April 25, 2005
Danville, VA - Round 5 of the ATVA Grand National Championship MX Series got underway at Danville, Virginia's Birch Creek Motorsports Park, with the battle for this year's crown in full swing between Team Suzuki's Doug Gust and Honda's John Natalie and Tim Farr. A mere 11 points separated the three riders coming into Danville, and things were shaping up for some edge-of-your-seat racing on Birch Creek's fast, technical track.
And the racers did not disappoint. In Pro moto number one, John Natalie and his Honda TRX450R rocketed out of the starting gate with fellow Red Rider Tim Farr in close pursuit around the first turn. Doug Gust and Jeremiah Jones also joined in the chased behind the two Honda riders.
A few laps later, Gust got sideways off a double jump and crashed hard, silencing the crowd as he stayed down for several minutes. Fortunately, the reigning GNC MX Champ would avoid any major injuries, though he would sit out the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, Jones began to catch up to Farr in second – and kick off the start of a thrilling, place-swapping duel. First, Jones passed Farr out of the finish line turn only to see Farr pass him back over the huge Danville triple jump. The two went side-by-side through the next downhill, where Jones stuck a wheel in on Farr. Farr then pressured him back coming out of the next off-camber turn. This wheel-to-wheel dogfight went on for several laps before Jones was able to make a pass stick. Natalie kept Jones at bay and finished first, with Jones second, and Farr finishing a strong third.
When the gates dropped for the second Pro moto, it was once again a Red Rider who grabbed the holeshot – only this time it was the #4 TRX450R of Tim Farr. Behind him came Kory Ellis, Jason Luburgh and Travis Spader, followed by Natalie into the first turn.
Track conditions were much rougher for the second race, though Farr seemed to have everything perfectly dialed in. Meantime, back in third, Natalie was fighting hard for several laps to get around Spader and Luburgh for the #3 spot. Once he did, he and his #13 TRX450R set their sights on Ellis.
The Yamaha pilot was putting in a strong moto until the 15-minute mark, when he . Natalie immediately pounced when Ellis overcooked a corner and got hung up on a berm. Natalie slid past into second, where he'd finish. Ellis, who recovered and continued to pressure Natalie for the remainder of the moto, took third, while Farr cruised to an uncontested win.
Natalie's 1-2 moto tally earned him first overall, stretching his win streak to three in a row, with Farr (3-1) finishing second and Jeremiah Jones (2-4) third overall.
ATVA GNC MX Series, Rd. 5 Overall Results
1. John Natalie – Honda
2. Tim Farr – Honda
3. Jeremiah Jones – Suzuki
4. Jason Dunkelberger – Yamaha
5. Travis Spader – Yamaha
6. Kory Ellis – Yamaha
7. Dustin Wimmer – Honda
8. Patrick Brown – Yamaha
9. Matt White – Yamaha
10. Tavis Cain – Yamaha
ATVA GNC MX Series Points Standings
1. John Natalie – 117 – Honda
2. Tim Farr – 105 – Honda
3. Doug Gust – 95 – Suzuki
4. Jeremiah Jones – 93 – Suzuki
5. Keith Little – 79 – Yamaha
6. Travis Spader – 79 – Yamaha
7. Kory Ellis – 72 – Yamaha
8. Joe Byrd – 62 – Yamaha
9. Jason Dunkelberger – 54 – Yamaha
10. Patrick Brown – 48 – Yamaha
