Pro Am Production Race Report

 

For Immediate Release

Meyer Captures First Win of The Season at Sunset Ridge

Walnut, Ill. (May 8, 2011) - This year's Pro Am Production class has been about as predictable as the weather, as we've seen three different overall winners in the first five rounds of the AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series Presented by DWT.  The deep field of Pro Am talent has shown that the championship is indeed going to come down to the wire and with six different moto winners it seems to be anyone's game at this point.

Michigan's Kyle Fix sprinted out of the newly structured start to capture the moto one holeshot but it didn't take long for Ohio's Aaron Meyer to power past the KTM rider for the lead.  Meyer rode a steady pace out front, holding off Fix who wouldn't leave his sight.  Jeffrey Rastrelli got a top five start and quickly worked his way to the front.  After blitzing past Casey Martin over the triple, Rastrelli keyed in Fix as his next victim.  At the halfway point, the 728-machine cut inside Fix in the corner, avoiding contact but stuck the block pass to take over second.  By the end of the moto, Rastrelli was actually turning faster lap times than the leader but there was too much ground to make up by the end of the moto.  Rastrelli put in a valiant effort on the last lap to finish just 0.332 of a second behind the leader.

Suzuki rider Mark Madl got off to a bad start in moto one but quickly migrated to the front after getting around Iowa's Jesse Barnes and eventually passing the points leader Casey Martin to land a spot in the top four.  Martin seemed to lose steam on the rough Sunset Ridge track, as he dropped two spots to fifth to end moto one.

Martin's luck turned around in moto two as he grabbed the holeshot and ran away with it.  Aaron Meyer and Ronnie Higgerson tucked in behind Martin and the trio pushed each other until the end.  A few riders got tangled up on the first lap, taking Fix out of the race and leaving Madl to battle from behind.

Rastrelli struggled in moto two, grabbing a ninth place start before getting caught in a three-rider pileup early in the moto.  The Florida native ended up salvaging a fifth place overall after going 2-10 due to the carnage in moto two.  Ronnie Higgerson went 8-3 to take the fourth overall and" Mr. Consistency" Mark Madl went 4-4 for third overall.  Casey Martin took a moto win to help give him second overall for the day behind Aaron Meyer, the ATV Showdown Champion - his first of the season.

Casey Martin still holds the points lead but Mark Madl is a mere six points behind in second.  Aaron Meyer moved in the third spot after taking his first overall win and Rastrelli and Higgerson round out the top five.

The AMA ATV Motocross Championship Series heads to Steel City MX in Delmont, Pa., May 21 and 22, with Pro class racing starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, supported by 37 amateur classes throughout Saturday and Sunday.  For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.

AMA Pro ATV Results

1. Aaron Meyer (HON)

2. Casey Martin (HON)

3. Mark Madl (SUZ)

4. Ronnie Higgerson (SUZ)

5. Jeffrey Rastrelli (SUZ)

6. Nicholas Moser (HON)

7. James Murrah (KTM)

8. Alex Nowlan (KAW)

9. Jesse Barnes (YAM)

10. Ryan Beaven (SUZ)

AMA ATV Motocross Championship Pro Point Standings

1. Casey Martin (124) 2. Mark Madl (118) 3. Aaron Meyer (104) 4. Jeffrey Rastrelli (89) 5. Ronnie Higgerson (81) 6. Jesse Barnes (73) 7. Kyle Fix (62) 8. Nicholas Moser (51) 9. Chad Reed (49) 10. Craig Porter (45)

About the AMA ATV Motocross Championship

The AMA ATV Motocross Championship is the nation's premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, hosted at top motocross facilities nationwide. The 11-round series features the Nation's best racers, teams and sponsors, and is America's largest and longest-running ATV national motocross program. Since 1985, the series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while premiering the professional class.  For more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.

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