Main image courtesy of Mitch Kendra.
Welcome to Racerhead, and the craziest, busiest week of the year. The 41st Annual Monster Energy AMA Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn's Ranch have been in full swing since 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, with meetings clicking off over and over and over, all day long ever since. Each day starts with the loudspeakers going straight to Loretta's anthem "Coal Miner's Daughter" at 7:00 a.m. sharp, and then after some wakeup announcements and previewing of each day's upcoming events, the first sighting lap is sent out, then they return to the starting gate for a prayer, the national anthem, and then off we go. This after what seems like two full weeks of families rolling in, setting up camp, and then hitting the ranch roads and pathways with an endless caravan of golf carts, put bikes, side-by-sides, electric bikes and more and more of those little electric one-wheeled "scooters" that are revolutionizing the way pedestrians get hit by traffic. (Kidding.) It's one big, chaotic, beautiful menagerie of people and vehicles on an endless loop. It's a summer vacation, surrounding an event that happens to be the biggest amateur motocross race of all. The math here is 36 classes, 42 riders per class, three long motos. It's part-reunion, part-homecoming, part-convention and very, very competitive. It's also quite fun.
Out on the racetrack, which was completely rebuilt after last August's deadly flooding of Humphreys County, the riders know the design well--it did not change from the last couple of years--but they are being challenged by completely new topsoil. The old dirt got washed away with the flood, but new dirt was trucked in, along with sawdust from a nearby mill and truckloads of hourglass sand. Also, most of the rocks went downriver too, so it's soft and choppy in a lot of plays. There is also a very hard-packed base beneath it all that has caused some heavy landing off the big jumps in the middle. We've saw more broken wheels on the first day of racing than I've ever remembered seeing here, but the pitch of the big Kawasaki jump in the middle was tweaked and more sand brought in for the landing, which has helped. But these kids and bikes seem to be getting better and better, launching further and further, and those big landings are hard on hubs, spokes and rims.
Preston Boespflug Mitch Kendra Brandon Haas Mitch Kendra Casey Cochran Mitch Kendra Cole Martinez Mitch Kendra Haiden Deegan Mitch Kendra Logan Best Mitch Kendra Evan Ferry Mitch Kendra Talon Hawkins Mitch Kendra One more day! Mitch Kendra Heath Harrison Mitch Kendra Matti Jorgensen Mitch Kendra Korie Steede Mitch Kendra Enzo Timmerman Mitch Kendra Adam Cianciarulo Mitch Kendra Heath Harrison Mitch Kendra Noah Stevens Mitch Kendra Kris Keefer Mitch Kendra
One rider who had his rear spokes thrashed was Haiden Deegan in his first moto of the week, but that was because of a collision with his rival and fellow second-gen prospect Evan Ferry. It cost Deegan a DNF and any chance at winning that class, let alone all six of his motos this week as some expected. But Deegan did redeem himself somewhat with a blistering 1:46 lap time in the first moto of the Schoolboy 2 class, which came on a much smoother track than what anyone else will see all day. (The dynamic track conditions make it hard to compare, say, morning lap times to the late-afternoon chop that the Pro Sport classes face, as requested by amateur and pro team managers and scouts who want to see their soon-to-be pros challenged by the conditions. For instance, ALL of the twenty fastest lap times of the week so far came from that one early-morning Schoolboy 2 class and were posted by Deegan, Washington’s Preston Boespflug, Arizona's Julien Beaumer, North Carolina's Daxton Bennick, and Florida's Evan Ferry.) The Star Racing Yamaha prospect is in line to win that Schoolboy 2 class--Schoolboy 1 is limited to 125cc two-strokes--but he won't win both of his classes this week. And he is planning on going straight to the A class when this race is over to gather as many pro-am points as possible, get in a minimum of five race results, and then if all goes according to plan, he wants to apply for his pro-am license and try to race in the Ironman National at the end of August.
In the Pro Sport classes there has been just as much turmoil, as top riders have taken turns having great motos and not-so-great ones. Ryder DiFrancesco has already shown his potential in a couple of rounds of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, and he's now finally worked things out with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki for a full-time ride next year. Here at the ranch he's won two of his four motos so far and is in contention to win both titles and possibly the AMA's Nicky Hayden Horizons Award as the graduating amateur who has the best week. But he's finding stiff competition from Florida's Caden Braswell (GasGas) and Pennsylvania's Gavin Towers (Yamaha), who each have taken a moto win so far. Add in Arizona's Cole Martinez (Honda), California's Talon Hawkins (Husqvarna), Idaho's Chance Hymas (Honda), Minnesota's Jayden Clough (Yamaha), Georgia's Gage Linville (Yamaha) and many, many more, there's some fast young men here.
There's also some fast older men. Mike Brown is back and lighting up his two vet classes, going 1-1-1 in the Senior +40 and almost certain to go 1-1-1 in Masters +50, but that third moto is not until later. Brownie first won a title here way back in 1988, in the 125 B class (effectively the same class Haiden Deegan is riding this year). That must make Brown the guy with AMA Amateur National Motocross titles that have the biggest gap of years, 34 years (1988-2022). But there are guys out there who have raced here longer, including the ageless wonders John Grewe, Barry Carsten and Earl May. Mike Alessi made his return to amateur vet-class racing, in the Junior +25 class, but he's had his hands full with younger fellow Honda rider Cole Martinez, who posted 1-1 moto finishes to start the week. But Alessi has a huge smile on his face, glad to be back at the ranch and back on the track on which he first rose to national prominence. And even Jimmy Albertson is back out there flying around, having fun and just enjoying getting back to his roots in the Junior +25 and 250 Pro Sport classes. (And other former participants that have returned just to watch or work or parent this week include Jeff Emig, Zach Osborne, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Barcia, Ryan Sipes, Justin Cooper, Levi Kitchen, Nathan Ramsey, Daniel Blair, Nick Wey, Joe Oehlhof, and even Barry Higgins, who won the very first AMA Pro Motocross race back in 1972.)
There's some very fast women here as well, and the WMX class is wide open. The very-impressive Vivian Contreras won the first moto aboard a 125 Husky two-stroke but then had troubles the second time out and ended up sixth. Utah's Sophia Phelps ran third in the first moto and then won the second. And her neighbor Tayler Allred has a 2-2, so this title will be decided by these three in the final moto.
That's just a snapshot of the racing. Loretta Lynn's is also about all kinds of industry activities, from the big Sunday night riders' meeting and concert featuring Scotty "Damn Straight" McCreery to the Monster Energy Freestyle Motocross Show featuring X Games gold medalist Axell Hodges and friends, to the OnTrack Learning Systems Prom (last night) and Graduation (tonight) and dinners, dances, talent shows, the annual FMF Karaoke Showdown, the Best in Show Dog Show, and the biggest motocross tailgating parties and campfires you can imagine. If you've been here, then you know what I'm talking about...
Or at least I could try to talk about it. Because in the middle of all of this I completely lost my voice. Happens every year hear as I try to talk over the endless moto signs, the heat, the dust and everything else that comes with two weeks at the ranch. But it was really problematic this time because of that other thing that happened this week, which was the announcement of the new World SuperMotocross Championship program that MX Sports Pro Racing and Feld Motor Sports are teaming up to produce beginning in 2023. The big announcement happened on Tuesday and in case you missed it, you can read more about it here as well as Jason Weigandt's deeper dive into what it all means.
The collaboration is something that we've been discussing since the early days of COVID-19 in 2020, when we didn't have much else to do but think about ways to make SX/MX better. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, as well as some other series developments, but we all believe that this is the next step in bringing unity and growth to our sport: better racing, better prize money, better television/streaming, and more opportunities for the riders and their sponsors, and of course the fans. Feld's Dave Prater and Dave Muye and Sean Brennan all came here for the announcement, which we were set to do on Tuesday. Which is of course when my voice completely seized up. Fortunately, my big sister Carrie and MX Sports' Tim Cotter were here to help explain it all, along with the Daves. It's great big news, and I can't wait to put my full attention to it.
First, however, we have to finish out this week, and so far, the rain has held off almost completely for us, making for a great racetrack. Then we have four more rounds of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, and then it all ends (domestically anyway) with the 2022 Motocross of Nations at RedBud. Then it's going to get really, really busy! Third and final 250 Pro Sport moto is lining up, which means I need to get back out to Camera 6 (finish line camera) as I am also filling in for my son at that spot since he had to leave early to get ready to head back to college. Thanks for coming and see you at the races!
Pro Perspective (JT)
A second consecutive off-weekend is here for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. Much of the industry has been at Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championships this week but for riders able to stay home, it’s been a mix of work and rest. This past week was likely a heavier workload than normal as riders will be able to recover this weekend versus the usual need to be at 100% on Saturday. For those underperforming this summer, this break has been a chance to play catch up. Whether searching for settings improvement, fitness gains, or lowering lap times, the two weekends off provide a perfect opportunity. Riders can really overdo it and not pay a big price on the weekend. That equation is a constant balancing act throughout the season as most races are back-to-back. Hard work is only productive if the body is ready for peak performance on Saturdays. I have seen many riders make the mistake of thinking more is always better only to be still recovering when the gate drops on Saturday afternoon. Every effort should be made to be your best for the actual race, regardless of how you feel on a Wednesday. It sounds like the most common of sense, but you’d be surprised how often it’s overlooked. With that in mind, most riders should be backing down the workload by mid next week in hopes of exploding into Unadilla. This break has provided opportunity for improvement but if you get the timing wrong and wake up sore and yawning Saturday morning, did you do more harm than good? It seems counterproductive to be preaching about rest in a sport that requires so much effort. That’s exactly why it’s so important. Everyone is aware of the brutal nature of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross and that dictates seemingly endless training regimens. Making sure the regimen isn’t endless could be the most important aspect in the end, though.
Team USA Delay (DC)
Heard from a very reliable source last night that Team USA will not be announced at Unadilla next week after all. While most assume the lineup will be Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton on the 450s and one Star Yamaha Racing rider on the 250, there is still a lot of debate and push to drop a 450 veteran down to the 250 for this one event, which we have done from time to time in the past. In the Star Racing part if this, Christian Craig has said he would drop down from his 450 and would make a fine MX2 entry for the team. On the other hand, Justin Cooper may be having an inconsistent summer, his flashes of brilliance--second moto at Washougal, for instance--have been very impressive. Both Craig and Cooper are excellent starters, and both have done well at RedBud. Craig is a veteran, but Cooper has been on Team USA before and knows that it's a whole different kind of pressure. So maybe a couple more races are needed to see who might be peaking right when Team USA needs them to, which is September. So even though Christian and Justin are not in the same class right now, there still may be some competition in the next couple of rounds between them...
As for the veterans dropping down, I have heard just about every possible scenario this week. We know that Monster Energy Kawasaki's Jason Anderson won't be available, and Red Bull/TLD GasGas rider Justin Barcia is also out of the equation now. So the three best 450 riders we have right now would have to be Tomac, Sexton and Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey, who has both won and lost at the MXON before but has also just eight MX races under his belt in the last six years (and all came this year). The most interesting and least likely option I have heard this week is the suggestion that Tomac and Dungey ride the 450s and Sexton be the one to drop down to a 250, as Honda has a great race bike right now, and Sexton's 250 days of 2019 and back are much closer in the rearview mirror than Dungey's from back in '09! I guess we'll all know soon enough.
Hey, Watch It!
2022 Loretta Lynn’s Day 1 Highlights
2022 Loretta Lynn’s Day 2 Highlights
2022 Loretta Lynn’s Day 3 Highlights
2022 Loretta Lynn’s Day 4 Highlights
Random Notes
Thanks for reading Racerhead. See you at the races!