Tuesday Race Report: Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by Lucas Oil

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Tuesday, July 31, 2018 | 11:00 PM

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Tuesday Race Report: Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by Lucas Oil
Hammaker and Drake Take 250 A and Open Pro Sport Moto 1 Wins

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (July 31, 2018) – The 2018 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by Lucas Oil, officially started today, July 31, from the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Cloudy skies graced the facility as the day started for the 37th running of the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross championship.

The first gate drop of the AMA Amateur National was the 450 B class, which started off the full day of racing at 7:30 a.m. Joshua Strickland quickly jumped to the front of the pack and continued to lead the race from start to finish. The second moto win went to Darin Downs who also lead the Vet 30+ moto start to finish. Last year’s Vet 30+ Champion, Taylor Painter, finished the day in fifth.

Darin Downs took the Vet (30+) moto 1 victory.
Darin Downs took the Vet (30+) moto 1 victory. Ken Hill

As moto five, Mini Sr 1 (12-13) took to the track Myles Gilmore found himself at the front of the pack when the checkered flag flew with Kyle Smith and Dakota Aldredge following, while Gavin Towers came through in the fifth place position. Ryder Difrancesco came away with an eighth place finish in moto one. The Masters (50+) had a heated battle that came down to the last corner between John Grewe and Barry Carsten. Grewe came away with the win, with Carsten in second followed by Michael Keating, Gaylon Dickson and Early May rounding out the top five.

Myles Gilmore found himself at the front of the pack and earning the Mini Sr 1 (12-13) moto one win.
Myles Gilmore found himself at the front of the pack and earning the Mini Sr 1 (12-13) moto one win. Ken Hill

When the 250 A gate dropped it was Derek Drake grabbing the Bell Helmets holeshot award, and the lead with Seth Hammaker behind him in second. Hammaker would make the pass for the lead on lap two, while Mitchell Falk found himself working through the pack and making the pass on lap three to get into the third place position. Dylan Greer and Tanner Stack followed Falk passing Justin Rodbell. When the riders came around on lap six, a battle was brewing  as Drake closed the gap on Hammaker. However, Drake would not have enough to make the pass back for the lead, ultimately having Hammaker come through first as the checkered flag came out. Drake would follow in second with Stack taking the final podium position.

The Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C saw a stacked class with Pierce Brown taking the moto one win, followed by Jalek Swoll and Jo Shimoda. The highly anticipated Junior (25+) class took the track where James Roberts jumped out to the early lead, however, by lap three Michael Brown had moved into the number one spot and remained there until the finish. Ricky Renner moved into the third place position, and by the time the checkered flag came out Renner had moved up to the second place position. Roberts took the third place position after earning himself the Bell Helmets holeshot award.

The 250 A moto one was nothing short of exciting as Seth Hammaker took the win with Derek Drake in second.
The 250 A moto one was nothing short of exciting as Seth Hammaker took the win with Derek Drake in second. Ken Hill

Lining up on the gate this afternoon were 42 of the fastest ladies and Jazzymn Canfield found the front of the pack early on in the moto, where she lead the moto for two laps. Jordan Jarvis applied the pressure making the pass during the second lap, ultimately earning the first Women (12+) moto of the week. Canfield held onto her second place position, and after a 12th place start Tayler Allred worked her way up to third, rounding out the podium. Katie Benson found herself in a favorable position, and finished the moto in fourth with Landrey Hazen, the 422 Nathan Hall Memorial Scholarship winner, rounding out the top five.

Perhaps the most intense race of the day was the 250 B moto where Jalek Swoll earned the Bell Helmets holeshot, and Pierce Brown took the lead early in the moto. Italy’s Andrea Adamo found himself in the top four on lap one, however he would fall off the pace and finish 20th spot. Brown and Swoll would continue to battle at the front with them coming through on lap two side-by-side. On lap five Brown would go down, letting Swoll and Jo Shimoda get past him. Then with only two laps remaining Swoll tipped over in a corner letting Shimoda past. Shimoda would hold onto the first place position and take the win while Swoll held onto second. Brown would remain in the third place position after his crash.

Curren Thurman got the Bell Helmets Holeshoe in the Open Pro Sport class, but Derek Drake would take the moto win.
Curren Thurman got the Bell Helmets Holeshoe in the Open Pro Sport class, but Derek Drake would take the moto win. Ken Hill

Deemed the elite class of the AMA Amateur National, the up-and-coming stars were eager for moto one gate drop for the Open Pro Sport class. The #91 of Curren Thurman got a good jump off the gate earning the holeshot, however it was Justin Rodbell into the lead early on in the moto. Thurman followed Rodbell but had company from Derek Drake and Dylan Greer. Rodbell would lead the way the first three laps, but on the fourth lap Jyire Mitchell made his way past and into the lead. Mitchell lead the lap until Drake came through taking over the lead as they crossed the line for the fifth lap. Drake would remain in the lead and earn the moto one win and set his sights on the coveted championship. Seth Hammaker started the moto outside the top 10, but he had managed to work himself up to the second place position by lap six and hold that spot until the end. Mitchell Falk also found himself struggling to stay at the front of the pack early on in the moto, but as the two lap board went out Falk had fought his way up to the third place position and continued to hold that spot as the moto came to a close. Thurman, who earned the holeshot, finished fourth with Bermuda’s Jyire Mitchell finishing fifth.

As the day came to a close the Supermini 2 (13-16) class took to the track at 6:30 p.m. CDT. As the gate dropped and the riders made their way around the track it was Nate Thrasher tripling into the back section of the track called “Storyland” and taking the moto lead. Thrasher would continue to triple, and he was able to finish the race 15 second ahead of second. Maximus Vohland battled his way from a fifth place start to second, while Kaeden Amerine made a last lap pass on Talon Hawkins to land on the final step of the podium.

Nate Thrasher won the last moto of the day, Supermini 2 (13-16), after tripling into the back section of the track called
Nate Thrasher won the last moto of the day, Supermini 2 (13-16), after tripling into the back section of the track called "Storyland."  Ken Hill

Day two of racing will resume tomorrow, Wednesday, August 1, with the remaining opening motos along with the beginning of the second set of motos. RacerTV continues with live streaming coverage beginning at 11 a.m. EST/10 a.m. CDT.

Tuesday’s archived coverage is now available on RacerTV.com, to view the racing action from day one please click HERE, while complete results from the National Championship can be found HERE.

Day two of racing from the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship begins tomorrow, August 1.
Day two of racing from the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship begins tomorrow, August 1. Ken Hill

The 2018 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by Lucas Oil is taking place now through August 4 at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Tuesday Class Winners:

  1. 450 B – Joshua Strickland
  2. Vet (30+) – Darin Downs
  3. 125 C – Tristin Moffitt
  4. 85cc (9-11) Limited – Daxton Bennick
  5. Mini Sr. 1 (12-13) – Myles Gilmore
  6. Masters (50+) – John Grewe
    • 250 A – Seth Hammaker
  7. Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C – Pierce Brown
  8. 65cc (10-11) Limited – Landon Gordon
  9. 250 C – Sam Martin
  10. Junior (25+) – Michael Brown
  11. 65cc (7-9) Limited – Drew Adams
  12. Mini Sr. 2 (12-14) – Caden Braswell
  13. Women (12+) – Jordan Jarvis
    • 250 B – Joe Shimoda
    • Open Pro Sport – Derek Drake
  14. Senior (40+) – Michael Brown
  15. 250 C Limited – Nick Norton
  16. 125cc (12-17) B/C – Preston Kilroy
  17. 450 B Limited – Parker Mashburn
  18. College (18-24) – Richard Taylor
  19. Supermini 2 (13-16) – Nate Thrasher 

For more information on the AMA Amateur National, visit the series official website at www.mxsports.com or call (304) 284-0101. Join the conversation on the event’s social media channels, along with receiving the most up-to-date news and exclusive content.

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 1,470 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 Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Aaron Plessinger and Justin Barcia. 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.