Thursday Race Report at the 35th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

Courtesy of MX Sports

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (Aug. 4, 2016) - After torrential rain occurred racing was delayed at the 35th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by AMSOIL, today, August 4. The historic Loretta Lynn Ranch hosted the second set of motos at the world's largest and most prestigious amateur motocross championship.

With a revised race order the 65 (10-11) class was the first to experience the less than desirable race conditions. Moto 1 class winner Hunter Yoder looked to repeat his success, and when he crossed the finish line for the first time he sat 15 seconds ahead of his competition. Unfortunately, Yoder went down and allowed his championship rival Ryder Difrancesco to secure the lead position. By the time Yoder recovered majority of his competition had raced right by. Yoder quickly started picking off the positions and worked his way back into a podium finish, but at the end of the 20-minute moto he had to settle for second behind Difranceso.

Ryder DiFrancesco heads into the third moto tied in the championship
standings with Hunter Yoder after the duo have swapped moto wins.
Photo: Ken Hill

Seth Hammaker rode a near flawless race in Super Mini 1 (12-15) until the halfway point when his front wheel washed out in a turn. Fortunately for Hammaker his large gap on Lance Kobush played to his advantage where he was able to quickly get back up and still maintain the lead. Kobusch crossed the line in second and Joshua Gibbs rounded out the podium after making a last minute charge.
Derek Drake bolted out of the Schoolboy 1 (12-16) gate, but the Moto 1 class winner Jalek Swoll returned as the frontrunner by the conclusion of the first lap. Carson Brown was not ready to settle and continued to ride on the back wheels of his competition for the first half of the race until becoming a victim of the muddy conditions and sliding out in a turn. Championship contender Jalek Swoll was able to move into the second place position while Drake retook command of the lead and the win.

Derek Drake is sitting in a comfortable position to earn the 125 (12-16) B/C
National Championship with a set of podium finishes.
Photo: Ken Hill

As the track began to dry out the 450 B Limited class was set to go. Wilson Fleming found himself in the early lead, but by the conclusion of the first lap Fleming had faded back into fourth with Wyatt Fontenot leading the pack. Fontenot, Nolan Heppner and William Garrison maintained the same margin the entire moto and made up the podium.

A last lap pass for the win occurred in both the Women All-Star (16+) and Women 14+ classes. After leading majority of the race, Hannah Hodges handed over the moto win to Brandy Richards who will head into the third and final moto with a 1-1 moto tally. Jazzmyn Canfield was also able to sneak past Jordan Jarvis on the last lap to claim the Women 14+ victory.

It would not take long for Bradley Taft to return to where he left off in the 250 A class after Challen Tennant stole the holeshot. Perhaps the three biggest names in attendance at the AMA Amateur National were wheel-to-wheel in the beginning of the moto. Bradley Taft, Chase Sexton and Cameron Mcadoo challenged for the win until Sexton was able to position the lead. Taft attempted to hang with Sexton but then found himself in a battle with Mcadoo who was hungry for second. As the moto wore on the trio began to spread apart evenly with Sexton taking the coveted win with Taft and Mcadoo following in second and third.

Chase Sexton redeemed himself from a top
five finish to earn the 250 A class win.
Photo: Ken Hill

KTM riders Max Markoff and Mitchell Falk were side-by-side heading into the first turn in 250 B Limited, but Markoff had the extra edge to grab the Bell Helmets Holeshot Award. Markoff's early success quickly ended when a rider clipped him in the second turn causing a big crash. Falk remained hot on the gas and built a comfortable lead within the first few laps. Markoff faced more drama when a mechanical issue sidelined him from championship contention.

Right before the sun began to set on a full day of racing the future stars of motocross headed out for their second motos. Luke Fauser continued his podium streak taking the 51cc (7-8) Limited class win, while Seth Dennis repeated his success once again claiming the 51cc (4-6) Limited victory. Kevyn De Pinho claimed the top spot on the box in 51cc (4-6) Shaft Drive, and Mason Raynor took home gold in the 51cc (4-6) Special Limited division.

Luke Fauser topped the 51cc (7-8) Limited class.
Photo: Ken Hill

Racing is set to continue tomorrow, Friday, August 5, and RacerTV continues with live streaming coverage beginning at 9 a.m. EST/ 8 a.m. CDT. Thursday's archived coverage is now available on RacerTV.com, to view the racing action from day three please click HERE. NBCSN will air two highlight shows featuring the event on Sunday, October 9, at 4:30 p.m. EST and Sunday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m. Complete results from the 2016 National Championship can be found HERE.
The 35th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL is taking place now through August 6 at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

For additional information, visit the official website at www.mxsports.com or call (304) 284-0101. Also follow the official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for exclusive content and to catch the latest news.

About the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship
The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world's largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program consists of 55 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 13 Regional Championships (May through June), hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week in August) hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Nearly 22,000 racers attempt to qualify in 37 classes for the 1,482 available positions at the National. Christened "The World's Greatest Motocross Vacation," the National event serves as a launch pad for some of the biggest names in professional motocross and supercross, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey. The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company and sanctioned by AMA. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

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