Bryce Ford Helps Lead Team USA to Quadcross of Nations Victory in Czech Republic
(Kramolin, Czech Republic. September 25, 2022) – Pride. There are few things that we as Americans are more prideful of than our country. This, of course, rings true for the Ford Brother Racing family of Springtown, Texas, and made for the proudest of moments when young Bryce Ford was selected to represent Team USA at the 2022 Quadcross of Nations event in the Czech Republic. It was a dreamlike scenario for the twenty-year-old, who had dreamt of representing the greatest nation in the world for years. It’s hard to imagine a more impressive honor than traveling halfway across the world to race on behalf of the United States of American and all our great ATV racing enthusiasts back home. After months of anticipation, the event was finally here.
The Quadcross of Nations is the Olympics of ATV racing. Each competing country is represented by the three best athletes that their nation has to offer at this annual traveling event. In the three years that Team USA has fielded a squad, the Americans have been victorious each and every time. After sitting out each of the last two seasons, Team USA was back and looking to keep their consecutive winning streak alive. This year’s team would be made up of former event champions 8-time AMA ATV Champion Chad Wienen, 3-time and reigning AMA ATV Champ Joel Hetrick, and joining the two legends would be event rookie Bryce Ford (of Ford Brothers Racing) following a third-place finish in the 2021 ATV Motocross National Championship series points standings. The Americans entered the event, which would be held this year in the Czech Republic, as the odds-on favorites. But despite their stacked lineup that featured the winners of the previous eleven AMA ATV Pro Class National Championships, the team knew they would have a battle on their hands entering the ring with targets on their backs.
There had been some debate in the ATV motocross community over the last few months regarding if the proper selection was made for the third member of Team USA. For Bryce Ford, not that he needed any further motivation than simply wanting to win for his country, but deep down we are certain that he wanted to silence the doubters and make sure the entire ATV racing world knew that he was the right man for the job. Well, it didn’t take long before Bryce would be forced to put the American squad on his back. “Learn to use the criticism as fuel and you will never run out of energy.” – Orrin Woodward
The team aspect of the QXON is what makes this event unlike any other. The three-moto format ensures that each team member races twice, with five scores being used toward Olympic-style scoring (lowest score wins), and one moto being dropped (the worst finish between the three countrymen. Bryce Ford would get his opportunity to prove his worth in his first ever QXON moto.
Remember how we said each team gets just one throw away score? Well, Team USA found themselves with their backs against the wall early when Chad Wienen suffered a mechanical failure in the event’s opening moto. As the lone American representative remaining in Moto 1, Bryce knew it was paramount that he maximize points…and he did just that by charging to the front to win the opening moto of the 2022 Quadcross of Nations! It was the highest of highs and the lowest of lows to start the day for Team USA in the Czech Republic, who sat in 7th place after the riders’ combined finishes after one.
In Moto 2 it was all red, white, and blue, as Team USA went 1-2 with Joel Hetrick taking the win followed by Chad Wienen. Team USA was now in the runner-up position behind the defending champs (Ireland) with one moto remaining. Could Bryce Ford help Team USA secure the title?
Entering the third and final race of this year’s Quadcross of Nations event, the Americans had no room for error following Chad Wienen’s early DNF. However, it wouldn’t take long for the U.S. squad to put a stranglehold on the rest of the pack. Bryce Ford blasted out of the gate to rip the holeshot and get out to an early lead, never looking back. Bryce would never be seriously threatened by any other rider not named Joel Hetrick. His teammate would eventually win the final race of the day with his young teammate in tow. Team USA had won the 2022 Quadcross of Nations title in triumphant fashion, overcoming early heartbreak in the Czech Republic to win the event for the fourth time (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) with a perfect score of 7 total points – Joel Hetrick (1-1), Bryce Ford (1-2), and Chad Wienen (*throwout*-2). Team USA is your 2022 Quadcross of Nations Champs!
It goes without saying that Bryce Ford truly stepped up and performed when his team needed him most. In two high pressure situations, he stepped up to the plate and delivered in a major way for Team USA. In going 1-2 in his two motos in the Czech Republic, Bryce first put the team on his back in the opening moto after Chad Wienen’s DNF. Then in Moto 2, with no room for error and Team USA trailing, the QXON rookie ripped the holeshot and led early before giving way only to his teammate Joel Hetrick. Their 1-2 finishes in the final moto clinched the fourth Quadcross of Nations title for the American squad. After much debate over the course of the last few months, this young man absolutely slayed it for Team USA and delivered in the biggest way possible!
“[It’s] a moment you wait for your entire racing life.” The Ford Brothers Racing team posted to their official social media channels, keeping it short and sweet because sometimes very few words are needed. “When you get to team up with two of the best quad guys in the world that have 11 pro championships, it’s hard to grasp…Proud to be an American…We are the champions!”
The collective ATV community, both stateside and abroad, are so proud of this young man, his family, and all of his supporters. We cannot wait to see what the springboard effect will look like following the biggest weekend of his racing career on the world stage. But for now, enjoy this one for a while because we can’t think of a better way to cap off another unbelievable season. Congrats to Team USA ATVMX, riders Bryce Ford, Joel Hetrick, Chad Wienen, and the entire crew on another amazing feat! See you next year! USA! USA! USA!