The 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV MX National Championship series heads to a brand new track this weekend for Round 5 that's sure to make for some interesting competition.
Briarcliff MX in Nashport, OH is described as having the best soil of the tour with a mix of loam and hard pack. With an array of man-made jumps and no major elevation changes, good lap times depend on each rider's ability to handle the jumps including a few notable ones.
For John Natalie, Briarcliff could be the ticket to his first overall or more of the same trouble he's experienced the last few weeks thanks to suspension issues. Speed is not a factor with Natalie, a MotoSport rider, it's the suspension, a problem he's tried to solve for weeks.
"We're having a hard time getting the rear suspension dialed in," Natalie said after Round 4 when he finished in sixth-place overall. "The bike is bouncing all over the place which in turn bounces me around a bit."
(L-R) John Natalie, Thomas Brown, Chad Wienen
Natalie brought in a new suspension to work with and has spent the last two weeks dialing it in and figuring out the right adjustments. He even reworked his home track a bit to help recreate the bouncing effect he experiences while racing to help with testing.
Despite the issues, Natalie remains in second place in the Championship Standings just a point ahead of Joel Hetrick. Regardless, he has his work cut out for him to catch the two-time defending champion Chad Wienen who rolls into Round 5 with a 28 point lead.
Moto 1 for ATV MX Round 5 starts at 3 p.m. (EST) on Saturday at Briarcliff MX, 4265 Briarcliff Road in Nashport, OH. Check out the weekend's schedule and for directions click here.
2014 Mtn. Dew ATV MX Championship Standings
- Chad Wienen (186)
- John Natalie (158) - MotoSport rider
- Joel Hetrick (157)
- Thomas Brown (138)
- Josh Upperman (132)
- Josh Creamer (119)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (111)
- Ronnie Higgerson (96)
- Casey Martin (91)
- Tyler Hamrick (74)
