Hetrick Sweeps AMSOIL Spring ATVMX National at Muddy Creek Raceway
- Updated: May 3, 2013
by Danica Boehm
Hetrick swept the field at Muddy Creek MX
The chase for the 2013 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship, sanctioned by AMA, once again proved to be a season full of action as the AMSOIL Spring National headed to Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tenn. for Round 2 of the 10-race series. Youngster Joel Hetrick swept both motos of the weekend, closing the gap to only one point behind series points leader Chad Wienen.
Speed and consistency finally paid off for Corrosion Hetrick Racing’s Joel Hetrick, as he claimed his first overall win of the 2013 season. Hetrick put together two solid motos for the day, sweeping the overall against a stacked field of ATVMX Pros.
“I rode really smooth and was able to put a good distance between myself and the rest of the field early on. It took a lot of dedication to keep pushing each moto without pressure right behind me but I’m pumped for my first overall this season,” said Hetrick.
Series points leader Chad Wienen claimed the ATVRiders.com Fastest Qualifier Award in morning practice and set his Wienen Motorsports SSi Walsh Yamaha presented by Maxxis Tires & Team Vollmer machine up for first gate pick of the day.
Hetrick exploded off the starting gate in Moto 1 and never looked back, grabbing the SSi Decals Holeshot Award. It didn’t take long for Hetrick to pull a gap over the rest of the field, and by the end of the third lap he had pulled a ten second lead on second place.
Wienen and Brown had a crowd pleasing battle in Moto 1
Defending champ Chad Wienen didn’t get off to a desirable start and worked his way through the pack from the start. Wienen made his way up to the third place spot halfway through the moto, where he engaged in a heated battle with teammate Thomas Brown. Brown came out of the first turn in third and made the pass into second early on. The Wienen Motorsports duo continued to battle for half of the moto until Wienen made a pass for the second place position with one lap to go.
“I am pumped with the weekend’s race,” said Wienen. “I had a rough first moto and was able to regain myself after the half way point. I had an epic battle with Thomas and was able to make the pass with a lap to go.”
Baldwin Motorsports PEP Upperman Racing’s Josh Upperman came out of the first turn in third and was able to work his way into second place before the end of lap one. After he battled with both Brown and Wienen, the Ohio native found himself back in fourth, where he was able to ride a comfortable pace although he was unable to catch the top three.
Veteran John Natalie grabbed a top ten start aboard his MotoSport.com Motoworks DWT machine and had to battle his way through the pack for a majority of the moto. Natalie worked his way into the fifth place position before he went across the checkered flags.
Hetrick won both SSi Decals Holeshot AwardsHetrick won both SSi Decals Holeshot Awards
“I didn’t get the greatest of starts and I knew I had to stay consistent in order to salvage as many points as I could. We missed our set up a little but I’m happy with my finish and am ready to head to round three,” said Natalie.
Josh Creamer was able to salvage a sixth place finish after he had a bad start off the gate and found himself in the back of the field. “I didn’t get the start I was looking for at all but I had to ride really smart to work my way through the field and make passes as there were limited places to pass out on the track,” said Creamer.
Rookies Casey Martin and Ronnie Higgerson made a name for themselves after Martin came charging out of the first turn in second place and Higgerson rode a smooth moto to finish in the tenth place position.
The sun came out for Moto 2 and it was once again Pennsylvania native Joel Hetrick who snagged the SSi Decals Holeshot Award. With a clear field ahead, Hetrick put his head down and went to work. With only a little pressure early on the Hetrick Racing rider was able to maintain a steady pace and make a comfortable gap between him and the rest of the field, securing the Moto 2 win and his first overall win for the 2013 season.
Wienen applied pressure to Hetrick early on in Moto 2 but was unable to match the speed of Hetrick’s number 88 machine, remaining in the second place position. Josh Creamer had a better start in moto two coming out in the top three. Creamer was able to tighten the gap on the second place position but settled into third place and finished out the race in fourth.
2011 Champion John Natalie and Thomas Brown came out of the first turn in the fourth and fifth place positions. After an intense battle in the first few laps, Brown was able to move into the fourth place position but it wasn’t until Natalie made a mistake that Brown was able to gain a comfortable lead on the veteran.
“I was able to make it through the first turn with a decent start and held my ground to finish in the fourth place position. I’m pumped to be up on the box again and looking to make my way higher up on the podium next round,” said Brown.
Veteran Joe Byrd and Never Sleep Designs Vechery Racing’s rookie Tim Dettling battled the entire moto for the sixth place position. Resurging the 40-year-old aboard his Joe Byrd Quad Riding School machine, the rookie was unable to make the pass for the position on the two-time national champion. The seventh place position was Dettling’s pro career best finish so far this season.
Hetrick, Wienen and Brown took the podium at Rd. 2
AMA Pro ATV Results
1. Joel Hetrick (HON)
2. Chad Wienen (YAM)
3. Thomas Brown (YAM)
4. Josh Creamer (CAN)
5. John Natalie (HON)
6. Josh Upperman (HON)
7. Joe Byrd (HON)
8. Jeffrey Rastrelli (CAN)
9. Tim Dettling (HON)
10. Ronnie Higgerson (CAN)
AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings
1. Chad Wienen (86) 2. Joel Hetrick (85) 3. Thomas Brown (78) 4. Josh Creamer (75) 5. Josh Upperman (70) 6. Joe Byrd (57) 7. John Natalie (56) 8. Jeffrey Rastrelli (46) 9. Nick Denoble (45) 10. Ronnie Higgerson (34)
