Posted May 1, 2007

Byrd Wins a Three-Way Thriller at ATVA National MX in Virginia

Defending ATVA ITP/Moose Racing National Motocross Champion Joe Byrd took another AMA Pro ATV win at Birch Creek MX Park in Danville, Virginia, on April 29, but this one wasn’t easy.

The Honda-backed Byrd (#7) dealt with heavy pressure in both motos from Yamaha’s Pat Brown (#199) and Honda-mounted Jeremy Lawson (#16), winning the first moto over Lawson by just two-tenths of a second, and the second by just a few bike lengths.

The action kept the sizeable crowd on hand thrilled until the last second of each race.

The Birch Creek track lent itself to great racing, especially for the AMA Pro ATV class, as the riders tackled a special pro-only section featuring deep whoops and a step-up tabletop that measured nearly 120 feet in distance. Brown nailed the big jump cleanly on his YFZ450 to collect the fastest lap time under electronic transponder scoring in Saturday's practice.

Byrd collected the ATVRiders.com holeshot in moto one, but Lawson and Brown were right behind him.

In an amazing battle, the top three passed each other five times in the first half of the race. Brown eventually crashed in a whoop section, but Lawson stayed glued to Byrd right until the final lap. He made a last-turn pass attempt but could not make it stick, finishing just two-tenths of a second short of Byrd. Michael Brown took third in the moto.

Byrd snagged the ATVRiders.com holeshot again in moto two, with Pat Brown and Lawson right behind him again. Lawson passed Brown for second and moved in on Byrd. Lawson tried several passes for the next seven laps, but could not make any stick. With three laps to go, Brown took advantage of the dueling and passed Lawson back, setting his sights on Byrd.

Lawson tried a pass on the final lap, but Byrd did all he could to block him. Brown ended up getting Lawson back on the final lap to take second, with Lawson third.

Upstart privateer Michael Brown (#36) of Bullville, New York, took fourth in the moto, which gave him third overall, his first podium of the season.

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