Illinois Valley Times

It started with a love for ATVs and dirt riding, but now Chad Wienen is looking at winning his sixth-consecutive American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) ATV Motocross championship.  

“It’s almost as if you can’t settle for what you’ve achieved," Wienan told the Illinois Valley Times recently. "You have to continuously push forward to continue to achieve more. You have to have a strong love for what you do.”

Wienen is far from settling. He recently won an AMA Championship race at Sunset Ridge at Walnut, and is leading the circuit. 

Chad Wienen takes a turn during a race. | Photo provided by WeenedATV.com

He won his first AMA ATV MX title in 2012 and has not lost since.

“It has taken a lot of hard work and, honestly, a little bit of luck,” Wienen said. “I have been fortunate to have a great team and sponsors supporting me and helping to make this journey possible. I will forever be grateful to each and every one of them for that.”

A Galena native, Wienen started racing at 16 and signed to his first team in 2007, Rockstar Makita Suzuki. He took third place overall that year. 

A year later, Wienen won his first title at the AMA Pro Invitational. His success continued with a Montreal Supercross championship in 2009 and DWT World Motocross title in 2010. 

His winning roll came to an abrupt halt in 2011, however, when a severe back injury cut things short for Wienen, putting him out for the remainder of the year. 

After a year-long rehab, Wienen decided that it was time to take control and created the Wienen Motorsports SSI Decals Walsh Yamaha team. 

“I love what I get to do everyday," he said. "I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I didn’t like not being able to make the ultimate decision on what parts or directions the team had to take. It was nerve-racking at first, but now I wouldn’t change it for anything. Don’t get me wrong, You have your days where you wish someone would take over the responsibility, but I believe that is a huge part of why I have been so successful.”

Things look good for Wienen in his title defense. With his first-place finish at Sunset Ridge, Wienen added 47 points to his season to keep him at the No. 1 spot. He currently leads with 255 points on the season. 

“I wake up knowing every day that I get to do what I love day in and day out,” Wienen said. “There are few people who get to say they earn a living doing what they love. I know I am fortunate to be one of those people.”