Motoworks Can-Am DS 450 Pro John Natalie Wins AMA ATV MX Finale at Loretta's
Valcourt,
Québec, August 15, 2012 – Can-Am® DS 450™ ATV
Pro class racer John Natalie won the final round of the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross
Championship series held at Loretta Lynn’s Motocross track in Hurricane Mills,
Tenn. Natalie was joined on the podium by his Motoworks / Can-Am teammate Joel
Hetrick, who finished second overall. Fellow Can-Am pro Josh Creamer finished
fourth in the Pro class in Tennessee.
“I was pleased
with the outstanding effort put in by John Natalie and Joel Hetrick here in
Tennessee. Having them go 1-2, and also seeing Josh Creamer finish fourth, at
the final round was awesome. Unfortunately, we came up a little short in our
attempt to repeat as champions, but finishing second and third overall in the
AMA ATV MX Championship points for 2012 is also something to be very proud of,”
said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We also had four AMA ATV MX
National Championship amateur titles this season aboard Can-Am machines, as
Travis Spader won three titles and Ries Parvin earned another.”
The first moto belonged to Hetrick, who also
earned the weekend’s Fastest Qualifier award, came out of the gate in second
and quickly passed for the lead. Hetrick continued to pour it on and ended up
winning moto one by more than 13 seconds. His Motoworks / Can-Am teammate
Natalie started the race in fifth, but was stuck in a heated battle for the
rest of the moto. He eventually worked his way into fourth place before the
checkers flew. Creamer (BCS Performance / Can-Am) was in the same clump of
racers as Natalie in moto one, but unfortunately his ATV had a loose electrical
connection and sputtered a few times, slowing his push. He dropped back from
Natalie and ended the moto in sixth.
Moto two started out average for Natalie, as he
came off the line in seventh. However, by the end of lap one, he had moved into
the top three. One lap later, Natalie had picked off another racer and set his
sights on the leader, Creamer. Natalie powered around the outside of Creamer in
a wide right-hand sweeping corner to take over the lead. From there, the 2011
AMA ATV MX Champion didn’t let up as he went on to win the moto. His 4-1 finish
outpaced Hetrick’s 1-5 scores, and earned Natalie his third overall win of
2012. His victory secured second place in the overall points championship with
428 points.
“This
was the first time I have won an overall at Loretta Lynn’s,” said Natalie, “and
this was really special for me; almost like winning a championship. I have to
thank everyone at Can-Am, Motoworks, and my mechanic Casey Greek. We had a good
season. We didn’t have a DNF and we were on the box every round but one.”
Hetrick ended his second professional season
in third place in the Pro class points standings with 382 points. Creamer, who
raced the final three rounds of the AMA series, earned one podium and two top-five
finishes, including fourth at Loretta’s.
“This was a great year and I am really happy
to be up on the box as much as I was and I finished in the top three at the
end. That’s what I was aiming for. Next year I will be going for the
championship,” said Hetrick.
In the amateur ranks, Can-Am-mounted racers
won four titles and had several others end up in the final top-three of their
class. Travis Spader wrapped up a total of three national championship titles
this season aboard his BCS Performance-prepared Can-Am DS 450. Spader won the
Junior 25 Plus, Veteran 30+ and Open A class championships. Also, Ries Parvin
had a successful weekend at Loretta’s and he notched an overall win in the 450 B
class and finished second overall in the Open B class. The latter finish helped
the young Ohio racer earn the Open B national championship aboard his Can-Am.
For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2012 schedule, the ’12
contingency program and DS 450 amateur racer support program, please visit
www.can-amxteam.com.
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