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Dustin
Nelson grew up in a family of desert enthusiasts and began racing
motorcycles on the local motocross track at age six. That first
race was all he needed to be addicted to motocross for the rest
of his life. Nelson spent many years racing both the local races
and amateur nationals, winning Loretta Lynn’s in 1993 riding
the 85cc Stock class. Nelson turned pro at the end of 1994 just
after his 17th birthday. Nelson’s AMA Supercross and National
MX career lasted from 1996 to 2004, with his best SX finish being
an 8th and best National MX finish being 12th.
In 1999 Nelson became a test rider for Yamaha, evaluating the
prototype and pre-production YZ motorcycles. This was also a good
year for racing as he won the AMA 4 Stroke Nationals on a YZ400F.
Another great thing came from being a test rider for Yamaha…
his introduction to ATV racing. In 2002 the testing staff asked
if Nelson would be interested in being involved with the development
of a pure sport quad with racing in mind. Before he threw a leg
over what would ultimately become the YFZ450, Nelson had never
ridden a quad on a motocross track. He was pleasantly surprised
by how quickly the ATV could get around some of the Southern California
tracks.
Nelson’s first ATV race was in November of 2003. Some of
Yamaha’s testing staff talked him into going to a QuadCross
race at Glen Helen and giving it a shot. That day changed his
life. Nelson left there with a second place check from the pro
class and a lot of thinking to do. In 2004 he had a commitment
to race the 4 Stroke Nationals so he raced every off weekend he
could on a YFZ450 trying to build his skills. He faced a hard
decision for the 2005 season: After finishing 3rd in the championship
on two wheels, he hung it up, focusing all his attention on ATV
racing. In Nelson’s first full year racing ATVs he finished
3rd in the QuadCross series. At the start of 2006, he felt that
he had stepped up his game and would be the man to beat when it
came to the QuadCross series. Five wins out eleven races and his
first ATV Championship later, he’s feeling the same for
2007.
CAREER RACING RESULTS
2006 - Yamaha/ITP QuadCross Series - 1st
2005 - Yamaha/ITP QuadCross Series - 3rd
1999 - AMA 4 Stroke National Champion (Motorcycle)
1993 - AMA Amateur National Champion 85cc (Motorcycle)
RIDER
PROFILE |
| Dustin Nelson |
#94 |
| Age |
29 |
| Hometown |
El Cajon,
CA |
| Current Residency |
Ramona, CA |
| Height |
5’9” |
| Weight |
175 lbs. |
| Year Turned Pro |
Motorcycle:
1994 ATV: 2003 |
| Training |
Chasing
my kids around and riding |
| Favorite Track |
Speedworld MX, Surprise,
AZ |
| Favorite Obstacle |
Technical jump sections |
| Favorite Music |
Green Day |
| Favorite Food |
Mexican |
| First Race |
Motorcycle: 1984 Barona
Oaks
ATV: 2003 Glen Helen |
| Hobbies |
Ping Pong, Taking the
buggy to the desert. |
| Marital Status |
Married |
| Sponsors |
Yamaha Motor Corp., MotoworldRacing.com,
Dubach Racing Development, Red Bull, Thor, Ohlins, SRF Racing,
ITP, Galfer, Tag Metals, Custom Decal, Team Industries, Maxima,
Quad Tech, AC Racing, GPR Stabilizers, Velocity Filters |
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