Can-Am
DS 450 ATV racers fought through muddy conditions and a tight course to earn
three class podium finishes at round six of the 2013 AMA Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross
National Championship series in Virginia.
In the ATV Pro class, BCS Performance/Can-Am racers Josh Creamer and Jeff
Rastrelli finished sixth and seventh overall, respectively.
"Round
six of the AMA ATV motocross series in Virginia
was another rain-soaked event with a very tight track," said Can-Am race
manager Jimmie O'Dell. "The key was grabbing the holeshot and unfortunately our
racers didn't get the best of starts at this round. Can-Am DS 450 Pro Josh
Creamer and his team unfortunately missed the setup in moto one, but overcame two
mid-pack starts to capture sixth place overall. Fellow Can-Am Pro racer Jeffrey
Rastrelli had his best Pro career finish, posting 7-8 moto finishes for seventh
overall."
Creamer,
who opted for a larger rear tire setup due to the muddy conditions, battled
setup issues in moto one. After coming out of the gate in fourth, the former
ATV Motocross national champion started to fall back as the track and traction
improved and the taller tires slowed him down. The veteran racer, after falling
back to seventh, gave it one final push on the final few laps to finish sixth.
Creamer (BCS Performance/ITP) switched back to his normal setup and a smaller
rear motocross tire for the second moto, but this time was hampered by a
mid-pack start. Laps one through seven, Creamer trudged his way in sixth place.
He moved into fifth place a lap later and then rode out the remainder of the
race in that position. His 6-5 moto score was good for sixth overall.
"It
has rained here for days and Birch Creek was a complete mess. The crew and
promoter have done a great job making everything the best it could be with the
conditions, but the track was really narrow and hard to pass," said Creamer,
who currently holds third place in the Pro class points race. "I made a mistake
using my larger tires in moto one and then switched it up for moto two. I
struggled all of moto one. In moto two, I charged hard and just wasn't able to
make anything of it. The track was hard to race on."
JB
Racing/Can-Am DS 450 rider Rastrelli was pleased with his career-best seventh
place finish in the Pro class. Rastrelli came out of the gate in the middle of
the pack and was a possible contender for a top-five finish early on in the
moto. However, Rastrelli dropped off the pace and briefly fell to eighth place.
The young racer rallied to pass one racer and scored a seventh-place finish. In
moto two, Rastrelli and another rider connected to slow his run out of the
gate. As he tried to recover, Rastrelli crashed and was left to play catch-up.
He was 16th after the first lap. By the time the white flag flew, he had passed
eight other racers to move into eighth place. Despite the poor luck in moto
two, Rastrelli displayed plenty of confidence after his 7-8 moto results earned
him his best finish ever.
"My
Can-Am was working great," said Rastrelli. "It really gets better every race.
The handling was flawless. The track was actually really good for the soggy conditions,
but I would like to see a dry race soon."
Pro-Am
class racer Nick Gennusa (BCS Performance/Can-Am) recorded sixth place in the
Pro-Am class at round six. He also took second place in the Open A class to maintain
his stronghold of the class points lead. Fellow Can-Am Pro-Am racer Ronnie
Higgerson finished eighth place on his DS 450.
The
two other Can-Am racers to earn podiums at Birch Creek MX were Nicole Gates (2nd,
Women's) and Clayton Coad (3rd, 450 B).
