The 33rd Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL came to a conclusion on Saturday with the fifth and final day of racing in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Thirty-six National Championships were awarded upon completion of the third set of motos with six dominant riders emerging victorious in two different classes.
The AMA Award recipients: (left to right) Garrett Marchbanks, RJ Hampshire,
Tristan Charboneau, John Grewe
Perhaps the rider who finished with the highest honors after the week’s racing was Factory Connection/AMSOIL Honda rider of RJ Hampshire, who managed to win all six motos that he entered in both the 250 A and Open Pro Sport classes, along with two Bell Holeshot Awards. Hampshire’s impressive performance throughout the week led up to the highest accolade of them all, the coveted AMA Horizon Award that’s given to the A rider who shows the most promise as they prepare to enter the professional ranks. The newly crowned 2014 AMA Horizon Award winner plans to compete in the upcoming round of the Pro Motocross Championship at Unadilla.
The AMA Motocross Amateur Rider Award, which is new for 2014, is presented to an outstanding non-A-class rider at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship. It is designed to recognize those who are ready to make an immediate impact in A-class competition. This year’s recipient, TristanCharboneau, scored a perfect 1-1-1 score en route to a 450 B title, in addition to an impressive 2-1-2 performance to capture the 250 B championship as well.
Garrett Marchbanks won 5 of 6 motos to capture two championships
and the Youth Rider Award
The AMA Motocross Youth Rider Award goes to a rider under the age of 16 chosen for his or her performance in the youth classes at the motocross nationals. Youth riders who also participate in amateur classes will be considered, but only their youth class results will be factored into the selection. This year’s recipient of the in the Youth division is GarrettMarchbanks, champion of both Mini Sr 1 (12-13) and Mini Sr 2 (12-14).
The AMA Motocross Vet/Senior Rider Award acknowledges an outstanding rider over the age of 30 at the AMA Motocross National Championships. Results from all classes ridden are taken into consideration in selecting the winner. In an ultra-competitive Vet division, JohnGrewe topped both the Senior 40+ and Senior 45+ classes to capture not only two titles, but also the coveted Vet/Senior Rider Award.
In the racing department, Saturday’s finale showcased some of the most exciting battles of the week. Tristan Charboneau was flawless in 450 B, going 1-1-1 to capture the championship, with Timmy Badour (3-5-4) and Blake Neiheiser (5-7-3) rounding out the podium. In 250 B Limited, Bradley Taft finished on the podium in the final moto to outlast Ryan Surratt (2-4-1) and Chase Bell (4-2-4).
Jon Ames and Luke Purther entered the final day tied in Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C. Both riders had to work through the pack in order to keep their championship hopes alive, and a late mistake from Purther handed the title to Ames in the end. Jake Masterpool (4-3-1) and Justin Cooper (3-12-2) also took advantage of Purther’s crash to finish atop the podium.
Mini Sr. 1 (12-13) belonged to the ultra fast Monster Energy/Team Green Kawasaki of Garrett Marchbanks, who made it a clean sweep on Saturday. Jalek Swoll (4-2-2) and Brock Papi (2-3-4) finished second and third.
Austin Forkner captured the Super Mini 2 title
Austin Forkner ended his minicycle days-he’s moving to the 250F-with a clean sweep of Super Mini 2 over teammate Sean Cantrell (2-2-2) and Jordan Bailey (3-4-4).
Hannah Hodges dominated her third straight moto on Saturday to make it a clean sweep in Girls (12-16). Danielle Grigoletti (3-2-2) and Gracie Van Horn (2-3-3) joined Hodges atop the podium. In Girls Jr. (9-13), Jordan Jarvis claimed her third straight win to capture the championship, while Jamie Astudillo (2-3-3) and Karly Morgan (3-4-2) finished second and third, respectively.
Bad luck struck for Kaitlyn Morrow in the third moto of Women 14+, as she went down early on and wasn’t able to finish the moto. Mackenzie Tricker (1-2-5) took full advantage and won the championship, her second straight title, over Marissa Markelon (4-5-2) and Brandy Richards (9-3-1).
In Vet racing, John Grewe and Trampas Parker had traded moto wins entering the third and final Senior 45+ moto. It was a winner-take-all affair on Saturday and it was Grewe who edged out Parker in the final duel at the Ranch. Barry Carsten (4-3-3) would round out the podium with third overall. Grewe went on to also capture the Senior 40+ championship after a good battle with two-time moto winner Tony Lorusso, who went 1-9-1 for third overall, and the second place finisher of Gregory Pamart (5-2-3). In Masters 50+, Rodney Smith made it interesting by winning the final moto, but Earl May was able to capture the championship following two moto wins earlier in the week.
John Grewe proved to be the most dominant Vet rider in 2014
One of the best championship battles of the week to place in Vet 30+ B/C. Entering the final moto Saturday, both Reid Edwards and Chad Murphy had captured a moto win in the class. The slugfest continued in Moto 3, as Edwards passed Murphy just before the white flag dropped, but Murphy struck back on the final lap and won by just 1.03 seconds.
In 250 C Limited Braden O’Neal survived a fourth in the final moto to win the championship. Cole Conatser (1-2-6) finished second, with Chad Saultz (4-9-1) in third. Draken Jaynes (1-4-2) would win the final moto of the day-250 C-over Justin Boyd (4-3-1) and Nicholas Rolando (3-6-4).
RacerTV.com provided over 30 hours of LIVE stream coverage of racing throughout the week and the archived footage is now available for viewingHERE.
Complete results from the 2014 National Championship can be foundHERE.
Saturday concludes the 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL, which took place place July 27 – Aug. 2 at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. For more information, visit the series website atwww.mxsports.com.
About the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship
The Rocky Mountain ATV/MCAMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program consists of 52 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 12 Regional Championships (June), hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week of August) hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Nearly 20,000 racers attempt to qualify in 36 classes for the 1,446 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.
(Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship PR)
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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