With the 41st edition of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch approaching, we will spend the next few weeks running through some of the names you might not know raced Loretta Lynn’s. Of the thousands of people who have raced at the Ranch, not everyone has gone on to race at the professional level. But, several are industry members, the parents/siblings of current pro racers, or people who became well-known outside of the motocross industry. So, in this year’s countdown we are going to highlight some names that make you say, “Wait, they raced at Loretta’s?!”
Seth Rarick might just be one of the biggest names you might not have heard of in motocross. He's friends with everyone, he's trained with or helped train tons of riders, and he's an insider's insider. Last year Rarick was working with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing as 250 Team Manager, this year he was working as Team Trainer for the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM team. We'll see what's next for Seth. What you might not know is, he’s competed at Loretta Lynn’s in four different years (2006, 2007, 2009, and 2017), and in multiple classes in three of those years—2006, 2007, and 2009.
“I was never able to put three motos together at Loretta’s, but there’s one that sticks out in my mind that I wish I could have back,” Rarick says of his time a Loretta’s. “In 250 B stock one year I had second wrapped up with two laps to go and crashed my brains out. That one sucked because it was first moto of the week and I went from hero to zero really fast. The pressure I felt as a kid there, honestly, ruined me. My dad spent every dime he had just to get me there and I knew if I didn’t do good it was going to be a long drive home. In hindsight I wish I didn’t let that affect me so much, but live and learn.”
![Rarick with a bike issue at the Steel City National in 2012.]()
Rarick with a bike issue at the Steel City National in 2012. Andrew Fredrickson ![Rarick with a bike issue at the Steel City National in 2012.]()
Rarick with a bike issue at the Steel City National in 2012. Andrew Fredrickson
Even still, Rarick still has fond memories of racing at the Ranch, and not all of them took place on the track, either.
“I’m not sure if this is still the rule, but back in the day you had to be 16 to drive a golf cart,” Rarick remembers. “My buddy, Mike Sottile, and I, were like 14 and he was driving and rear ended some old lady at the stagecoach hill road crossing. We got our cart repo’d and my dad had to go to Loretta’s ‘court’ to get it back.”
Now, with plenty of years between those summers Rarick spent there as a racer and when he goes back now as a trainer and mentor, he views Loretta’s through a completely different lens.
“I appreciate Loretta’s so much more now when I go back,” he said. “I went in 2017 and raced 25+ and that was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on a dirt bike. It really is an awesome experience, but my advice to every kid racing it now is, don’t put too much stock into it. Yes, it’s an important race, but not winning doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t turn out to have a successful career. Just take the experience for what it’s worth, try your best, and keep plugging away if you really want to do it.”
Here are Seth Rarick’s overall and moto finishes from the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
Main image is from 2021, photo by Align Media
