Valcourt, Québec – Can-Am DS 450 ATV racers earned three total podiums in Pro-level classes at round five of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship Series in Ohio. Joel Hetrick took second in the Pro class, while fellow Can-Am racers Jeffrey Rastrelli and Ronnie Higgerson each made it on the Pro-Am class box at the Built Ford Tough Briarcliff ATV National.
“We were pleased with the effort put forth by our DS 450 Pro racers, earning three total podium finishes in the two premier classes at the ATV MX Nationals,” said Jeff Leclerc, Racing Project Leader, Can-Am. “Joel Hetrick has now moved into a tie for second place in the Pro ranks and Ronnie Higgerson currently leads the Pro-Am class in points after five rounds of racing. We just have to keep our heads down and stay focused on earning victories and, ultimately, class championships.”
Briarcliff MX in Nashport, OH, hosted its first ever Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship Series event. Eighteen Pro class racers, more than 20 Pro-Am class competitors and hundreds of amateur class riders suited up for round five of the series, the inaugural Built Ford Tough Briarcliff ATV National, held over Father’s Day weekend.
Four Can-Am DS 450 racers battled in the Pro class Saturday, June 14, with Joel Hetrick (JB Racing/DWT/Mtn. Dew Live Wire/Can-Am) earning the highest finishing position and lone podium, taking second overall. Hetrick put together a 4-3 scorecard to earn second at Briarcliff. The Pennsylvania-based Pro fought hard for his third-place finish in moto two, which ultimately gave him the advantage for the No. 2 spot on the podium over the competition. It was Hetrick’s second podium in the last three rounds, which helped propel him into a tie for second place in the class point standings.
“I got off the quad in the [moto one] holeshot and was in about 15th,” Hetrick said. “I put in some hard work and came back to finish fourth. The second moto went a little better. I battled with another racer, who ended up passing me, but I got him back and secured second overall. My Can-am was working awesome. It had a ton of power, which was what I needed for this high-horsepower track. It definitely got me up on the box this weekend.”
BCS Performance/Can-Am Pros Ronnie Higgerson and Josh Creamer both earned top 10 finishes at Briarcliff MX. Higgerson equaled a season and personal best with his sixth-place (5-7) run. Creamer, a former ATV MX Pro class champion, had a difficult first moto due to a late mechanical prior to start, but rebounded to finish sixth in moto two to tally 10th overall at round five. Can-Am DS 450 riders are currently second, sixth (Creamer), seventh (Higgerson) and eighth (Rastrelli) in the Pro class standings.
Can-Am racers also competed in the Pro-Am class on Sunday. Jeffrey Rastrelli, who was still recovering from crash in the first Pro moto on Saturday, earned second overall in the Pro-Am class. The Florida racer put in two podium performances, including a victory in moto two, with his JB Racing/Cheerwine/Can-Am DS 450 to earn second overall. Higgerson ended up third overall with a 4-3 scorecard to retain his current points lead. He has made the last four podiums, which includes two wins, to build a 20-point lead over second place. Rastrelli is in third place, six points behind the No. 2 spot. Finishing 10th in the Pro-Am ranks was Canadian X-Team member Mathieu Deroy on his DS 450.
“I came out second in the first pro moto and got a pass early and was able to lead for several laps. BCS Performance has this Can-Am rippin’,” Higgerson said. “It was a high-speed track and that’s what I like and it just made it a really great weekend for me. I have the points lead in Pro-Am, so my goal for that class is to stay there.”
Amateur and Massachusetts racer Jake Bradway, who also races in the New England ATV Motocross series like Deroy, earned third in the College 16-24 class aboard a Can-Am.
