Yamaha’s Chad Wienen swept both motos to take the overall win at the fourth round of the 2012 AMA Pro ATV series in Walnut, Ill. on Saturday, May 19. The YFZ450R racer is definitely on a roll, and has now taken the overall win at three of the four events so far this year. However teammate Thomas Brown missed making the overall podium after getting tangled up in a first-lap collision in the first race. He nonetheless rallied to finish fourth overall with 7-3 moto finishes. The overall win further extends Wienen’s points lead in the series with six rounds left to go, while Brown remains fifth in the standings. Both riders are hotly anticipating the next round at Ballance MX in Oakland, Ky. on June 2.
In the first moto, Wienen started strongly in second before working his way into the lead by the end of the first lap. He then basically checked out, turning what was at first a comfortable gap over his pursuers into a healthy lead, and then into a dominating one. After leading almost the entire race, he ultimately expanded the advantage into nearly nine seconds at the checkered flag. However Brown’s moto was substantially more dramatic, as he first got caught up in the first turn with another rider and then restarted at the back of the pack. But he immediately turned on the speed aboard his YFZ, passing rider after rider to advance all the way up to seventh position by the flag.
In second moto, Wienen started fourth and battled it out with teammate Brown and rival John Natalie for the duration of 14-lap event after early leader Nick Denoble retired on the second lap. Wienen followed the pair for nine laps and
then passed Brown for the lead with five laps to go. Ultimately Brown finished a close third behind Natalie, after his rival made a last-lap pass of his own. “It was good to see both Chad and Thomas leading races and battling for podium finishes on their YFZs,” noted Yamaha ATV racing coordinator Donnie Luce. “It’s further proof that hard work and preparation does get rewarded.”
| Pro Class |
| 1 |
Chad Wienen - YAM |
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| 2 |
John Natalie |
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| 3 |
Joel Hetrick |
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| 4 |
Thomas Brown - YAM |
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| 5 |
Josh Upperman |
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| 6 |
Derek Swartfager |
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| 7 |
Harold Goodman |
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| 8 |
Adam Clark |
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| 9 |
Jeffrey Rastrelli |
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| 10 |
Jesse Barnes - YAM |
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