The 2015 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL officially got underway yesterday, July 28, at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee for the 34th running of the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross championship.
Jon Ames (17) led all laps of the first 450B moto with Brandon Hartranft taking second. Photography by Rob Koy
The first official gate drop of the 34th Annual National was the College (16-24) where Justin Cooper from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., took home the win in the 7:30 a.m. moto. The following moto was Junior (25+) where the reigning champion Ricky Renner fought to hold defend his National Championship from World Champion Sebastian Tortelli, but Renner crossed the finish line victorious.
Tanner Stack claimed the Bell Holeshot Award in 250B, all while being in front of a bulky pileup that affected a large portion of the riders. While Austin Forkner led, there was a battle brewing for the remaining positions, these intense battles led to tip-overs and mistakes especially for Josh Mosiman and Stack. Overall it was Austin Forkner taking the first moto win, with Chase Sexton in second and Sean Cantrell rounding out the top three.
Auston Forkner is off to a fast start, winning both the 250B and Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C classes. Photography by Rob Koy
Open Pro Sport is often referred to as the elite class at Loretta’s and that was proved today when some of the biggest names in amateur racing pushed through the heat in pursuit of a National Championship. Shelby Peterson jumped out to grab the holeshot, but the lead was quickly taken over by Chase Marquire, and he was followed closely by Egan Mastin, Jerry Robin, Ricky Renner and Cody Chisholm. Mastin took the checkered flag first, but was docked one position due to jumping on a red-cross flag. Marshal Weltin was awarded the official first-moto win, with Mastin and Benny rounding out the podium.
Egan Mastin was the first rider to cross the finish line in the Open Pro Sport first moto but was docked a position for jumping on the red-cross flag. Photography by Rob Koy
The veterans of the sport came out and verified that they still have plenty of action left to prove from the following year in the Masters 50+. Rodney Smith and Earl May picked back up from where they left in 2014 and fought neck-and-neck, followed by Barry McCarty, Raymo0nd Niebel and Mark
Perhaps the most exciting youth class of the day was the 65cc (7-9) Limited when Ryder Difrancesco pushed his way to the front after Chance Hymas took the holeshot. Also fighting for first place was Nicholas Romano who took over the lead when Difrancesco bobbled and fell down. However, he was able to push his way to the top again and win by two seconds. Difrancesco stood on top of the podium with Romano beside him in second and Hymas in third.
Mark Worth was the 250A first-moto winner. Photography by Rob Koy.
Kai Mukai from Hawaii took the holeshot and early lead in 450B Limited, but quickly succumbed to the hard charging Brandon Hartranft, who continued to hold the lead throughout the 20-minute moto. Mukai rode consistently and finished second with Sam Wise in third.
The brand new Womens All-Star (16+) division took its inaugural gate drop at Loretta’s with Kylie Fasnacht taking the holeshot. Multi-year National title holder Jessica Patterson quickly moved up front to lead the pack until Taylor Higgins made the pass. The lead continued to change multiple times with the top names in female motocross trying to place on the podium, but at the end of the day it was Mackenzie Tricker in first, Kirsten Raemisch in second and Brandy Richards in third.
Jett Reynolds already has two wins under his belt after topping both the 85cc (9-11) Limited and 85cc (9-11) classes. Photography by Rob Koy.
Day two of racing will resume today, Wednesday, July 29, with the remaining opening motos along with the beginning of the second set of motos. RacerTV (RacerTV.com) continues with live streaming coverage beginning at 10:30 EST/ 9:30 CDT.
