Loretta Lynn’s MX, Hurricane Mills, TN 2007
- Updated: August 12, 2007
By Lisa G
The final round of the ATVA MX Nationals came to an end this past weekend at legendary Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. In case you’ve never been there, temperatures and humidity levels are absolutely extreme, just surviving the weekend without a heat stroke is an accomplishment – winning two twenty minute motos, like Chad Wienen did, with several of the most physically fit ATV professionals in hot pursuit is extraordinary.
The final round attracted sixteen pro riders with the defending champion Joe Byrd hoping to make this his fifth year in a row for taking the win on his home turf Loretta Lynn’s playground. Although a long shot with Byrd’s impressive points lead, the championship could still be turned over to Jeremy Lawson but he would need Byrd to have some bad luck. Meanwhile Byrd would have to finish twelfth or worse overall for the day and Lawson win in order to lose the title. Also Suzuki’s Chad Wienen was ready to mingle in the pro class – making the finals all the more interesting.
Moto 1
Joe Byrd on his DASA built Honda 450R pulled the early lead. Harold Goodman was running in the second place position and Chad Wienen held on to third. It didn’t take Wienen long to move into the second position and close the gap on Byrd. Wienen did make the pass for the lead, but not in the heroic way that many of his fans would have liked. Instead he pulled ahead of Byrd when Byrd lost his head pipe over a jump in the back section. From then on, Wienen began to walk away and was untouchable all the way to the checkers. You might remember back to round two of the GNC Series earlier this year at Glen Helen. Then, while riding a Honda, Wienen had some motor problems shortly after passing Joe Byrd to take over the first place position, but this time out, after passing Byrd on his new Suzuki ride luck was on his side as he cruised through the checkers for the easy win.
Besides Wienen’s impressive ride, there was an even bigger story to tell. Now Byrd’s championship was at stake. As Byrd dropped back to last place while stopped in the mechanic’s area, Jeremy Lawson rose to the occasion, moved through the pack and was challenging Harold Goodman for the second place position! Lawson was almost pushing Goodman around the track but couldn’t seem to make a pass stick. After a double Lawson went to make the move and got himself tangled with Goodman. That move ended up taking him out of the running for the championship as not only did it take them awhile to get their race quads untangled, it took Lawson quite some time to get started again. At the end of the first moto Joe Byrd would now have a twenty nine point lead over the second place position of Jeremy Lawson — thus clinching the first-ever “AMA Pro ATV Championship”. Chad Wienen went on to take the first place position for the first moto, with Pat Brown in second and Keith Little rounding out the top three respectably.
Moto 2
Byrd’s money was already in the bank and the championship his. He could have sat out if he wanted. but how lame would that have been? Instead, after witnessing Wienen’s impressive moto one pace, he went to his not-so-good gate position ready to rumble in moto two. Wienen was probably anticipating the same thing. Because of Joe Byrd’s finish in the first moto he would be getting almost last gate pick, which actually made things all the more interesting for the many excited trackside onlookers eagerly awaiting the gate to drop. Speaking of the gate, Jamie Jones was on hand and held the thirty second board.
As Jamie ran to a safe place, the gate finally dropped and the duel was on. The number 44 Rockstar/Yoshimura/ Suzuki LTR 450 pulled its pilot Chad Wienen to the first corner first. Keith Little aboard his LSR Honda 450R dove into the two spot with Joe Byrd ducking into third. Pat Brown, who took second in the first moto and had the possibility of snatching his first GNC overall win was not looking too good as he started off in the back of the pack at the start of the race. Shortly after, Brown was towed off the track due to some technical problems with his quad. Meanwhile, Chad Wienen only put distance between himself and the second place rider now Joe Byrd. But with just a few laps to go Byrd woke up the crowd and turned on the heat! He steadily began to reel in Wienen, but he began the chase a little too late and was not able to make the pass. In the end Chad went 1-1 and took home the overall. Joe Byrd grabbed second place in moto two while Jeremy Lawson rounded out the top three. With two good motos to his credit, Keith Little was able to grab the second place overall position for the day, and Canadian Jasmin Plante was able to take his first US podium ever.
What’s More…
Angela Butler was able to take yet another win, and with it the Women’s Pro-Am championship title. Once again the title came down to the last round. Heather Byrd grabbed the holeshot while Angela hung back a bit at the beginning of the moto. It look as if it would be Byrd taking the championship but Butler turned it on in later laps, reeled her in and made the pass in true champion-style. Congratulations to Angela Butler on her eighth title and her first “AMA ATV Women’s Pro-AmChampionship”.
Clay Holmes took the win in Pro-Am ranks for the weekend and grabbed the title as well. Texan, Cody Miller grabbed second place for the day on his Yamaha YFZ 450. Cody was informed just before coming to Loretta’s that he would also be running the ATVA Invitational in Steel City. We want to wish him all the luck as he runs his first Pro race against the top twenty guys in the nation – and arguably the world. Nick DeNoble rode a strong race and rounded out the top three for the day in the Pro-Am class.
