Three riders showed up to race at the ’24 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s on motorcycles almost as old as they were, and they loved every minute.
WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: ALIGN MEDIA
In the massive motorhome parking lot at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch this summer, it wasn’t hard to find Rodney “Aircraft” Carrier’s small camping spot. He was set up right at the bottom of Stage Coach Hill, not far from the main entrance. His setup was quite small, but very unique: A pop-up tent, a 500-watt Kawasaki generator, and a split-rail trailer pulled by a ’65 black Volkswagen Beetle. If all that wasn’t different enough, the motorcycle he was racing in the 2024 Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship certainly was. Carrier was riding a German-made 1981 Maico 490 Mega 2, the rarest bird of all in a race made up almost entirely of brand-new offerings from Japan and Austria. As a matter of fact, his Maico was a year older than the race itself!
We are deeply rooted in Moto—We’ve been here all our lives. Back in 1998 when we turned an underground newspaper into a shiny color magazine, it immediately changed the game with its unprecedented depth of coverage, sense of humor, and access to the sport’s biggest names. Today, our readers know they can go to Racer X Online for all the news, race results, and event coverage they need, and then enjoy even more detail and perspective in the pages of Racer X Illustrated. The mag offers a chance to learn something new on every page and stay connected with the people and personalities that shape our sport—the competitors out on the racetrack, as well as the ones behind the scenes—through our exclusive deep-dive stories and columns.
Our trademark has always been insider knowledge from the experts who are at the races and around the sport. We have long prided ourselves on our unparalleled race reporting and detailed storytelling. We go deep with the riders and teams to provide comprehensive coverage you won’t find anywhere else—all with first-class photography and design. It’s a full education in motocross past, present, and future.
Davey Coombs
Editor-in-chief & Founder
Racer X Illustrated
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