Jeremy Lawson simply won’t
give up in his bid for the 2007 ITP/Moose Racing ATVA MX
Series Championship. The Battletown, Kentucky-based
Honda rider was ready to do battle as the AMA Pro ATV
competitors took to the legendary hills of High Point
Raceway in Western Pennsylvania, and he did, taking 2-1
moto scores to edge defending ATVA MX Champion Joe Byrd
for the overall win. Lawson remains just 12 points
behind Byrd in the series’ standings after his third win
of the season.
The track and weather
conditions could not have been better for the 14th
annual ATV Stampede at High Point. The track is the same
one that hosted the AMA Toyota Motocross Nationals
presented by FMF a month ago, where Ricky Carmichael and
James Stewart did battle. The ATVs impressed, turning
lap times in the same league as the bikes. During
Saturday’s timed qualifying, Lawson was blazing fast,
turning a 1:56.079, with Pat Brown right behind with a
1:56.351 and Byrd third with a 1:57.822.
Byrd grabbed yet another
ATVRiders.com holeshot in the first moto at noon on
Sunday, with Brown in second and Lawson making quick
passes to get to third. Brown had the speed this time,
and he challenged Byrd for the lead. The veteran
wouldn’t give any ground, though, and Brown’s repeated
pass attempts didn’t result in a position change. The
battle kept heating up, until Brown run into the back of
Byrd, causing a bottleneck with Brown stalling his bike.
This let Lawson sneak around, with Brown getting moving
again in third.
Now in second, it was Lawson’s turn
to pull right behind Byrd, and he tried multiple lines
to get passed. This battle allowed Brown to pull close,
until about half way when he seemed to run out of
energy.
In a dramatic close to the moto,
Lawson tried one last time to pass Byrd on the straight
before the finish. He pulled up beside him to create a
big drag race to the line, but Byrd hung tough for the
moto win.
Brown grabbed the ATVRiders.com
holeshot in moto two, with Lawson and Byrd right behind.
Local favorite and veteran Shane Hitt was in fourth
early, ahead of Michael Brown. Lawson wasn’t wasting
time, and he immediately passed Brown and began to pull
away. Byrd tried everything possible to get around
Brown, but he got hit in the collarbone by a rock and
had to slow up and regroup.
Lawson had already checked out by the
time Byrd got moving again, running incredible lap
times, including the fastest of the day with a 1:53.696.
Byrd was on a mission, too, and he passed Brown on lap
nine to take second. The battle for fourth was just as
close as the battle for second, as Michael Brown would
stick his nose in on Shane Hitt several times but could
not pass him. They ended the moto separated by less than
a second at the finish.
Byrd leaves with his points lead, and
also an ATVRiders.com Holeshot award to add to his
collection. Pat Brown also grabbed a holeshot, while
Lawson won the top qualifier award, and Paul Turner won
the Mechanic of the Race Award.
ITP/Moose ATVA National MX
Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited
AMA Pro ATV
ATV Stampede, High Point Raceway
Mount Morris, PA
June 17, 2007
Overall
1. Jeremy Lawson 2-1
2. Joe Byrd 1-2
3. Pat Brown 3-3
4. Justin Bress 4-6
5. Michael Brown 6-5
6. Shane Hitt 9-4
7. Chris Tait 5-7
8. Sage Baker 8-8
9. Justin Bush 7-9
AMA Pro ATV MX Series Standings
-
Joe Byrd (348/4 wins)
-
Jeremy Lawson (336/3 wins)
-
Pat Brown (259)
-
Michael Brown (180)
-
Dustin Wimmer (141/1 win)
-
Justin Bres (171)
-
Doug Gust 136
-
Alex Trompen (122)
-
Dustin Wimmer (141/1 win)
-
Doug Gust (136)
AMA Pro ATV Manufacturer Cup
Standings
-
Honda
-
Suzuki
-
Yamaha
-
Kawasaki
The ITP/Moose AMA Pro ATV National
Championship presented by Parts Unlimited continues with
the ATV Summer Nationals at Muddy Creek Raceway in
Blountville, Tennessee on June 30 and July 1.
About the AMA ITP/Moose ATV
National Motocross Championship Series Presented by
Parts Unlimited:
Sanctioned by the AMA and ATVA, the
nation’s premier amateur and professional ATV motocross
series is hosted by many of America’s premier motocross
facilities. The 12-round series approaches its 21st
season with the Pro class newly under the wing of AMA
Pro Racing. The 2006 series hosted over 8,000 entrants,
making it America’s largest, as well as its longest
running, ATV National Motocross series. Series sponsors
include title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and
presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited. Premiere and Feature
sponsors include ATV Sport, Moto Tees, Scott USA, Maxxis
Tires, Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four.
Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers,
Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing. Media partners include
ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.
About AMA Racing:
AMA Racing is the competition arm of
the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading
sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United
States. Its professional properties include the
Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross
Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship
presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship
presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality
Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto
Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In
amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions
over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and
supports over 110 thousand active members. For more
information about professional racing, visit
www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media
outlets can also access an on line Press Room at
www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For
amateur racing information visit
www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.
About the ATVA:
The ATV Association (“ATVA”) is the
official sanctioning body of the amateur divisions of
the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship
Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000 member
ATVA is the sister organization of the 260,000 member
American Motorcyclist Association (“AMA”). ATV racing
has experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in
the past two years alone, and continues to gain momentum
and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually.
Each round attracts 600-700 racers who compete for
bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national titles.
For more information about ATVA, visit
www.atvaonline.com.
About the ATVPG:
The ATVPG is comprised of the 12
individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV
National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts
Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness
of ATV motocross through the production of professional
and amateur championship racing events. For more
information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events
they produce, go to
www.atvmotocross.com.