Round 11 GNC-MX Nationals
Photos by Digital 219
Jones Untouchable in Illinois MX Action
July 21, 2006 – Jeremiah Jones (#2, above) of Bowling Green, Kentucky, blasted his Suzuki/Yoshimura LT-R450 to the front and led from start to finish in both motos at the Sunset Ridge MX facility in Walnut, Illinois, July 15-16.
Promoters Amy and Tim Ritchie knew that Sunset Ridge MX would be an excellent track for an ATVA ITP/Moose Grand National Championship Motocross Series race. Sunset Ridge is very ATV friendly with a wide track, high-banked turns, split lanes, and good soil. It all made for some very fun and exciting racing.
Local fan support was fantastic as ATV race fans filled the track spectating areas to watch the best in ATV racing, from the 50cc youth classes to the best Pros in the world.
The weather in the high 90s Sunday was just as hot as the racing.
Missing
from the race lineup was John Natalie (#13, left) of Houtzdale, Pennsylvania.
Natalie, who had surgery to repair an injured wrist, stepped up the microphone
and helped series announcing Rodney Tomblin call the action. Natalie did a great
job, adding his personal insight to all the action on the track.
In the first Pro moto, the quickest out of the starting gate was Harold Goodman (#708) of Romulus, Michigan. Right on his rear grab bar were four of the fastest Pro racers on the planet with Jones second, Doug Gust (#55) of Salem, Wisconsin, third, Travis Spader (#30) of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, fourth and Pat Brown (#199) of Pittstown, New Jersey fifth.
Jones took a few laps to size up Goodman before moving into first. Then Gust passed Goodman to make it Team Suzuki/Yoshimura in the first and second spots.
There
was no love lost between the two Suzuki teammates as they battled lap after lap.
If Jones took the outside line, Gust took the inside. The crowd was going nuts
as the lead switched back and forth several times, even during the same lap!
Gust, who has been racing all year without a single mechanical problem, with only a few laps to the checkered flag saw his charge come to a halt. As he launched off a large table top, his engine quit. As the ATV started to take a nose dive, Gust was doing everything he could but a crash landing was inevitable, sending him and his ATV to the sidelines.
Back in the pack, mechanical problems brought Goodman in third to a halt.
Joe
Byrd (#7, left) of Union City, Tennessee, who was sixth at the start, stayed
smooth and consistent as he passed the few riders in front of him. But Byrd was
having his own mechanical problems, as his engine blew smoke and antifreeze as
he moved into second. Would the ATV stay running with just two laps to go?
Jones, with big lead, was first to the checkered flag. Byrd kept it running and grabbed second, Spader was third, Brown fourth and Chad Wienen of Galena, Illinois, was fifth.
While Pro riders were signing autographs for their fans between motos, many mechanics were changing engines because of mechanical problems.
Jones knew what he had to do in the second moto and blew everyone away. He took the holeshot and led the pack for the entire moto, without a single challenger.
The second moto finish was Jones first, then Byrd, Wienen, Cramer and Spader.
For
the overall it was easy to score: first was Jones with a 1-1, Byrd’s 2-2 gave
him second and Wienen with 5-3 was third.
With Jones’ win this tightens up the chase for the national championship. Byrd is currently still in first place with 246 points. Jones has moved into second with 219. Gust is third at 217, Natalie fourth with 202 and Keith Little (#12) is in fifth with 174.