Can-Am Race Report: ATVMX Round 6

Can-Am DS 450 ATV racers fought through muddy conditions and a tight course to earn three class podium finishes at round six of the 2013 AMA Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series in Virginia.

In the ATV Pro class, BCS Performance / Can-Am racer Josh Creamer and Jeff Rastrelli finished sixth and seventh overall, respectively.

“Round six of the AMA ATV motocross series in Virginia, was another rain-soaked event with a very tight track. The key was grabbing the holeshot and, unfortunately our racers didn’t get the best of starts at this round. Can-Am DS 450 Pro Josh Creamer and his team unfortunately missed the set-up in moto one, but overcame two mid-pack starts to capture sixth place overall,” says Jimmie O’Dell, race manager, Can-Am. “Fellow Can-Am Pro racer Jeffrey Rastrelli had his best Pro career finish, posting 7-8 moto finishes for seventh overall.”

Creamer, who opted for a larger rear tire setup due to the muddy conditions, battled setup issues in moto one. After coming out of the gate in fourth, the former ATV Motocross national champion started to fall back as the track and traction improved and the taller tires slowed him down. The veteran racer, after falling back to seventh, gave it one final push on the final few laps to finish sixth. Creamer (BCS Performance / ITP) switched back to his normal setup and a smaller rear motocross tire for the second moto, but this time was hampered by a mid-pack start. Laps one through seven, Creamer trudged his way in sixth place. He moved into fifth place a lap later and then rode out the remainder of the race in that position. His 6-5 moto score was good for sixth overall.

“It has rained here for days and Birch Creek was a complete mess. The crew and promoter have done a great job making everything the best it could be with the conditions, but the track was really narrow and hard to pass,” says Creamer, who currently holds third place in the Pro class points race. “I made a mistake using my larger tires in moto one and then switched it up for the moto two. I struggled all of moto one. In moto two, I charged hard and just wasn’t able to make anything of it. The track was hard to race on.”

JB Racing / Can-Am DS 450 rider Rastrelli was pleased with career-best seventh place finish in the Pro class. Rastrelli came out of the gate in the middle of the pack and was a possible contender for a top-five finish early on in the moto. However, Rastrelli dropped off the pace and briefly fell to eighth place. The young racer rallied to pass one racer and scored a seventh place finish. In moto two, Rastrelli and another rider connected to slow his run out of the gate. As he tried to recover, Rastrelli crashed and was left to play catch up. He was 16th after the first lap. By the time the white flag flew, he had passed eight other racers to move into eighth place. Despite the poor luck in moto two, Rastrelli displayed plenty of confidence after his 7-8 moto results earned him his best finish ever.

“My Can-Am was working great. It really gets better every race. The handling was flawless,” says Rastrelli. “The track was actually really good for the soggy conditions, but I would like to see a dry race soon.”

Pro-Am class racer Nick Gennusa (BCS Performance / Can-Am) recorded sixth place in the Pro-Am class at round six. He also took second place in the Open A class to continue his stronghold of the class points lead. Fellow Can-Am Pro-Am racer Ronnie Higgerson finished eighth place on his DS 450.

The two other Can-Am racers to earn podiums at Birch Creek MX were Nicole Gates (2nd, Women’s) and Clayton Coad (3rd, 450 B).