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, and 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?!”
Travis Pastrana had a very successful amateur career with five Loretta Lynn’s titles, and his father, Robert Pastrana, is most known at Loretta’s for his back flip out of a tall tree, where he hit a branch on the way down.
People are no longer permitted to jump into the river at Loretta’s (gee, I wonder why?), but long before Robert was falling, err, jumping out of trees at the ranch, he actually raced! In 1990 he and Travis showed up for the first time. Travis finished 20th overall in the 51cc Stock class and Robert raced the 40+.
Robert, who is a Vietnam vet, said he raced quite a bit in District 7 during the early ‘70s when he got out of the Marines. Not strictly a moto guy, he even raced and won a six-hour-long hare scramble on an XR250. Robert must love his XR’s because that’s what he showed up to Loretta’s on! We asked both Robert and Travis about his time racing and this is what they had to say:
Robert
“I remember very little about that 40+ race. That XR600 tore out Davey Coombs’ starting gate and it was downhill from there. I assume I finished a moto or two and I know I stopped at least once for water.”
Travis
“He raced it on a ten-year-old, box stock and bent to shit, XR600 and on the second moto he accidentally did a wheelie over the gate when the card went sideways so he figured he might as well get the holeshot since they were probably gonna dock him a lap anyways. [Laughs]”
Robert did in fact finish all three motos and got better as the week went on. He came back to the ranch seven more times to support Travis but left the XR at home. Here are Robert’s official moto finishes from the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
Robert Pastrana | 1990
27th overall in Senior Plus 40 | 31-26-25
Main image: Robert and Travis Pastrana at the Ranch in 1995.
