AMA Pro ATV
Rd. 4 - Apr. 27, 2008
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"BYRD" Bags Birch
AMA Pro ATV - Rd. 4 - Danville, VA - April 27, 2008
After misfortune and malfunction plagued 2 time MX National Champion Joe Byrd during two of the first three rounds, destiny finally dealt him a winning hand in Virginia.
Team MSR/ProTaper/Suzuki/
Yoshimura's Dustin Wimmer challenged Joe Byrd for two motos but couldn't make one of his signature "smoothie" passes on the 2-time National Champ. Wimmer finished second in both of Sunday's Pro motos and retained a rather comfortable points lead in the overall standings. At the close of round 4 the top three stood as: Wimmer - 178 / Gust - 148 / Byrd - 119; with Natalie scratching at Byrds nest with 113 points.
Is Joe Byrd back? "Let's hope so," said Byrd after sweeping both motos to win Sunday's AMA Pro ATV National at Birch Creek Motorsports, marking his first victory of the season. Byrd traded the lead once with Dustin Wimmer, Team MSR/Suzuki/Yoshimura/Pro Taper, before winning the first moto, and ran away with the second moto. The two-time and defending AMA Pro ATV Champion finished ahead of Wimmer, who notched his fourth consecutive podium. Jason Dunkelberger, East Coast ATV/Honda, earned his first ATV Pro podium, finishing third.
"This track really worked for me this weekend," said Byrd, who was near the top of the timing charts all weekend. "We've been working hard this season, and we're going to keep doing what we're doing." Byrd added, "This will definitely build momentum going into the next race...More importantly, it will raise the morale in the Byrd compound, making all of those 18-hour shifts meaningful."
With the victory, Byrd moves up four positions to third in points, 59 markers behind Wimmer. Doug Gust, Team Rockstar, MSR, Suzuki, Yoshimura, Pro Taper, is second in the title chase, while John Natalie, Can-Am, and Josh Creamer, Team Monster Energy/Kawasaki, are fourth and fifth, respectively.
You could hear him screaming a mile away and his smile was recorded as the biggest ever. Jason Dunkelberger, an East Coast ATV/Honda sponsored Pro, captured his first ever Pro podium finish at round 4 of the '08 AMA Pro ATV Nationals at Birch Creek Motorsports in Danville, Virginia. "Dunk", as he is known, joins Josh Creamer as one of two up and coming Pros to break the podium ice in 2008.
Joe Byrd
Jason Dunkelberger
Dustin Wimmer
