Saturday Race Report
by:
Saturday, August 5, 2017 | 5:50 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chelsea Taylor
(304) 284-0084
[email protected]
Saturday Race Report: Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by Lucas Oil
HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (August 5, 2017) – The 36th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by Lucas Oil, came to a conclusion today, August 5, with the fifth and final day of racing in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The last 14 races combatted on the distinguished facility at the Loretta Lynn Ranch, with a total of thirty-five National Championships bestowed.
Racing action kicked off at 7:30 a.m. with chilly conditions, Palmer Neely lead the early portion of the race with championship contender, Jalek Swoll, inching closer until a mechanical issue took him out of the race. Mason Gonzales capitalized on Swoll’s misfortune and quickly made the pass on Neely for the lead. Gonzales’ near perfect performance captured him the Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C national title.
The 65 (10-11) Limited class championship remained undecided as Daxton Bennick, Haiden Deegan and Casey Cohran all had their eyes set on it. Although Bennick lead most of the third moto, Cohran ended up crossing the line first after Bennick wrecked with only two laps to go.
Carter Halpain grabbed the final 450 B Bell Helmets Holeshot Award and continued leading from start to finish. Brock Papi and Marco Cannella settled into second and third. Throughout the course of the moto the results stayed the same on timing and scoring, but multiple position exchanges occurred on other parts of the track between Papi and Cannella. Even with the final win, Halpain couldn’t top Papi in the overall standings and Papi was awarded with the title.
Mason Meyer rounded the first turn in the lead as the 450 C class jumped off the line. Meyer exchanged the lead with Wesley Allen on the second lap and Allen never looked back. Devon Bates settled into second and Matthew Kretzler made a last lap pass for the final position on the box.
Chance Hymas and Ryder DiFrancesco came into the third moto tied in the 85cc (9-11) Limited championship standings. Although he didn’t get the best start, DiFrancesco moved into the lead by the conclusion of the first lap. Hymas followed right behind him but made a costly tip-over and couldn’t catch back up. DiFrancesco snagged the class championship and didn’t finish off the podium during his time at the Ranch.
In his sixth and final moto of the week, Ryan Weatherby left on a high, where he lead every lap from start to finish in the Senior (45+) class to take his first win of week after a few solid podium finishes. Saturday’s finale showcased some of the most exciting battles of the week, which included the 250 C Jr. (12-17) Limited class where Rene Rodriguez passed for the lead on the last lap to go 1-1-1 for the title.
Scott Meshey, Tanner Basso and Carter Gordon filled the College (18-24) class podium. Although Basso never won a race this week, his consistency paid off and he ended up taking the national championship. Mike Brown was awarded his second title of the week in the Junior (25+) class, and he leaves the ranch with a total of six moto victories.
The season finale for the Onsia Sound Art Women’s Professional Motocross (WMX) series was held in conjunction with the AMA Amateur National. The world’s fastest females closed out the weeklong event with Kylie Fasnacht making the pass for the overall win in the last turn of the race. Hannah Hodges and Shelby Rolen rounded out the overall podium.
RacerTV.com provided over 46 hours of LIVE streaming coverage of racing throughout the week and the archived racing footage and the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Closing Ceremonies are now available for viewing HERE. Complete results from the 2017 National Championship can be found HERE.
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.
Saturday Class Winners:
- Schoolboy 1 (12-16) B/C – Mason Gonzales
- 450 B – Carter Halpain
- Supermini 1 (12-15) – Carson Mumford
- 450 C – Wesley Allen
- 65cc (7-9) Limited – Drew Adams
- College (18-24) – Scott Meshey
- Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C – Garrett Marchbanks
- Senior (45+) – Ryan Weatherby
- 250 C Jr. (12-17) Limited – Rene Rodriguez
- 85cc (9-11) Limited – Ryder DiFrancesco
- Mini Sr. 2 (12-14) – Nate Thrasher
- Junior (25+) – Mike Brown
- 125cc (12-16) B/C – Ethan Mann
- WMX – Kylie Fasnacht
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 57 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, Tenn. Nearly 22,000 racers attempt to qualify in 35 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 company and sanctioned by AMA. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world's largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders' interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com. Not a member? Join the AMA today: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.
-MXS-