Cobra Kids Ready For Loretta Lynn's

HILLSDALE, Mich., – Hosting some 72 of the nation’s top young amateur motocross racers arriving from all points on the map, American-made Cobra Motorcycles has landed in balmy Hurricane Mills, Tenn. – the proving grounds for the world’s top amateur racers at the 30th annual Red Bull AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by AMSOIL.

An illustrious friend to motocross, country singer Loretta Lynn has opened the gates to her sprawling ranch every August since 1981 for the top amateur racers and their families – those that have met all the standards for the strict qualifying process over the past several months to arrive at this great race. And “great” in that just the phrase Qualifying for Loretta’s has become part of the MX industry’s lexicon, relating to excellence not only in racing, but product engineering as well. And this is precisely why, year after year, the Made-in-Michigan Cobra Motorcycles continue to showcase Loretta Lynn’s as title chapters in the company’s amazing heritage, with racing lineage centered at Loretta’s while spanning the globe with its legendary competition mini cycles.

Sean Hilbert, President of Cobra, is one of the nation’s leading advocates in the AMA’s “Kids just want to ride” campaign to save the sport of mini bike racing as we now know it. Hilbert has both feet planted firmly on the rich, loamy Loretta’s Ranch soil – there for each and every Cobra Kid competing at the Ranch and pleased to talk about the new 2012 Cobra CX 50 Senior and Junior and the revolutionary CX65 flagship models with those whose kids wish to follow in the “Cobra Generation’s” footsteps.

“Loretta’s is our Super Bowl, all rolled into one week of the best amateur racing we’ll see all year,” said Hilbert. “This is the one, with some big time bragging rights on the line. Our kids are pumped. Their dads and families are pumped. And this is what makes all those sleepless nights brainstorming on how to make one of a thousand parts on the Cobra bikes -built here in our Michigan factory - lighter, stronger and better.

“We want the Cobra brand and the great riders – and families behind them – to have every possible advantage out there. And one week in August at Loretta’s Ranch is what it’s all about for us at Cobra.”

2011 Cobra/Loretta’s Preview

51cc (4-6) AMA 1 Stock Junior class … aka “The little guys”

2010 class champ: Gage Linville (Cobra)

Led by Cobra’s “Bakersfield Boyz,” the 4-6 class should see a lot of Jett Reynolds, Brock Bennett and Ryder Di Francesco – both out front and on the overall podium. Champions of the highly competitive NMA U.S. Mini GPs held earlier this year in Mesquite, Nevada, Reynolds, Bennett & Di Francesco come from the same town – Bakersfield, Calif. – that produced Cobra’s top 51cc senior class racer, Stilez Robertson. Also keep an eye on Texas’ Seth Milam, Missouri’s Brock Lassiter, Pennsylvania’s Callin Kauffman, Washington’s Alex Mann and New York’s Reed Cooper.

51cc (7-8) AMA 2 Stock Senior class … “The King Cobras”

2010 class champ: Jackson Turpin (Cobra)

Last year, as a seven-year-old, Robertson won the opening 7-8 AMA 2 moto and was poised to take the overall when he wrecked on the start straight and was only able to make it back to 11th in the third and deciding moto, settling on 4th overall. Robertson returns this year on his King Cobra as the odds-on favorite to win the class, having dominated his division both here – sweeping both the 7-8 Stock and Modified classes at the Mini GPs - and winning the MX Masters Kids in France already this summer.

Joining Robertson as a number of other Cobra front-running favorites in the 7-8 AMA 2 class are Utah’s Pierce Brown, Oregon’s Max Miller, Washington’s Ethan Mann – who just converted to Cobra, Pennsylvania’s Chase Yentzer and last year’s 4-6 AMA 1 class champion at Loretta’s, Georgia’s Linville.

Also with solid top ten shots at Loretta’s on their King Cobras are: Riley Allen, Braden Bruce, Cade Britt, Vance Stier, Branden Walther, Dylan Schwartz, Jace Kessler, Gauge Keith, Jayden Taylor, Cole Harkins, Keith Davis and Lawson Hardwick.

65cc (7-9) Stock, (10-11) Stock & (7-11) Modified … “The 65s”

2010 top Cobra: Chase Sexton (Cobra), 3rd, (7-11) Modified

Last year Illinois’ Chase Sexton scored Cobra’s first podium in the brief history of the new CX65. In 2011 Cobra 65cc racers will continue to expand upon the American-made competition mini cycle’s race heritage, looking to add an overall class victory at Loretta’s like Sexton did at the first major MX Amateur National last year – the 2010 Mini Os in Gainesville, Fla.

In the 65cc (7-9) Stock class Cobra has more entries in 2011 than ever before. Cobra’s Brown will line up his CX65 in hopes of replicating the success he met at the NMA Mini GPs – a podium 3rd place finish in the Stock 7-8 class in Mesquite this year. Other top Cobra riders in that class include Jack Rogers, Jordan Jarvis – the only girl to qualify for the 7-9 65cc Stock class since its inception – Tyler Archambault, Bruce, Tres Campbell and Kruz Sampson. And in the Stock (10-11) class Cobra’s best shot at a trophy looks to be with Canada’s Tanner Ward and Missouri’s Michael Hicks.

For more information on the 2011 Red Bull AMA Amateur National Championships – including up-to-date scoring, link to the Loretta’s website at: http://www.mxsports.com

Cobra, founded in 1993, produces the most successful line of competition mini cycles and mini quads in the United States with more than 200 national titles in the last decade. Based out of Hillsdale, Mich., Cobra's mission is to build premium products for the serious racer. For more information on Cobra products, please visit our website at www.cobramotorcycle.com.

High Profile Public Relations (HPPR), LLC, is a multi-faceted communications agency specializing in strategic media relations – both industry and mainstream – for the powersports and action sports communities. Dialed in with all forms of power and action sports, its participants, manufacturers and live event promoters, HPPR’s Pat Schutte can be reached at (734) 369-2170 and pat@highprofilepr.com.