ATVMX round 7 at Sunset Ridge XM wrap up and gallery

Jun 24

This past weekend the ATV universe arrived at Sunset Ridge MX in Walnut, Illinois for the seventh round of the ATVMX series. The Sunset Ridge track is a fan and rider favorite on the series and is a spot marked on the calendar for many. The sand track with a hard base provides a unique challenge for racing and the track crew always does a top-notch job of providing an excellent track for racing. The weather was warm and with the exception of a Saturday evening thunderstorm it was excellent. The evening shower made for a great track on Sunday for the final day of racing. This round was the military appreciation event on the schedule and many riders and teams had special graphics to honor our active military and retired veterans. During opening ceremonies, the VFW presented the flags and a local pilot performed a flyover for some added thrill.

A few observations from a group that covers multiple racing disciplines is that not enough people get exposed to ATVMX racing. The racing and fan base is extremely loyal and welcoming to any and all. This is our second year of covering a few of the series rounds and continue to meet new people all the time and sync back with those that remember us from prior events. The gate fee gets you into a day or weekend of racing that included Pro and Pro Am classes as well as 30 or so amateur racing classes that ranged from tiny youth riders to traditional vet classes and everything in between. There is no additional fee to buy a pit pass and the Pro pits are always open and you can walk around them at any time, unlike many other racing series that may restrict access to just a couple hours on a given day. It’s not uncommon to see the top riders working and walking around the pits at any given time and they seem more than happy to say hello and grab a photo with fans.

This has been the year of Joel Hetrick and he would continue his domination at Sunset also. He did not dominate the starts but was able to work his way to the front of the pack for a win in both moto one and two. He is now a perfect 14-0 on the season for moto wins and has a healthy lead in the points race. A perfect season has never been accomplished yet in ATVMX and Joel is knocking on the door and with his four Pro Championships would even more cement his place on the Mount Rushmore of ATV racing. Joel was second fastest behind Hoag in the first qualifying session but was able to turn things up a bit more and grabbed the fastest time in the second session.

Was great to see fellow midwest athlete Max Lindquist on the podium this weekend and running a solid fourth in season points. In moto two there was a couple of interesting moments of racing the first being Max’s ability to keep pace with Bryce and keep the pressure on him but was never able to make a pass for second place. The other is Hoag’s ability to work his way up to fourth through the field, he also had a rollover in moto one that cost him a few positions.