Wienen Caps Off Championship-Winning ATVMX Season with Seventh Victory at Loretta Lynn’s Finale

photos by Ken Hill

The 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship, sanctioned by AMA (ATVMX), came to an exciting conclusion on Saturday as Mother Nature ultimately played the biggest role in the outcome of the ninth and final round of the season. Legendary Loretta Lynn’s Ranch was the site of the finale as the Can-Am ATV Dirt Days, which proved to be an exclamation point for the third-consecutive AMA Pro ATV title won by Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Yamaha’s Chad Wienen, who claimed his seventh win in nine rounds of competition.

Rain was intermittent throughout the afternoon in Tennessee, but enough moisture fell to make for extremely challenging conditions on the Loretta Lynn’s layout. The day began with a new name atop the practice charts, as Baldwin Motorsports/PEP/Upperman Racing Honda’s Josh Upperman claimed the ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award for the first time this season, the fourth different rider to do so. The opening moto wasn’t without some drama on the opening lap as Wienen put himself in control early, grabbing the SSi Decals Holeshot Award over Motosport.com/RRR/Ford/DWT/Walsh Honda’s John Natalie. Moments later Natalie made contact with Wienen while going for the lead, which forced his motorcycle to flip. Wienen emerged from the incident unscathed and just ahead of his Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Yamaha teammate Thomas Brown. Once out front, the Yamaha duo never looked back and maintained about a two-second gap over the field, while mere bike lengths separated them from one another. Brown kept his boss and mentor honest, but was unable to make a move. The action behind them, however, was exciting.

Upperman was able to parlay his top qualifying time into a third-place start, but he came under fire from JB Racing/DWT/Mtn. Dew Live Wire Can-Am’s Joel Hetrick and BCS Performance Can-Am’s Josh Creamer. Hetrick put the pressure on Upperman throughout the first four laps and on Lap 4, forced a mistake by the Honda rider which allowed Hetrick and Creamer to make the pass. With open track ahead of him, Hetrick was able to keep Creamer at bay. Wienen took the win by a little over a half second over Brown, with Hetrick a couple of seconds back in third. Creamer finished fourth with Upperman holding on to fifth. Track conditions for Moto 2 were the toughest they had been all afternoon and would prove to be the difference maker in the moto. Creamer was able to put his Can-Am into the lead out of the gate with the SSi Decals Holeshot Award, bringing JB Racing/Cheerwine Can-Am’s Jeffrey Rastrelli with him. Creamer opened a multiple second lead on the opening lap and as he looked to solidify himself into second, Rastrelli became one of the first victims of the muddy track, dropping to the tail end of the field.

Rastrelli’s misfortune allowed Wienen to assume second ahead of Brown, but neither had anything for Creamer. Behind the podium players, Natalie rebounded from his Moto 1 incident to battle Upperman for fourth. Creamer cruised to his first moto win in his final attempt, finishing over eight seconds ahead of Wienen and Brown. Natalie got the best of Upperman for fourth, making the pass with two laps remaining. Wienen’s 1-2 results were enough to ensure him of the overall win. The champ closed out the season with a five-race winning streak en route to the title and finished no worse than third in a single moto the entire season. Creamer’s triumphant effort in Moto 2 vaulted him to second overall (4-1), while Brown completed the overall podium in third (2-3).

“We definitely had our work cut out for us today with the weather, but it feels great to get another win to finish out the season,” said Wienen. “I just tried to stay out of trouble and no rider over my head. I was able to get good starts in each moto and that just made life a little easier in navigating through all the mud. I’m so happy to end the season with a win.” Wienen finished the 2014 season with a 91-point advantage over the AMA Pro ATV field. Despite a tough eighth-place finish in the final moto, Hetrick was able to hold on to second over Brown, who missed out putting Wienen Motorsports 1-2 in the final standings for the second straight season by just two points.

AMA Pro ATV Overall Results (Moto Finishes)

1. Chad Wienen, Galena, Illinois, Yamaha (1-2)
2. Josh Creamer, North Stonington, Connecticut, Can-Am (4-1)
3. Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha (2-3)
4. Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pennsylvania, Can-Am (3-8)
5. Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda (5-5)
6. Sean Taylor, Montezuma, Iowa, Honda (9-6)
7. Vital Cazenave, Union City, Tenn., Honda (8-7)
8. John Natalie, Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania, Honda (15-4)
9. Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Florida, Can-Am (6-12)
10. Joe Byrd, Union City, Tenn., Honda (7-13)

AMA Pro ATV Championship Final Standings

1. Chad Wienen, Galena, Illinois, Yamaha, 430
2. Joel Hetrick, Seneca, Pennsylvania, Can-Am, 339
3. Thomas Brown, Sanger, Texas, Yamaha, 337
4. John Natalie, Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania, Honda, 314
5. Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio, Honda, 298
6. Josh Creamer, North Stonington, Connecticut, Can-Am, 285
7. Jeffrey Rastrelli, Palm City, Florida, Can-Am, 244
8. Tyler Hamrick, Cortland, Ohio, Honda, 183
9. Sean Taylor, Montezuma, Iowa, Honda, 176
10. Ronnie Higgerson, Cutler, Illinois, Can-Am, 174

Specialty Awards

ATVRiders.com Top Qualifier Award – Josh Upperman

SSi Decals Holeshot Championship

1. John Natalie – 11 points
2. Josh Upperman – 8 points
3. Chad Wienen – 4 points
4. Josh Creamer – 4 points
5. David Haagsma – 2 points

Catch all nine rounds of AMA Pro ATV Class racing action on MAVTV. For more information on the series, visit www.atvmotocross.com and join the conversation on the series Facebook page or follow on Twitter @ATVMXdotcom and #ATVMX.

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