Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Rev Up. There are only a few times a year for the amateur elite to showcase their talents on a national scale. This weekend’s Monster Energy Cup event in Las Vegas is one of those times, and as far as supercross goes, it is by far the grandest opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow. We’ll get to watch two divisions of amateur superstars as the Amateur All-Star and Supermini classes will take to the challenging race course and compete on live television. While the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s is the premier event in the amateur world, not even the Ranch experience can offer these kids a chance to race in front of 50,000 rabid fans, all in fabulous Las Vegas!
How much of a mark does winning the Super-Mini class have on a rider’s career? Well, James Stewart is the defending race winner and a dozen years ago he got his feet wet by winning the minicycle race at the old US Open of Supercross at the MGM Grand. This year’s Super-Mini class has a lot of talent in it, and racers from all over the country will be salivating for their chance to become the first different Monster Energy Cup Super-Mini champion in three years as two-time defending winner Austin Forkner moves up to big bikes. Diversity reigns supreme with this group as every manufacturer will have a contender including Husqvarna and a female competitor that will be raising some eyebrows!
La Moille, Illinois’s, Chase Sexton is one of the favorites to take the win after a strong performance at Loretta Lynn’s which saw him take home second and third overall finishes. Aboard his Yamaha, Sexton was recently the class of the field at the Edge of Summer MX event, which saw a SX/MX hybrid race course built by Mark Barnett. Another big name in the Super-Mini division is Coalville, Utah’s, Garrett Marchbanks, who stormed his way through Loretta Lynn’s with two class championships and the AMA Youth Rider of the Year Award. Look for the Team Green speedster to be at the front. McMurray, Pennsylvania’s, Brock Papi has competed in the Monster Energy Cup before, and the aggressive KTM-mounted teenager will be charging hard to pull off the biggest win of his young career. Meanwhile there has been a lot of hype around DeLand, Florida’s, Hannah Hodges, with very good reason. She isn’t merely a girl out racing with the boys; she is the real deal. She has the speed to place her Suzuki on the podium and will surprise a lot of folks! This class is always a barnburner, and the screaming two-stroke 105cc machines are a crowd favorite.
As for the Amateur All-Star class, this division may have as much parity as the pro class. Consisting of A and B class racers, there are dozens of Loretta Lynn titles and even a couple factory bikes that will be pushing to the starting line. Many of you will remember GEICO Honda’s Jordon Smith pushing his teammate, and 2014 250SX East Region Champion, Justin Bogle to his limits at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event. The Belmont, North Carolina, native has a ton of speed but has a penchant for hitting the deck. However, he’s coming into the race healthy and looking to rebound from a crash in the event last year. All things considered, Smith is my pick to win the overall after the two six-lap motos.
Meanwhile, Tinino, Washington’s, Tristan Charboneau decimated his competition at Loretta’s, winning four out of six motos in two B class championships. GEICO Honda picked up his services recently, and he will be making his big debut on his new red machine. Corona, California’s Ryan Surratt may have something to say about my prediction. Surratt has a very new school riding style and has been spending time on the Southern California SX tracks leading into the event. Like Smith, Surratt also competed in the Red Bull Straight Rhythm event and the #51 will be in the mix for the win. The song remains the same for his Yamaha teammate Aaron Plessinger, who has recently moved to SoCal and has been in deep preparation for the event. Hailing from Hamilton, Ohio, Plessinger is a lanky talent with some Loretta Lynn’s titles under his belt. This will be Plessinger’s final amateur race, as he moves to the Yamalube/Star Racing team and Monster Energy Supercross proper in 2015. Yamaha has a very salty list of riders for the Monster Energy Cup. Joining Surratt and Plessinger will be Lorenzo Locurcio who won three of his six motos at Loretta’s and took home a second and a class championship.
Diversity is the theme with these amateur classes, and one exciting racer who will be looking to follow in James Stewart’s footsteps and become the second African American champion of the Monster Energy Cup will be Maryland’s Alexander Frye. Frye didn’t have the week at Loretta’s he wished for, but he’s been bad fast at most of the other big amateur events. Lately, he’s been making the most out of a very unique and fortunate opportunity to train with Ricky Carmichael himself at “The Farm.” I spoke with Frye a few weeks ago and he said, “I’m very excited about the opportunity to race at the Monster Cup. Supercross is very new to me and we’ve been taking it slow, but having the chance to ride and train with Ricky is a dream come true. We’ve been working on putting together consistent laps, and I think I have a chance to get on the podium if things work out the way we’ve been preparing for.” The young KTM rider is just as well spoken as he is fast. He’ll be one to watch.
We were all looking forward to the 250F debut of two-time Monster Energy Cup Super-Mini champion Austin Forkner this weekend. When I spoke to him recently, he was excited about the move to the big bike. “I’ve only been on the bike a short time, but I’m adjusting quickly. It’s funny, I have a race motor from Pro Circuit, but the stock bike is actually fast enough! What we’ve really been working on is getting the suspension dialed in so I can get more comfortable. I love racing the Monster Cup and am really looking forward to getting out there on a big bike and doing my best,” he said. Unfortunately, Austin suffered a minor spill last week and is a late scratch. He’s not racing, but will be in attendance.
There are more talented riders in both divisions that I have left out, these races are going to be very, very competitive and action filled. Some of the closet and most aggressive racing of the night historically takes place within these two divisions, and the 2014 offering is set to be the best yet. These kids are pumped up and will put on a heck of a show!
