Mount Morris, PA – Jeremy Lawson simply won’t give up in his bid for the 2007 ITP/Moose Racing ATVA MX Series Championship. The Battletown, Kentucky-based Honda rider was ready to do battle as the AMA Pro ATV competitors took to the legendary hills of High Point Raceway in Western Pennsylvania, and he did, taking 2-1 moto scores to edge defending ATVA MX Champion Joe Byrd for the overall win. Lawson remains just 12 points behind Byrd in the series’ standings after his third win of the season.

            The track and weather conditions could not have been better for the 14th annual ATV Stampede at High Point. The track is the same one that hosted the AMA Toyota Motocross Nationals presented by FMF a month ago, where Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart did battle. The ATVs impressed, turning lap times in the same league as the bikes. During Saturday’s timed qualifying, Lawson was blazing fast, turning a 1:56.079, with Pat Brown right behind with a 1:56.351 and Byrd third with a 1:57.822.

	High Point Moto 2 Holeshot
	High Point Podium
	High Point Byrd Brown Battle

            Byrd grabbed yet another ATVRiders.com holeshot in the first moto at noon on Sunday, with Brown in second and Lawson making quick passes to get to third. Brown had the speed this time, and he challenged Byrd for the lead. The veteran wouldn’t give any ground, though, and Brown’s repeated pass attempts didn’t result in a position change. The battle kept heating up, until Brown run into the back of Byrd, causing a bottleneck with Brown stalling his bike. This let Lawson sneak around, with Brown getting moving again in third.

Now in second, it was Lawson’s turn to pull right behind Byrd, and he tried multiple lines to get passed. This battle allowed Brown to pull close, until about half way when he seemed to run out of energy.

In a dramatic close to the moto, Lawson tried one last time to pass Byrd on the straight before the finish. He pulled up beside him to create a big drag race to the line, but Byrd hung tough for the moto win.

Brown grabbed the ATVRiders.com holeshot in moto two, with Lawson and Byrd right behind. Local favorite and veteran Shane Hitt was in fourth early, ahead of Michael Brown. Lawson wasn’t wasting time, and he immediately passed Brown and began to pull away. Byrd tried everything possible to get around Brown, but he got hit in the collarbone by a rock and had to slow up and regroup.

Lawson had already checked out by the time Byrd got moving again, running incredible lap times, including the fastest of the day with a 1:53.696. Byrd was on a mission, too, and he passed Brown on lap nine to take second. The battle for fourth was just as close as the battle for second, as Michael Brown would stick his nose in on Shane Hitt several times but could not pass him. They ended the moto separated by less than a second at the finish.

Byrd leaves with his points lead, and also an ATVRiders.com Holeshot award to add to his collection. Pat Brown also grabbed a holeshot, while Lawson won the top qualifier award, and Paul Turner won the Mechanic of the Race Award.

Photos by Shane Hartman.

ITP/Moose ATVA National MX Championship Presented by Parts Unlimited

AMA Pro ATV

ATV Stampede, High Point Raceway Mount Morris, PA
June 17, 2007

Overall

1. Jeremy Lawson 2-1                

2. Joe Byrd 1-2                    

3. Pat Brown 3-3               

4. Justin Bress 4-6         

5. Michael Brown 6-5

6. Shane Hitt 9-4

7. Chris Tait 5-7

8. Sage Baker 8-8

9. Justin Bush 7-9

AMA Pro ATV MX Series Standings

1. Joe Byrd (348/4 wins)
2. Jeremy Lawson (336/3 wins)
3. Pat Brown (259)
4. Michael Brown (180)
5. Dustin Wimmer (141/1 win)
6. Justin Bres (171)
7. Doug Gust 136
8. Alex Trompen (122)
9. Dustin Wimmer (141/1 win)
10. Doug Gust (136)

AMA Pro ATV Manufacturer Cup Standings

1. Honda
2. Suzuki
3. Yamaha
4. Kawasaki

The ITP/Moose AMA Pro ATV National Championship presented by Parts Unlimited continues with the ATV Summer Nationals at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee on June 30 and July 1.

About the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series

Presented by Parts Unlimited:
Sanctioned by the AMA and ATVA, the nation’s premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series is hosted by many of America’s premier motocross facilities. The 12-round series approaches its 21st season with the Pro class newly under the wing of AMA Pro Racing. The 2006 series hosted over 8,000 entrants, making it America’s largest, as well as its longest running, ATV National Motocross series. Series sponsors include title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited. Premiere and Feature sponsors include ATV Sport, Moto Tees, Scott USA, Maxxis Tires, Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four. Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers, Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing. Media partners include ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.

About AMA Racing:
AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 110 thousand active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access an on line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.

About the ATVA:
The ATV Association (“ATVA”) is the official sanctioning body of the amateur divisions of the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000 member ATVA is the sister organization of the 260,000 member American Motorcyclist Association (“AMA”). ATV racing has experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past two years alone, and continues to gain momentum and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually. Each round attracts 600-700 racers who compete for bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national titles. For more information about ATVA, visit www.atvaonline.com.

About the ATVPG:
The ATVPG is comprised of the 12 individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events. For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, go to www.atvmotocross.com.