John Natalie has four rounds to catch Chad Wienen and prevent the two-time defending champion from three-peating and taking the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship.
Natalie's absence from the podium in the last two rounds hasn't helped but the 2011 ATV MX champion believes the suspension issues he's dealt with for a good part of the season are behind him and he's looking to not only get back on the podium but take the overall.
Natalie, a MotoSport rider, took fifth overall for Round 5 at Briarcliff MX in Nashport, OH two weeks ago. Motor issues kept him back a bit in Moto 1 where he captured sixth place but he took second in Moto 2, perhaps a show of things to come.
Natalie said for Round 5 he replaced the suspension that was bumping him around so much on the track and wearing him out. It performed as expected and made his quad much easier to ride. Despite the suspension problem in prior races, he never finished lower than a sixth overall.
"That's one of the issues behind us," he said after Round 5. "We're going to go to this next race and win it."
Natalie is tied with Joel Hetrick in points with 195 and both riders are 41 points behind Wienen.
Round 6 of the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV MX National Championship returns to Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, MN the first time since 2011. The track, located on an old farm, features dramatic elevation changes, rich soil and a number of obstacles. Wienen won it all the last time the series stopped here but a few days later he suffered a season ending back injury.
Check out all the action this weekend at Spring Creek MX. Moto 1 for ATV racing starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
2014 Mtn. Dew ATV MX Championship Standings
- Chad Wienen (236)
- Joel Hetrick (195)
- John Natalie (195) - MotoSport rider
- Thomas Brown (176)
- Josh Upperman (170)
- Josh Creamer (139)
- Jeffrey Rastrelli (117)
- Tyler Hamrick (99)
- Casey Martin (91)
- Sean Taylor (89)
