result, the standard points format gave Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Josh Creamer the pro ATV motocross championship with his current points lead over teammate and second in the points chase Dustin Wimmer.

The title comes after a season of dominating racing by Creamer, who was racing a Suzuki LTR450 for the first time in his professional career.

ATV MX Round 9 - Unadilla

Creamer Moves Closer to Championship
with Win at Unadilla

Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's new recruit this year looks to be securing his first-ever pro ATV motocross championship.

Josh Creamer took the overall win at Unadilla in Berlin, N.Y., this weekend and extended his points leader over teammate Dustin Wimmer to 30 points with just two rounds left in the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship.

For a full report from Unadilla, read Christa Watson's race recap.

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).

PVR - Pro ATV Moto 1

Natalie fights off Wimmer for win 

John Natalie, Jr., ripped the holeshot on his Team Motoworks Can-Am DS450 in the first pro ATV moto at Pleasure Valley Raceway Sunday and tried hard not to look back.

Natalie had to contend with pressure from Rockstar Yoshimura Makita Suzuki's Dustin Wimmer, who stayed close to the Can-Am rider early on. Wimmer settled in to Natalie's pace for several laps before making one last push to close the gap, but the defending champ couldn't get around the Iron Man.

Natalie's moto 1 win came on the heels of a third-place finish in moto 2 at the last round in Millville, Mn.

The win did not come easy for Natalie. He had to fight hard and maintain a grueling pace as the track only got hotter and dustier. Wimmer kept Natalie in reach for most of the moto, but by the end he couldn't pull the trigger.

Natalie and Wimmer weren't the only two battling hard for position, whether that battle was to maintain a spot or pass several riders.

Jeremy Lawson moved up through the pack passing several riders, including Joe Byrd, who finished in fifth. Lawson punished his Walsh Racecraft LTR450 throughout the first moto, and it held up to give him a solid third place finish, which tied his best of the season so far.

Rockstar Yoshimura Makita Suzuki's Josh Creamer, the points leader heading in to Pleasure Valley, put in a respectable effort to maintain points in moto 1. Creamer finished fourth behind Lawson.

The number nine seemed to be holding back in moto 1 with only a fourth place finish, and that became more evident as he unleashed the speed in dominating fashion in moto 2.

Creamer rode smart and didn't take his chances. Pleasure Valley only provided a few opportunities for for the quad racers to make any passes, and those who could pass took advantage in moto 1.  

Mushin Racing's Thomas Brown moved his Yamaha YFZ450R through the pack as well, and he even put a textbook pass on teammate Cody Gibson in the same off-camber corner where Wimmer came close to passing Natalie several times.

Gibson didn't relent easily. He hung tight on Brown's rear wheels but couldn't retake the position and eventually faded. Still, it proved one of the young  rookie's best showings so far this year, as Brown finished in eight and Gibson took home ninth place.

The French Can-Am rider, Jeremy Warnia, took home sixth place ahead of Balwin Motorsports' Josh Upperman, who finished in seventh place in moto 1.

Pat Brown rounded out the top 10 in moto 1 on his Yoshimura and Lonestar backed Honda.  Harold Goodman, Cody Grant, Keith Little and Brian Baragnwanath rounded out the first pro moto, which only saw 15 pros leave the gate at PVR. The big dissapointment in moto 1 was Chad Wienen, who destroyed a Fox Podium X rear shock and ended with a DNF.

Dustin Wimmer pushed his Suzuki hard to try and catch the leader and eventual winner of moto 1, John Natalie, Jr......

....but Natalie pushed his Can-Am even harder to take the moto 1 win. "Dustin Wimmer and I had a really good battle the whole race, but I came across the finish line first," Natalie said.

Check back Tuesday for coverage of moto 2 and more photos from the weekend at PVR.

Sponsor news - Maxxis

Maxxis tires claim two spots on

ATV MX Muddy Creek podium

Team Rockstar/Makita/Suzuki dominated the latest round of the ATV Pro Motocross Nationals, with a victory for Josh Creamer and third place for Dustin Wimmer. Round 7 was held June 20 in Blountville , Tennessee.

Creamer took second place in both motos for the overall win, his third in a row. Yellow-label Razr MX rear and Razr Cross front tires helped him overcome a last-place start in Moto 1. “The track was pretty hard and slick everywhere and the tires hooked up well, just like the whole bike. The tires really helped me hang my lines to get by everyone in that first moto,” Creamer said.

Like his teammate, Wimmer turned in an outstanding performance at Round 7, winning both Moto 2 and the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award. With 313 points, Creamer leads the race for the championship, followed by Wimmer, who has racked up 293.

Also riding Razrs, Walsh Race Craft’s Jeremy Lawson took fifth place overall. Riders on Maxxis took two spots on the Pro Am Production podium: Joel Hetrick earned second place, and Casey Martin grabbed third. Hetrick and Martin are also second and third in points for their class.

Maxxis congratulates Josh Creamer on his latest victory and thanks all of its riders for their fine performances.

ATV MX Round 7 - Muddy Creek

Creamer's win streak at 3

Suzuki's No. 9 extends points lead

Josh Creamer extended his win streak to three and extended his points lead in the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship to 20 points over teammate Dustin Wimmer during Sunday's pro motos at the Muddy Creek National in Blountville, Tn.

Team Motoworks/Can-Am's Chad Wienen grabbed a moto win and left Muddy Creek with second overall. Wienen is sitting in third in the points chase with just four rounds to go.

Check out Christa Watson's full race report from this weekend's ATV MX national.

ATV MX Round 6 - Spring Creek

Creamer wins; Wienen takes second overall


We stand corrected here at TPR Quad Promotions. Team Motoworks/Can-Am rider Chad Wienen rose to the challenge at the Spring Creek National to grab two second-place finishes for the second overall behind the weekend's big winner, Yoshimura Suzuki's Josh Creamer.

Just hours before the first pro moto launched off the gate we posted the below editorial pondering Wienen's season and whether or not he could live up to the hype. Well, he closed the gap and moved into fifth in the points battle with five rounds left in the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship.

Check out Christa Watson's race report for the full details from Spring Creek.

ATVision - Motosode 3 Birch Creek

Check out the video report from round three at the Birch Creek AMA ATV Motocross National by ATVision. Congratulations to Yamaha/Mushin Racing's Thomas Brown, who snagged third overall for his first podium appearance as a pro ATV motocross racer. The series goes to Illinois next weekend, May 15, where Team Motoworks/Can-Am's Chad Wienen will be competing in his back yard. Let's see if home track advantage spells a win for Wienen.

ATV MX Round 3

Creamer takes win, points lead from Wimmer

Yoshimura Suzuki's Josh Creamer took his second overall win Sunday at the Birch Creek ATV MX national, round three of the ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Championship. The win also puts creamer on top of the points battle with 131, just two points ahead of his teammate and defending champ Dustin Wimmer.

Click on the link to read Rachel Fluharty's full race report.

Sponsor news - Maxxis ATV motocross

Maxxis 1-2 at Ballance MX

Maxxis took the top two spots on the podium at Round 2 of the ATV Motocross Championship series. A decisive victory in the second moto gave Josh Creamer the win, while Dustin Wimmer took second place. The Ballance ATV MX was held April 17-18 in Bowling Green , Kentucky .

Creamer turned in a strong performance at Moto 1, posting the fastest lap time and crossing the finish line less than one second behind the lead rider. He took the Moto 2 holeshot and then lost the lead for a few laps, but ended up in the front position for good halfway through the race.

Wimmer took third place in the first moto and fourth in the second, earning second place for the weekend. He holds a lead in the overall standings, with Creamer in second place.

Walsh Race Craft’s Jeremy Lawson scored a place in the top ten at Round 2, finishing seventh. Lawson is eighth in the overall standings.

The top of the Pro Am podium also belonged to Maxxis at the Ballance ATV MX, with a victory for Joel Hetrick. Hetrick set the fastest lap time on the amateur track Saturday, and came back and set the third fastest lap time on the Pro track the following day. “Setting the third fastest lap time was a big deal to me. However, I’m always looking to improve my game, so I hope to get the fastest lap time in Round 3,” he said.

Maxxis congratulates Josh Creamer and Joel Hetrick and thanks all of its riders for their fine performances.

ATV MX Round 2 - Ballance Moto X

Creamer Takes Win at Round Two

Yoshimura Suzuki rider Josh Creamer has adapted quickly to his new ride this year by winning his first overall on his LTR450 at just the second round of the ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV MX Championship, presented by Parts Unlimited.

"I got great holeshots, and the Rockstar Makita Suzuki was working fantastic," Creamer said.

Creamer is now just four points behind his teammate and defending champion Dustin Wimmer in the points battle.

Click here to read the full race report.

ATV MX Round Two - Ballance Moto X preview

Pro quads storm into Kentucky this weekend

The big show returns this weekend after taking Easter off, as pro ATV motocross hits the Blue Grass state for a weekend of fast action at Ballance Moto X raceway in Bowling Green, Ky.

Defending champ Dustin Wimmer dominated the season opener at Millcreek in March by winning both pro motos for the overall. It was just another day at the office, as no other pros had anything for Wimmer in Alabama. "I'm out here to win, what can I say?" Wimmer said after winning round one.

Wimmer's former teammate, Can-Am/Motoworks rider Chad Wienen, left Alabama with a second overall and sits 12 points behind the defending champ after one round. Just one point behind Wienen, third in the points chase, is Baldwin Motorsports rider Josh Upperman. Yoshimura/Suzuki's newest recruit, Josh Creamer, put in a solid finish on his new ride at round one and took third overall. Creamer is tied in points with Upperman for third. Rounding out the top five is the Ironman, Can-Am/Motoworks' John Natalie.

Creamer, Wimmer and Wienen celebrate on the pro podium at Millcreek. Rachel Fluharty photo

Check out ATVMotocross.com this weekend for live scoring and race results.

Before and After ... Suzuki and Kawasaki

'Greener' pastures for former Kawasaki riders

The demise of Team Kawasaki's ATV motocross support has yielded positive results for at least three riders who saw great success piloting KFX450R quads last season. Chad Wienen, Josh Creamer and pro rookie Cody Gibson are all on strong teams for 2010, but Creamer and Gibson share one thing in common. They will both compete on Suzuki LTR450's this year. Wienen took a tour of duty with the Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura team in 2008 with mixed results. Can the LTR yield a championship for one of the former Kawasaki stars?

Before...

Cody Gibson dominated the Pro-am ranks last season on a Kawasaki KFX450R by winning both Pro-am titles. The young rider looked to have a spot all but wrapped up with Team Kawasaki before the factory pulled all its ATV support.

 ...After

Gibson will enter his rookie year in the Pro class on a Mushin Racing LTR450. Look for Gibson to be a threat if he has improved his endurance during the off season. Check out the  Mushin Racing team  announcement at ATVRiders.com.

Before...

Josh Creamer developed the KFX450R into a contender as the now defunct Team Kawasaki's longest supported pro rider. Creamer lost his green ride when Kawasaki pulled its funding for ATV motocross last fall.

...After

Fans of number 9 got a treat this week when Creamer posted some pics of him training on his new Rockstar/Makita/Yoshimura LTR450 in Florida on his Facebook page. If Suzuki can build him a DNF-free quad like they have for Dustin Wimmer and Doug Gust, then expect Creamer to be on the podium a lot. Check out Josh Creamer's profile at SuzukiCycles.com.