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?!”
This one falls under Loretta Lynn Legend. If you have ever been to Loretta Lynn’s then you have surely heard that Robert “Vanilla Ice” Van Winkle, who is perhaps the greatest one-hit-wonder of all time, also raced there in 1985. Everyone knows his song, “Ice Ice Baby,” and they probably sing it while buying ice to keep their coolers cold in the Tennessee heat.
If you are on your way to the Loretta Lynn’s Vault just know that he was born as Robert Van Winkle, and that is the name that appears on the results page. He qualified for both 125 B Stock and Mod classes, which is not an easy task. Van Winkle has always stated his first love was motocross, even rapping about it in some of his songs. In his autobiography he states that he always dreamed of racing professional motocross and that he felt rapping and break dancing (who people say he is exceptionally good at) were just his hobbies.
Van Winkle reaped the benefits of his quick rise to fame with appearances in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and even dated Madonna briefly. He was never able to replicate his success from “Ice Ice Baby” though and the hype around him soon fizzled out. What did not fizzle, however, was his love for the sport of motocross. He even returned to the ranch years later to perform a concert under the pavilion for the current set of racers. Proving to later generations that even if you do not make it as a pro rider, the road after Loretta’s can lead to truly unique and amazing things.
Here are Robert Van Winkle’s Loretta Lynn’s results from 1985.
