ockstar / MSR / Suzuki / Yoshimura / Pro Taper's Doug Gust took the overall victory at the ninth round of the ITP Tires / Moose Racing AMA / ATVA National Motocross Championship in Johnstown, USA at the weekend.
Championship leader and team mate Dustin Wimmer maintained his series lead with a strong podium finish while Chad Wienen suffered a rare and unfortunate electrical problem in moto one, hampering his overall for the day.
On race day, many heads were turned to Wimmer who won Saturday's Top Qualifier award. A slick track, however, had the championship points leader riding cautiously. In the first moto, Wimmer secured a great start, but settled for a safe third place, while Gust, also starting well, finished one spot ahead in second after a close battle for the lead.
When the gates fell for the second moto, it was Gust who grabbed the holeshot with Wimmer close behind. The two set an incredible pace at the front and near the midpoint of the race, Wimmer made his move into the lead. His lead would was short lived, however, as a downpour of rain began drenching the track. While pushing hard in the rain,
Wimmer made a mistake and relinquished his lead to Gust. The veteran rider was not fazed by the conditions aboard his Suzuki QuadRacer R450 and he proceeded to set a blazing pace to the chequered flag that could not be matched. The win gave Gust his second overall victory this season (2-1). Wimmer crossed the line in fourth, good enough for third overall (3-4), while Wienen finished a strong fifth for 12th overall (20-5).
"Everything fell into place for me today," an elated Gust explained. "My Suzuki QuadRacer R450 is a powerhouse of a bike and really did the job for me."
Dustin Wimmer's podium finish allowed him to extend his points lead to a massive 79 points and one more strong finish could very well secure the championship. Suzuki continues to dominate the Manufacturers' Cup.
Team Manager Kory Ellis was pleased with the performance of the team.
"Today went really well! Doug won his second race of the season and Wimmer finished on the podium with a third place and extended his points lead, so it looks like we may be able to secure the championship at the next round in Red Bud. The Suzuki QuadRacer R450s worked really well today.
Gust came out with a second place start in the first moto and had a huge holeshot in the second moto and Wimmer was right there with him in both motos as well, so the bike was running very good!"
Other Suzuki winners included:
Cody Gibson - Pro Am and Pro Am Unlimited.Terry Monroe - Open C.Neil McGrath - 4 Stroke B.Chad Lohr - Junior 25 Plus.Jeffery Thompson - Vet 30 Plus A and Senior 40 Plus.Brian Jenkins - Vet 30 Plus B/C.
