Press Release – Controversy highlighted this round of GNC motocross and, unfortunately, saw the end of the current John Natalie win streak.
Moto 1 went according to plan, with John coming out of the first turn in second behind Tim Farr, quickly taking the lead and pulling away to another dominant moto win. Moto 2, however, was another story. There was a close start among several of the riders.
Contact was made between riders in turn 2, with John getting the worst of it. Pushed onto the top of a berm by Jeremiah Jones, he rejoined the race in sixth spot. More than a little irritated with getting pushed off the track, John headed for the front of the pack with a vengeance, making contact with several riders including Suzuki’s Jeremiah Jones and Doug Gust.
In short order, John was in second behind Tim Farr. John attempted a pass over a jump, but his speed was much greater that the leader’s and he hit the rear or Tim’s ATV, sending himself to the ground. John was uninjured, but he had a locked front brake as a result of the crash, relegating him to an 18th place finish. His resulting 9th place overall dropped him to second in series points, 6 behind Tim Farr.
There were some comments from the Podium by Doug Gust and Suzuki protested John’s hard riding second moto charge through the pack but, after review of videos, it was deemed to be just hard racing.
GNC ATV Motocross, Buchanan, Mi:
John was not to be denied this time. He traded moto wins with Doug Gust, going 2 / 1 on the day for first overall. This also regained John the series points lead, putting him 9 points into the lead. On the podium, he and Doug shook hands, putting the rough riding and hard feelings from the last race behind them.
John also brought his friend, 4 year old Kyle Bartolini to the podium with him. Kyle was injured in a firearms accident and his courage in dealing with this has been an inspiration to John as he dedicated this win to Kyle.
GNC ATV Motocross, Blountville, Tn:
The win streak in on again! John’s first moto battle with Doug Gust was epic, with John finishing second. In Moto 2, John took the lead and checked out for the moto win and the overall win on the day. John now goes into the next round at Mt. Morris, Pa with a 23 point lead on the series.
