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.

With the championship title still up for grabs in the 2012 AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series, this weekend’s stop at the Loretta Lynn Ranch is a little more than just a season finale.

Points leader Chad Wienen holds an advantage over defending champ John Natalie on the official leader board, but anything could happen with two motos left to go-approximately one hour of racing-this Saturday, August 11, in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

Coming into the final round of 2011, Wienen Motorsports/SSi Decals/Walsh Race Craft/Yamaha-backed Wienen was sitting along the sidelines as he healed up from a back injury that happened mid-season.

Wienen’s championship push this season is arguably the closest the 27-year-old has been to the AMA Pro ATV title and heading into the weekend with three consecutive wins may give Wienen the confidence he needs to secure his first-ever AMA Pro ATV title.

However, Motoworks/Can-Am’s Natalie is a two-time AMA Pro ATV champion and the veteran knows just what it takes to get the job done. Natalie is known for his tenacious riding style and mental game, which makes for an interesting finale at the Loretta Lynn Ranch.

Baldwin Motorsports/PEP/Maxxis rider Josh Upperman and Motoworks/Can-Am’s Joel Hetrick are a couple of heavy hitters in the Pro division and although neither rider has a chance at the title, they’re still racing for moto-wins this season.

Hetrick is still a young gun in the Pro class and currently has one moto-win and one overall win this season in his first year with the Motoworks/Can-Am team. Upperman has yet to secure a win this season and has all sights set on taking a victory in the final round.

Upperman favors consistency, which will help him in the overall point standings. TBROWN Yamaha/Moto-X-Perts rider Thomas Brown currently sits fifth behind Upperman in the standings. Brown has been in the mix all season, finishing inside the top five in every round so far.

Another tight championship battle comes in the Manufacturers Cup competition, where Yamaha currently tops Can-Am by less than 20 points heading into the final round. This battle will run parallel with the Wienen (YAM) and Natalie (CAN) battle, in addition to the other prominent riders such as Brown (YAM) and Hetrick (CAN).

The pro riders will run Saturday as part of a full schedule of amateur racing, including classes for Youth, Women and Veteran riders. Amateurs will practice on Friday and race on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets on Saturday are $20 for spectators ($10 for ages 6-11), and admission includes full pro-pit access and an autograph session.

To get to the ranch from Nashville, Take I-40 west 65 miles to exit 143. Take Highway 13 North seven miles to the track entrance on your left.

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 10-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.

Can-Am DS 450 ATV Pro class racer John Natalie finished third overall at round nine of the AMA ATV Motocross Championship series held Red Bud in Buchanan, Mich.

Natalie, the defending AMA ATV MX champion, easily won the first moto, but had to come from behind in moto two after crashing in the second turn. He ended the day third overall and kept his title hopes alive with one round remaining in 2012.

“It was a challenging weekend at the Red Bud MX facility in southern Michigan this past weekend. Defending national champion John Natalie came out strong, taking the moto one holeshot and earning a convincing victory. However, he crashed at the start of the second moto and had to come from dead last. He truly earned this trip to the Pro class podium,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We’re not out of this championship race yet, so we’re going to give it everything we have at the series finale at Loretta’s.”

In moto one action, Natalie grabbed the holeshot aboard his DS 450 and held the lead until a rare mistake on lap two put him in second. Two short laps later, Natalie regained the lead and then cruised to the moto one victory. In turn two of the Pro class moto, Natalie crashed after his ATV connected with another racers’ vehicle.

Natalie was not hurt and immediately got back aboard his DS 450, but was more than 15 seconds behind the leaders. Natalie put his head down and sliced through the field on his way to a sixth-place finish. His gallant second-moto efforts put him in third place on the Pro podium. Natalie is 36 points behind the points leader for the Pro class title heading into the finale on August 11 at Loretta Lynn’s in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

“I was going for one line and got shut out and ended up going down. I was pretty fired up after that and tried to charge as hard as I could and I was able to get up to sixth place,” said John Natalie. “I felt good out there and I felt like I had another moto win in me, but that just didn’t happen. There’s still one more round left and anything can happen. I am going to go out there and give it everything I have and hopefully take the final win of the season.”

Joel Hetrick’s ATV experienced an intermittent electrical issue in moto one, but the Motoworks / Can-Am racer soldiered his way to a sixth-place finish.

In moto two, Hetrick came out of the gate in fifth. He then posted the fastest lap of the entire race on lap four and soon after passed his way into third place. His 6-3 finishes were good for fifth place and also helped him maintain control of the third-place position in the Pro class points standings.

Team BCS Performance / Can-Am DS 450 Pro racer Josh Creamer, the current NEATV-MX series Pro and Pro-Am class points leader, also competed at Red Bud and came away with two fifth-place moto finishes which were good for sixth overall.

In the amateur ranks, Can-Am DS 450 racers earned several class victories in Michigan. Leading the way was former GNC champion Travis Spader, who won two classes (Vet 30+ A, Open A).

Can-Am X-Team racer Chase Henry won the Production A class with an impressive 1-1 sweep. WORCS racer and Can-Am X-Team member Collins Webster entered four classes at Red Bud and earned one podium.

He finished second to Spader in the Open A class and was fourth in his other three classes. Open B class racer Ries Parvin increased his class points lead with another overall victory on his DS 450.

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.

Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.’s, OHV Access Initiative – the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs) – approved nine projects supporting responsible, safe OHV riding and open, sustainable OHV access to trails and riding areas across the country.

The second quarter GRANTs for 2012 exceeded $122,000 bringing Yamaha’s direct investment in the OHV community nationwide to more than $2 million since its inception in 2008.

The recent funding cycle for the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative featured a new national partner in the protection of recreational access to public lands. The National Wild Turkey Federation joins Yamaha’s growing list of national OHV industry and land stewardship leaders.

“Yamaha is proud to work with diverse organizations with a national reach to help bring needed attention to the concerns facing motorized recreation in this country,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Organizations such as TreadLightly, the Off-Road Business Association and, now, the National Wild Turkey Federation, utilize their networks to identify OHV riding area projects across the country, bring them to our attention and coordinate resources to address issues large and small for the benefit of the larger OHV community.”

These nine organizations were awarded GRANTs totaling more than $122,000 in the second quarter 2012 funding cycle of the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative:

– Missouri Mudders Enduro Riders Association – O’Fallon, Mo.
– Mountwood Park ATV Adventures – Parkesburg, W.Va.
– National Wild Turkey Federation
– Off-Road Business Association (ORBA)
– Red Rock Riders Association – Pengilly, Minn.
– Ride With Respect – Moab, Utah
– Sierra National Forest – Clovis, Calif.
– TreadLightly!
– Tri-County ATV Recreation and Rescue Association – Heilwood, Pa.

Yamaha is actively seeking qualified projects at local, state and federal levels. To date, projects have been funded in 36 states across the country; click here to see a map of GRANT projects.

The current OHV Access Initiative GRANT application form and guidelines are available online at www.yamahaohvaccess.com.

The deadline to submit an application for consideration in the third quarter GRANT funding cycle for 2012 is September 29, 2012.

The remaining 2012 calendar for GRANT application submission and review deadlines is as follows:

Submission Schedule (Approval Deadline)
– July 1 – September 29, 2012 (October 31, 2012)
– October 1 – November 30, 2012 (January 11, 2013)

About the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative – The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative is the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs). Through this program, Yamaha has directly and indirectly supported thousands of miles of trails, maintained and rehabilitated countless riding areas, improved staging areas, built bridges over fish-bearing streams and partnered with local riding communities across the country to improve the OHV experience.

Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com.