Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Dustin Wimmer started his AMA ATV Motocross title defence with overall victory at the season opener at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California at the weekend.
In Moto 1, Wimmer was boxed in off the start and watched a small group of leaders pull away through the first few corners. But as the dust settled, he began to find his rhythm and quickly moved his way into second place. And, although the race leader had gained considerable ground, he closed the gap to within one second at the finish line.
On the line for Moto 2, Wimmer was determined to improve his start and when the gate dropped, he rocketed to the front for the holeshot. Wimmer's lead grew quickly and by the halfway mark he had almost a 10-second lead over the field. He was able to cruise to victory, giving him the overall win for the day and the Championship points lead.
Said Wimmer: "I feel really good. It's always good to start the season off with a win! My team and I have been working really hard and it is paying off.
"I'm going to try my best to keep the Championship. I'm going to go out there and give it my all and race smart and consistent races like I did last year and do my best to put Suzuki on top of the podium."
Wimmer's Rockstar Makita Suzuki team mate and former champion Doug Gust finished in eighth-place overall. Caught in traffic, Gust was mired in the back of the pack in Moto 1. He recovered with a sixth-place finish in Moto 2 to keep him in the top 10 heading into the season's second round.
Said Gust: "I think all the bad luck is out of the way now and I'm ready for the next round,"
The Rockstar Makita Suzuki Racing team will compete in the second round of the 2009 AMA ATV MX Championship season March 22 in Pell City, Alabama.
Round 1 - AMA ATV MX Championship:
Pro Class Results: 1. Dustin Wimmer (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 2. Josh Creamer (Kawasaki), 3. Joe Byrd (Honda), 4. Thomas Brown (Yamaha), 5. Clay Holmes (Honda), 6. John Natalie (Can-Am), 7. Jeremy Lawson (Can-Am), 8. Doug Gust (Rockstar Makita Suzuki), 9. Josh Upperman (Honda), 10. Greg Gee (Honda).
AND BORICH WINS AT WASHINGTON GNCC:
Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chris Borich battled a strong pack of contenders to win the Maxxis General GNCC's second round of the 2009 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series in Washington on Sunday.
Yamaha's Taylor Kiser, KTM's Adam McGill and Can-Am's Chris Bithell were all in the hunt for the win until Borich stormed through on the last lap after opting to take on extra fuel.
He said: "It was a really fun race; we were just battling all day. It was good to ride with Chris Bithell and those guys and it seemed like we were just on a trail ride together. It's good to ride with people you know won't take you out."
Bithell led Borich late in the race, but the event came down to pit strategy: Borich pitted for a splash of gas while Bithell failed to finish the last lap, reportedly running out of fuel. That opened the door for Kiser, who started near the back of the pack, charged hard all day long to net second, but couldn't catch Borich.
XC1 Class Results:
1. Chris Borich (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) 2. Taylor Kiser (Yamaha)3. Adam McGill (KTM)4. Brandon Sommers (Yamaha)5. Jarrod McClure (Yamaha)6.. Donald Ockerman (Yamaha)7. Duane Johnson (Honda)8. Johnny Gallagher (Yamaha)9. Ryan Lane (Honda)10. Jeff Pickens (Yamaha)
