The 34th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship came to a close on Saturday after five straight days of racing. The track (not to mention the Ranch) held up quite well despite the constant race traffic that was on it practically from dawn until dusk. For today’s List, we thought we would show you some “before” and “after” photos after a full week of racing at the country singer’s Tennessee ranch.
The start stretch stayed green until practice started, then it was heavily disked and watered as the riders practiced on Monday.
When riders line up for their first moto, they pick chips from a bucket that determines their start pick, then they go by their previous moto’s results. This is what the far outside looked like.
Sitting at the corner of the announcer’s tower, the grass still covered the surface until the day before practice, as the Loretta Lynn’s track besides this week’s ATV National.
The Thor towers were gleaming and ready to go when folks started showing up two weeks ago.
The day before practice, course architect Randy Poulter and the MX Sports crew decided to change up the rollers in front of the Thor Tower in order to get the bikes jumping over the tunnel to go straight. It seemed to work well all week.
The Ten Commandments are a trademark feature of Loretta Lynn’s, and they are rebuilt every night for the next day’s racing.
Kawasaki Team Green was the very first brand to support the event, and they have been parking behind the starting gate ever since 1982.
Here are two views of the finish line from the fence: First from the road…
…And from above, at the corner of the announcer’s tower, looking down.
We showed you what the far outside of the starting gate looked like, but here’s from the far inside gate.
One of the most crowded spots is always the FMF compound, which is behind the starting gate and across the street from Kawasaki Team Green. When they get their FMF Karaoke Nationals going, it’s jam-packed!
The tie that binds throughout the whole ranch is Hurricane Creek, which lines the entire property.
The intersection along the creek bank that goes up past Factory Connection on one side, and Moto-X Compound on the other, is constantly humming with activity.
Yamaha brings all kinds of new bikes and display materials to the Ranch each summer.
While there weren’t perfectly matched photos, you can see what a difference a few motos make at Loretta Lynn’s.
The Thor Tower is the biggest trackside structure. As a result, it sees a whole bunch of racing over the course of a week!
A personal favorite: The BBQ folks may have gotten “motocross” wrong at first, but their cooking is always amazing—check them out the next time you visit Exit 143!
