Can-Am DS 450 ATV Pro Joel Hetrick notched his first Pro class win of the year Saturday at round three of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series held in Mount Morris, Pa. Can-Am DS 450 racers Jeffrey Rastrelli and Ronnie Higgerson also went 1-2 in the Pro-Am class Sunday at the renowned High Point Raceway.
“Can-Am DS 450 racers had a solid weekend for us, winning both the Pro and Pro-Am classes at the High Point National,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “Im thrilled to see Joel Hetrick earn the Pro class win. Hes been battling out front all year and is very deserving of this impressive victory. Jeffrey Rastrelli has been showing great speed all year and his 1-1 sweep in the Pro-Am ranks proves it. Both he and Can-Am racer Ronnie Higgerson will battle all season long for that top spot.”
After a long, six-week break after round two, Pro and amateur ATV racers converged upon the picturesque High Point Raceway for round three, the Maxxis ATV Stampede, of the ATV MX National series. Can-Am DS 450 Pros had respectable finishes at the first two rounds, having earned four top-five finishes and one overall podium. However, they had yet to find the top stair on the podium. JB Racing / DWT / Mtn. Dew Live Wire / Can-Am Pro Joel Hetrick had been the closest, earning third at the opening round. However, Hetrick more than fixed that issue as he first took the ATVriders.com Fastest Qualifier award and followed that up with his first Pro Moto overall victory aboard a Can-Am since winning at Budds Creek in 2012.
“My weekend started out really good when I got the fastest qualifier. I had a good start in the first moto and was able to take second and then I was able to follow that up with a win. It was a great feeling to get that win and put my Can-Am on top of the podium,” said Hetrick. “We worked really hard for this. It makes it really special because this is my home state.”
Hetrick came out of the gate in fourth in Moto 1, but after two laps passed fellow DS 450 Pro Josh Creamer for third place. From there, Hetrick put the hammer down and aimed for the second-place racer. He moved into second by lap six and pushed hard all the way to the finish. Hetrick paired his Moto 1 finish with an impressive victory in Moto 2. He was in third place after two laps, but just two laps later took over the lead. Despite a clutching issue later on in the moto that kept his ATV in fourth gear, Hetrick managed to stay out front and take the overall victory.
Creamer (BCS Performance / Can-Am) finished with a solid 4-4 scorecard at High Point to stay in the fourth-place position in the Pro class point standings. His teammate, Ronnie Higgerson tallied 10-6 moto finishes to earn a career-best sixth overall and give Can-Am three racers in the top 10. Can-Am currently has four riders in the top 10 spots within the Pro class point standings after three rounds of racing. Hetrick is in third place just 18 points out of first. Creamer (4th), Jeffrey Rastrelli (7th) and Higgerson (8th) are also in the top 10.
Rastrelli had another solid run in the Pro-Am class. After taking second overall to Higgerson at round two, Rastrelli (JB Racing / Can-Am) took the High Point overall with a 1-1 sweep. Despite missing round one, hes still in third place and only 13 points behind Higgerson, the class points leader. Higgerson, who took second, earned his second straight podium finish and currently holds a nine-point lead heading into round four. William “Duck” Lloyd was 10th aboard his JB Racing / Can-Am.
“I had decent starts and I was able to take both Pro-Am moto wins. My Can-Am was running really fast and I just had a really good day,” said Rastrelli.
For more information on 2014 Can-Am racing, the contingency program and all amateur racer support programs, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.
