Ontario, Calif. - ITP ATV motocross racers tallied seven class wins and 16 podiums at round four of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship series in Walnut, Ill. JB Racing/Can-Am/ITP Pro Jeffrey Rastrelli was fifth in the Pro class on Saturday, while fellow ITP-backed Pros Ronnie Higgerson and William "Duck" Lloyd went 1-2 in the Pro-Am class on Sunday on the Sunset Ridge MX track.
"ITP racers had a good weekend at Sunset Ridge, winning the Pro-Am class and six other amateur classes and putting three Pros in the top eight finishing spots in the ultra-fast Pro class," said Pat McGuire, Public Relations/Race Support. "Ronnie Higgerson had a great weekend competing on ITP tires, winning the Pro-Am class to expand his points lead, and finishing seventh in the Pro division."
The fourth round of the series, the Amsoil ATV Showdown, was held in the heart of farm country at Sunset Ridge MX park outside of Walnut, IL. Racers were greeted with unseasonably warm temperatures, high humidity and a sandy, technical motocross track that created challenging conditions overall for both Pro and amateur riders alike.
ITP Pros earned three of the top eight finishes in the class, which featured 15 entrants. The top finishing spot for Team ITP went to JB Racing/Cheerwine/Can-Am/ITP Pro Jeffrey Rastrelli, who matched a career best with fifth overall. Finishing two spots behind Rastrelli was BCS Performance/Can-Am/ITP Pro Ronnie Higgerson and his teammate and former ATV MX National Champion Josh Creamer. Rastrelli got a great start using ITP Quadcross MX2 Front and Quadcross MX Pro rear tires on his DS 450 ATV and had the lead after a few turns. After leading lap one, Rastrelli dropped to ninth place on lap two. He rallied to pick off two more racers on the next lap but could come no closer to the leaders. However, Rastrelli rebounded in moto two, positioning himself in the top five after the first lap. On lap seven of the 11-lap final moto, Rastrelli moved into fourth. His 7-4 scorecard was good for fifth overall. Higgerson went 8-7 and Creamer 5-13, for seventh and eighth overall, respectively. Creamer, Rastrelli and Higgerson are currently in sixth, seventh and eighth place in the Pro class standings after four rounds of racing.
Higgerson notched his second overall win of the season with a solid 4-1 moto scorecard in the Pro-Am class at Sunset Ridge. Joining Higgerson on the Pro-Am podium was fellow JB Racing/Cheerwine/Can-Am/ITP racer William Lloyd. He tallied a 5-3 moto scorecard to earn second overall. Rastrelli, who won round three two weeks ago, notched the other moto victory in the Pro-Am class, but his 1-12 moto scores resulted in an eighth-place finish at round four. RRR/ITP racer Sean Taylor earned fifth place in Illinois. The point standings have Higgerson out front with a 24-point lead over second place. Rastrelli, Lloyd and Taylor are fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.
Team ITP racers earned six amateur class wins at Sunset Ridge MX. Lloyd tallied his first win of the season and second podium visit in the Open A class to climb into third place in the class standings. Root River Racing/ITP team riders Dylan Tremellen, Sam Rowe, Haedyn Mickelson and Megan Manshack all earned at least one class win in Illinois. Mickelson came away with both the 450B and Open B class wins. The Sunset Ridge stop was only the third round of the year for Mickelson, but the Minnesota native made up for it with a 1-1 moto sweep in each class. Manshack remained undefeated in the Women's ranks, earning a double moto victory to extend her points lead. Tremellen won the Production A class and was second in the 450A class behind Sam Rowe, who is the current class points leader.
TEAM ITP - High Point Podium Finishers
- Pro-Am: Ronnie Higgerson (Win), William Lloyd (2nd)
- 450A: Sam Rowe (Win), Dylan Tremellen (2nd)
- Open A: Llloyd (Win)
- Women: Megan Manshack (Win)
- Production A: Tremellen (Win)
- Open B: Haedyn Mickelson (Win)
- 450B: Mickelson (Win)
- Vet 30+: Mike Barnhardt (3rd)
- Junior 25+: Barnhardt (3rd)
- Schoolboy Sr. (14-17: Westley Wolfe (3rd)
- Schoolboy Jr. (13-15): Grayson Eller (3rd)
- Schoolgirl (13-17): Kierstin Keane (3rd)
- 90 Open Jr. (8-11): Taron Liebe (3rd)
- 50 Single Speed (6-8): Logan Peters (2nd)
Round five of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship Series, the Built Ford Tough Briarcliff ATV National is slated for June 14-15, in Nashport, OH.
