Can-Am Teammates Dominate at Spring Creek MX

Warm temperatures and sunny blue skies surrounded round 7 of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series presented by DWT, as the series headed to Spring Creek MX in Millville, Minn. this weekend. Challenging track conditions made for an exciting day of racing as the top ATV racers in the country battled for the overall win.

Joel Hetrick shot off the start to grab the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award in moto one, barely edging out Jannsen Motorsports rider Nick DeNoble. Motoworks Can-Am pilot Chad Wienen, the fastest qualifier of the day, got a mid-pack start, forcing him to work his way through the pack early on. Hetrick held John Natalie off for about five laps until the rookie appeared to get a little winded. Natalie took over the lead and for the remainder of the race focused on holding his teammate Wienen off. Wienen had Millville’s famous “whoop monster” whoop section down, gaining time each lap.

The Motoworks Can-Am duo of John Natalie and Chad Wienen proved unbeatable the Spring Creek MX.

Joel Hetrick won both holeshots and looked to be on his way to a fantastic weekend before crashing in the second moto.

“The whoops started to get tough as the race went on but I was able to find a faster pace through them and I think I definitely gained some time through there,” says Wienen. “I had to work my way up to John [Natalie] and a little past the halfway point I tried a couple different lines, I tried to mirror him a couple times and then tried to swing around him one lap but he was protecting his lines pretty well.”

Walsh Race Craft Suzuki‘s Jeremy Lawson appeared to be one of the stronger riders on the rough track as he continuously charged throughout the entire moto. Lawson got off to a rough start but quickly picked off riders, eventually making his way to the fourth place machine of Josh Upperman. Lawson passed Upperman on the last lap to claim a fourth place finish in moto two.

Hetrick was on fire aboard his Makson Construction Hetrick Motorsports Honda machine, grabbing the SSiDecals.com Holeshot Award once again in moto two. Wienen immediately took over the lead on the first lap and never looked back. Hetrick began the race strong once again, but faded back by mid-moto. Natalie made his way around Hetrick for third just before the rookie fell victim to the “whoop monster.” Hetrick swapped sideways through the whoop section and after taking a lap to restart his machine after crashing, Hetrick was no longer in contention for an overall.

On the last lap before the downhill drop-off, Natalie charged up the hill to the inside of Ballance Racing’s Thomas Brown, making the move for second as Brown was put to a standstill. Lawson finished in fourth behind Brown in moto two, going 4-4 for the day to capture third overall. Brown nabbed the fourth overall and Josh Upperman rounded out the top five. Chad Wienen took home the overall win with a 2-1, extending his point lead to ten over teammate John Natalie, who went 1-2 for second overall.

The AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series heads to Sunday Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio, July 2 and 3.