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Hometown hero John Natalie, Jr. would top the podium at round eight of the 2010 AMA ATV Motocross Championships and give Can-Am their first overall victory, while Josh Creamer would finish second on the podium, increasing his points lead, and Jeremy Lawson would make his first visit to the podium this season in third. Pleasure Valley was the hosting facility for round eight and there were many track changes since last year’s round. This year’s track featured some big table top jumps, long straights and an uphill rhythm section, adding a technical element to the track. The weather was great with temps in the 80’s and sunny skies as racers headed to the starting line.
Can-Am/Motoworks’ John Natalie grabbed the moto one holeshot and led from start to finish to take the moto one win despite incredible pressure from Dustin Wimmer. Natalie would come off the line in second in moto two, but quickly take the lead away from Josh Upperman. Natalie would hold his lead for several laps before Josh Creamer began to challenge for the lead. Knowing he would only have to finish second to take the overall win, Natalie rode smart and would go 1-2 to take the overall win of the day. “I have to thank my team and my fans for being there. Everyone has been working really hard and I couldn’t ask for anything more right now. To take the win in my home state is really special for me and I couldn’t be happier,” stated Natalie.
RockStar Makita Suzuki’s Josh Creamer got off to a rough start in moto one as he was in ninth place off the start. Creamer would get stuck behind Chad Wienen for several laps, but was able to claim fourth at the checkered flag. In moto two, Creamer got off to a better start taking fourth off the line. Creamer would chase down his competition and take over the lead after a heated battle with John Natalie. Once out front, Creamer would pull away to take the moto two win, giving him second on the podium. “I couldn’t be happier right now. We came out strong and we hope to keep winning and hopefully take home a championship!” stated Creamer.
Walsh Race Craft’s Jeremy Lawson was doing well as he made his way through traffic to take a solid third place finish in the first moto. The second moto would be almost a repeat for Lawson as he would charge off the line and hold a solid third place for most of the moto before crossing the finish line to take his first podium position of the season in third place overall.“I’ve been working hard and all of that hard work is paying off now,” said Lawson.
Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Dustin Wimmer came off the line in second in the first moto and challenged John Natalie from start to finish, but could not make a pass and tangled with Natalie mid moto, which almost resulted in both riders going down. Wimmer would hold on to take second at the checkered flag. In moto two Wimmer struggled off the start but would work his way into the number four position giving him fourth overall. Baldwin Motorsports’ Josh Upperman got off to a slower than normal start in moto one and would fall back after coming under fire from Warnia to finish in seventh. In the second moto, Josh Upperman would do what he does best and grab the holeshot, but his lead was short lived as John Natalie would pass him early in the first lap. Upperman would hang on for a solid fourth place finish in moto two.
Can-Am/Motoworks’ Jeremie Warnia held strong as he would work his way up and take a sixth place finish in moto one. In the second moto, Warnia would come off the line strong, just outside of the top five, but he would drop back to the number eight spot before crossing the finish line. Yamaha’s Thomas Brown would hang on to take an eighth place finish in moto one and after a good battle with Jeremie Warnia in moto two, he would take over seventh place, where he would remain all the way to the checkered flag.
Joe Byrd was back in action and was in a solid fourth off the line, but it appeared the veteran racer began to tire and fell back for a fifth place moto one finish. Byrd, who is still not back to 100% after being severely injured after round three, would end moto two in fourteenth place. Mushin Racing’s Cody Gibson came on strong in the first half of moto one, taking third in the holeshot. The rookie pro was able to hold off Joe Byrd and Jeremy Lawson for several laps before falling back to finish in ninth place. Gibson again came off the start strong in moto two, grabbing third in the holeshot, but he would fall back after pressure from the likes of Josh Creamer and Dustin Wimmer. Gibson would finish moto two in tenth place. Chad Wienen ran into mechanical issues in the seventh lap and would DNF. In moto two, Wienen would get off to a mid-pack start and work his way into the number six position before crossing the finish line.
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