ATVMX Round 5 Coverage: High Point
Round 5 conditions were perfect.
The fifth round of the 2024 ATV Motocross National Championship Series, an AMA National Championship, took place at High Point Raceway, which is indeed Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Joel Hetrick territory and beating him on the hard pack track is often an attempt at futility. Hetrick has been unloading on the AMA Pro class moto after moto and this round would be more of the same as he pounded lap after lap and locked up another weekend riding to a 1-1 overall victory. By the stop watch, second place was keeping things real but one has to wonder how much the track conditions played into things as spring rains led the series into the weekend offering less than ideal conditions for the first moto. Hetrick would clinch another fastest qualifier award and set the pace as the track started getting better as the first moto was approaching.
With conditions vastly improved, it was Ford Brothers Racing/FXR/SSi Decals/CST’s Bryce Ford fighting his way to the holeshot as the infamous number one ride of Joel Hetrick powered his way to give Ford a battle right from the first turn. The war was far from over however as Hetrick made his move and secured the lead position with Ford on his grab bar. No riders had been able to see the speeds they were now running during practice so riding smart was keeping things focused as the front pair continued their assault. Hetrick was as smooth as ever as Ford remained in the fight and close enough to capitalize on any mistake Hetrick might make. The duo may have seemed to be alone in this race, but Westland Motorsports/JH Racing/Goldspeed Tires/PEP/Musick Racing’s Brandon Hoag aimed to get in the mix and was now solidly running in third. With zero mistakes by Hetrick, the checkered flag flew giving him the win as a very hard charging Ford claimed second with Hoag taking the third spot in the first moto.
The earlier conditions had improved and with a moto under their belts, moto two would be the test to see if Ford had anything that might allow him to gain an advantage on Hetrick. With Hetrick being such a dominate force, Fords improvements have been overshadowed by the complete Hetrick onslaught. Those improvements showed in the first moto with a seemingly more invigorated Ford finding the speed he needed to keep Hetrick in the same zip code. The real question was if he could reel him in and make him fight instead of just opening a sizable lead and put another comfortable win in his record book. The same could be said for Hoag after a solid performance in moto one. Hoag has long been held in high regard as far as ability and speed yet has suffered some of the worst luck in recent memory. The previous round had him sidelined with a mechanical and all eyes were on him as race time arrived.
Hetrick wasted no time in the second moto as he ripped the holeshot and moved into his favorite position. He was hitting all his marks and once again seemed to be untouchable. That was moto two for Hetrick as he did exactly his thing all the way to the checkered flag marking another stellar race weekend. The answers were indeed answered as Ford mimicked the first moto as he rode much closer to Hetrick as he crossed the finish line taking another well-earned second. Fords time is coming and at some point, he will catch and surpass Hetrick but when that happens is the million dollar question. Those expecting a repeat in the running order from moto one would be let down as Hoag suffered another mechanical that took him out of podium contention furthering his downward spiral in the luck department.
The rider who would take full advantage of things was ML2 Motorsports/Walsh Race Craft/Maxxis/Yamaha’s Max Lindquist who had already done an impressive job in the opening moto taking fourth. Lindquist strolled into the final podium spot going 4-3 as he marked another weekend as he continues to move the ball forward. Another rider making his name known here at High Point was TDR Motorsports/Walsh Race Craft/CST/Rocket Machine Design’s Mason Jackson. Jackson took fourth overall after going 6-4 which is his best pro finish to date. United Motorsports.com/Musick Racing/Meda Allstar’s Kevin Saar would round out the top five, closing the door on a successful weekend of racing.
Missing this round were two fan favorites and battle hardened veterans of the series. Rastrelli Racing/FXR Moto/Rocket Machine Design’s Jeffrey Rastrelli would be sidelined by a crash during a practice session and GennUSA Racing/SSi Decals/Kenda/Action Off-Road’s Nick Gennusa is recovering from a wrist injury suffered at the previous round. We all wish them the best and hope to see them back on the bars shortly.
Next up on the schedule is round six over the June 8th-9th weekend. Budds Creek will be the location as we all await to see if Ford can put a stop to Hetrick’s perfect season!
For more information on the ATV Motocross National Championship, visit the series official website at www.atvmotocross.com
High Point Results and Points Standings
Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania
Round 5 of 10
Saturday, May 18, 2024
AMA Pro Class Event Results:
Joel Hetrick (1-1)
Bryce Ford (2-2)
Max Lindquist (4-3)
Mason Jackson (6-4)
Kevin Saar (5-5)
Brandon Hoag (3-9)
Joseph Chambers (7-6)
Cody Ford (9-7)
Adam Ulrich (8-8)
Overall National Championship Standings:
Joel Hetrick (225)
Bryce Ford (194)
Brandon Hoag (168)
Max Lindquist (152)
Mason Jackson (123)
Kevin Saar (111)
Jeffrey Rastrelli (109)
Joseph Chambers (108)
Cody Ford (93)
Nicholas Gennusa (91)