AMA U.S. ATV Motocross Team Takes Silver at FIM Quadcross of Nations

The AMA U.S. ATV Motocross Team had to enter this year’s Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Quadcross of Nations with a revised strategy, as they would face unprecedented terrain which would test their endurance and machine setups.

Ford Brothers Racing/FXR/SSi Decals/CST’s Bryce Ford, Phoenix Racing Yamaha’s Joel Hetrick and Wienen Motorsports/Maxxis/SSi Decals/Fly Racing/Yamaha’s Chad Wienen gave their best effort to defend the team’s title but ultimately secured the runner-up result on September 27-28 in the Netherlands. It would be the home team of The Netherlands that would secure the win by just two points. Estonia would finish in third.

“I’m proud of Bryce, Joel and Chad for their tenacity in tackling such a challenging sand track,” said Team Manager Mark Baldwin. “Although we would have loved to secure our seventh championship, we gave it our all. That’s all you can ask for. It was an extremely close battle, and that leaves us even more motivated to return next year to reclaim the title. For now, join me in celebrating the team taking silver against the world’s top ATV racers.”

On Saturday, the U.S. team entered the event showcasing their dominance as Hetrick took the fastest time in Group B at the Kamperweg Heerde Circuit. Ford and Wienen qualified second in Groups A and C.

Moto 1 saw Hetrick blast out of the gate aboard his Yamaha YFZ450R and grab the holeshot in the 25-minute plus two laps race. The 32-year-old began to pull away from the rest of the field and had built up a more than 10-second lead when he crashed. Hetrick recovered but encountered another crash and yet another tip-over before he fought his way up to 13th by the end of the moto. Ford started from the back row and was shuffled to the middle of the field. He charged hard throughout the moto, picking off riders lap after lap. Before the checkers flew, he was able to secure the runner-up spot.

Going into the second moto, the U.S. team was ranked second behind France. Hetrick started from the back row and was 13th off of the start. He fought through lingering pain from Moto 1 and put in a valiant ride to take fourth. Forty-year-old Wienen snatched the holeshot and rode a strong race aboard his Yamaha YFZ450R. However, the six-time member of the team would eventually finish the moto in sixth.

The AMA U.S. ATV Motocross Team sat at the top of the leaderboard headed into the final moto. Leading by just 7 points, Ford and Wienen knew the stakes were high. Ford was just inside the top 10 off of the start, but he put himself into third by the end of Lap 1. Wienen was in eighth after the opening lap. Soon, Ford set the fastest time on the track during Lap 2. However, on the fourth lap, the 23-year-old wasn’t able to hold off his competitor and slipped to fourth. Meanwhile, Wienen gained a position. On the fifth lap, Ford dropped to fifth, but Wienen moved up to sixth. They held these positions until Lap 13 when Wienen slipped to seventh. They remained focused on working their way to the front, but the track conditions were really wearing down the Americans. Ultimately, Ford finished in fifth and Wienen seventh.

The team’s five best scores were combined for a total of 24, just a mere two points shy of the winning team: The Netherlands.

With 2-5 results, Ford was the top American for the day, landing fourth in the individual rider standings.

“Rough day all-in-all,” said Ford, a four-time member of the team. “First moto, I got second and felt really good. Third moto, I was a little nervous. I knew we needed to do really well against the home country: The Netherlands. I kind of spun off of the gate and left myself with some work to do. Unfortunately, I fell back from there — was dragging my tongue in the chain. But it’s a cool event. Grateful to be alive. Grateful to be here. Team USA 2025 – love you guys!”

Six-time member of the team and six-time AMA Pro ATV Motocross National Champion Hetrick noted that it was a hard day of racing, but his 13-4 results still allowed him to capture a top 10 individual honor at the event in addition to the team’s silver.

“P2 [for the team] on the day after a really hard day of racing,” Hetrick said. “In my first moto, I crashed: two bad ones and tipped over once. I was leading, so that was a bummer for me. In moto two, I was able to go out and ride the best I could. That put me in a P4 position, and that’s all I had. It was good for me. I was happy with that performance. Then, we got to watch Chad and Bryce finish it off in the last moto. Everyone rode really good. It was just a difficult day, and we’re going to do our homework and come back to the Dutch land one day and try to get them.”

Securing 6-7 results, Wienen was ranked the eighth-overall individual rider at the event.

 “Tough day, but I really enjoyed riding for the most part,” said the eight-time AMA Pro ATV Motocross National Champion. “Difficult track, difficult conditions. My starts were on-point; I really enjoyed those. I pulled some massive holeshots. Just the strength that it took to ride around the track and the setup was something that we hadn’t experienced before. For us to come out second is nothing to hang our head about. We all rode great. It was a difficult track with great competition. We’re going to be proud. I’ve been a part of five winning teams, and we’re a long way from being done. I know that we’re going to rebound really strong for next year. Proud of the whole team. Everybody worked so well together. This is my last Quadcross of Nations, so I’m just going to enjoy the moment with the crowd and the team here for the last time. Thank you to everyone involved.”

If you missed the action live, you can catch the replay at https://fim-moto.tv/subscribe/products/a872cbb2-8205-4a2e-84ad-48a37225f961 where Digging Deep ATVMX Podcast’s Cody Janssen co-commentated the English version of the broadcast.

“We’re fortunate to have strong support for the team, from sponsors to support team members to fans,” said AMA Delegate Harv Whipple. “We’re proud of the team’s work this year as we faced a new challenge of unfamiliar terrain. Thanks to Jody Bateman for serving as the crew chief and to the riders’ mechanics — Jim Hardy, Glen Schlude and Paul Turner — for their efforts.”

Special thanks to the team’s 2025 sponsors:

Platinum 

• 88 Live to Ride
• DWT
• SSi Decals
• Yamaha

Gold

• Phoenix Racing
• Rock River Arms
• Springfield Armory

Silver

• Adidas Terrex
• Binky’s Forever ATC
• High Gear Success
• Londerville Steel
• Mechanix Wear
• Rockwell

Bronze

• 4 Liberty Motorsports
• Baldwin Motorsports
• D&W Cycle Specialties
• Digging Deep ATVMX Podcast
• Impact Solutions
• JB Racing
• PEP
• RipitupFilms
• Score Processing
• TDR Motorsports

2025 FIM Quadcross of Nations Team Results
1. Netherlands, 22
2. USA, 24
3. Estonia, 31
4. Belgium, 49
5. France, 52
6. Italy, 54
7. Germany, 55
8. Norway, 58
9. Poland, 72
10. Latvia, 88

For questions regarding the team or to commit to future sponsorship, please contact Harv Whipple at hwhipple@mchsi.com or 309-314-4879.

Follow updates regarding the team at Facebook.com/teamUSAatvmx and on Instagram at @teamUSAatvmx.

About The Team
The AMA U.S. ATV Motocross Team (formerly referred to as Team USA ATVMX) was established in 2017 by Harv Whipple and fields three riders to compete in the Quadcross of Nations. The team won the title from 2017-2019 and 2022-2024. It did not compete during 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. The team secured silver in 2025.

About High Gear Success
High Gear Consulting LLC DBA High Gear Success is a motorsports communications and marketing strategy company located in Pataskala, Ohio, that helps motorsports companies, event organizers and racers get noticed, improve operations and increase revenue. Fueled by passion, Heather Wilson Schiltz, CEO, focuses strategies on engagement and awareness in order to drive results. Learn more at HighGearSuccess.com.