Team ITP MX Racers Win Six Classes in Virginia
OutdoorHub 06.11.13
Fifteen Podiums Earned at Round Six of 2013 Mtn. Dew ATV MX Series
Team ITP racers won six classes and earned 15 podium finishes at round six of the 2013 AMA Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series held in Virginia. Saturday, June 8, ITP Pro class racers Josh Creamer and Jeffrey Rastrelli finished sixth and seventh, respectively, on a rough, wet Birch Creek Motocross track. ITP racer William Lloyd earned third place in the Pro-Am class podium Sunday.
“Despite the less-than-ideal racing conditions, our team of ITP racers did well at round six of the AMA motocross series by winning six classes, earning a Pro-Am class podium and having 15 total class podium finishes,” said Pat McGuire, Public Relations / Race Support. “We won four classes in the youth ranks, led by Noah Mickelson’s two wins, and also had victories from age-class racers William Lloyd and Dalton Hicks.”
Round six of the 2013 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series, which also served as the Bob “Smitty” Smith Memorial Race, was soaked by rain prior to the event. The rain and overcast skies didn’t let up until just before the Pro class racing on Saturday afternoon.
In Pro-Am class action, Lloyd (JB Racing / ITP) led the way with is third-place finish. The podium finish pushed him to third in the class standings. He also won the Junior 25 Plus class using his ITP tires to extend his class points lead.
Dalton “Bubba” Hicks of Root River Racing / ITP won the 450 A class and took sixth in the Production A ranks and is the points leader in both classes. Noah Mickelson won both the 90 Open class and the Super-Mini (13-15) class in Virginia. The young Root River Racing / ITP-supported racer now leads the 90 Open class in points and in third in the other class.
Maddison Guyer competed in three classes at round six using ITP tires. With a 1-1 moto sweep, she won the Girls (12-15) class for the fourth time and is the current points leader. The final ITP racer to notch a class overall win was Brogan Guyer, who won the 90 CVT (8-15) class. He’s currently three points behind the points leader in third place in the point standings, but has the most victories – three – of any racer in the 90 CVT (8-15) class.
ITP youth racer Haedyn Mickelson earned second place in two classes at round six. Haedyn Mickelson is the points leader in both the Schoolboy Sr. 14-17 and Schoolboy Jr. 13-15 classes. Other ITP team racers to earn podiums in Virginia, were Brent Sellers (2nd, Production A), Dylan Tremellen (3rd in both 4-Stroke A, Production A), Mike Barnhardt (2nd, Vet 30+), Megan Manshack (3rd, Women’s) and Blake Sarver (2nd, Schoolboy Jr. 13-15).
ITP Pro class racers Josh Creamer (BCS Performance) and Jeffrey Rastrelli (JB Racing) each earned a top 10 finish at round seven. Creamer posted a sixth-place finish in moto one and fifth in the second moto to earn sixth overall. Creamer said he selected the wrong tire size for the conditions in moto one and a very narrow track hurt his chances to compete for a podium at round seven.
“There weren’t a lot of places to make a pass in moto two, but I knew I had the speed to get into the top five and really had to work hard to get up there,” said Creamer. “I was really hoping to find the box this round, but I’m going to come out swinging next round and make my way to the top of the box,”
While Creamer was disappointed, Rastrelli had a more positive view of his career-best seventh place finish. The young ITP Pro racer tallied seventh place in moto one and eighth place in the second moto, which put him seventh overall and right behind Creamer. More importantly, Rastrelli, who has earned 27 points the last two rounds, overcame a slow second moto to earn his best finish ever. In moto two, Rastrelli and another rider bumped at the start and soon after that he crashed. However, the ITP Pro recovered to climb into the top 10 and eventually finish eighth showing the poise of a true professional. Fellow ITP Pro, Root River Racing’s Sean Taylor was 15th and fifth in the Pro-Am class, in which he’s currently third in the standings.
Round seven of the 2013 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series heads to Steele City Raceway on July 6-7, in Delmont, Pa.