Shan Moore | March 9, 2022
Top amateurs from all over the country showed off their skills at 13th annual Monster Energy Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross, March 6-8, at Daytona International Speedway. In all, 1339 entries were filled in 35 amateur classes with racing playing out on the same but tamed down course the pros competed on Saturday night.
One of the standouts among the “A” riders this year was Ryder DiFrancesco who will be a full time pro Supercross racer next year. The Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki rider won the coveted 250cc All Star (A/B) title as well as the Open A main.
Among the B riders, Orange Brigade KTM’s Daxton Bennick won two classes, the 450cc B and the Schoolboy 2 division, while finishing second in the 250cc B main.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Evan Ferry and Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki Krystian Bennick had great rides, as well, with Ferry topping the highly competitive 250cc B class, while Bennick won the 450cc B division.
KTM’s Landon Gibson and GasGas’ Thomas Wood both won two titles in the minicycle ranks, with Gibson topping the 85cc (10-12) and Mini Sr. (12-14) classes, while Wood took titles in the Supermini 1 and Supermini 2 classes.
Other riders taking multiple titles were Yamaha’s Logan Best (125 12-17 and Schoolboy 1), Senior rider Tony Lorusso (Sr. 40+ and Sr. 45+), Tayce Morgan (65cc 10-11 and 65cc 7-11), Gavin Batson (250cc C), (250cc C Jr.) and (125 C), and Anderson Waldele (Mini-E 4-8) and (50cc 7-8).
The 250cc All Star race drew perhaps the most attention and it turned out to be a showdown between DiFrancesco and NSA/bLU cRU Yamaha’s Gage Linville, with DiFrancesco squeezing into the lead at the drop of the gate. The lead was short-lived, though, as Linville quickly passed the Kawasaki rider right after the start to take the point. From there, Linville turned in an impressive ride, keeping DiFrancesco at bay until lap 12 when Linville hit a Tuff Block, allowing DiFrancesco into the lead.
DiFrancesco stretched out the lead during the final four laps and took a comfortable win ahead of Linville, with Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki Gavin Towers in third. Yamaha riders Austin Kapoukranidis and Magnus Smith were fourth and fifth.
DiFrancesco returned later in the day to compete in the Open A race where youth won out over experience, as DiFrancesco topped veteran Mike Alessi (Smartop MotoConcepts Honda) in an exciting main event. Alessi grabbed one of his patented holeshots to start the race, while Ezra Hastings and DiFrancesco battled for second. DiFrancesco made an inside pass to get around Hastings on lap two and then set his sights on Alessi. On lap five, DiFrancesco ducked under Alessi and took control of the race, leading the way to the finish. Alessi held on for second, while Towers, Hastings and Magnus Smith took third through fifth.
Ferry took a dramatic win in the 250cc B main, edging out KTM’s Daxton Bennick for a narrow victory. Lappers played a major role in the later stages of the race, hindering each of the major players in critical places, as the front-running duo pulled away from Noah Smerdon (KTM), Ivan Aldama (Yam) and Jaxon Pascal (KTM).
The Ferry and Bennick battle ebbed and flowed during each lap as Ferry would gain ground thanks to a good line onto the tabletop jump, while Bennick would make up ground in the split lane. Ferry managed to hold the advantage to the finish, taking the checkers a few bike lengths ahead of Bennick, with Smerdon, Aldama and Pascal rounding out the top five.
Bennick and Ferry squared off again in the 10-lap Schoolboy 2 (12-17) main, but it was Pascal with the holeshot, although Bennick stole the lead in the second turn. Ferry soon followed and took after Bennick, who was threatening to pull away.
By lap three, Bennick and Ferry were hooked up in a battle for the lead, while Pascal sat comfortably in third. Ferry stuck with Bennick for a few laps, but Bennick was eventually able to pull away and was nearly eight seconds clear of Ferry at the finish. Pascal finished third, with Aldama and Smerdon rounding out the top five.
Bennick was the early leader again in the 450cc B main, leading Sebastian Balbuena (Yamaha), Carson Eads (Yamaha) and Ferry through the first few turns of the 12-lap race. Bennick gapped the field by four seconds in the first lap, as Ferry worked traffic in an attempt to get to clear track so he could chase after Bennick. On lap three, Ferry passed Balbuena for second, but by that time Bennick was long gone, leading Ferry by 10 seconds. Bennick stretched his lead to a massive 26-second lead at the finish, as Ferry took second ahead of Balbuena. Lucas Geistler (KTM) was fourth and Peyton Jackson (Yamaha) fifth.
The 250cc B Limited main was a battle between Noah Smerdon and Janik. Smerdon led from start to finish, but Janik pushed the KTM rider for the full distance as the front-running duo gapped the field for their own personal battle.Ivan Aldama finished the race in third, with Jordan Renfro and Jaxen Driskell rounding out the top five.
Janik came from deep in the pack to take an impressive win in the 450cc B Limited class. The Team Green Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was as far down as seventh after the start but passed multiple riders each lap to take the lead at mid-race and pull away to a relatively easy win. Kawasaki’s Aiden Dickens led the race early on, but soon gave up the lead spot to KTM’s Michael Corcoran, who later lost the lead to Noah Smerdon. Two crashes by Smerdon later in the race dropped the Georgia rider back to fourth at the finish, as Janik came on strong to pass Corcoran for the win. The final results saw Janik with the win, followed by Corcoran in second, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Hayden Robinson in third, Smerdon in fourth and Dickens in fifth.
In the in the 125 (12-17) main, Casey Cochran put on a late charge on the leaders, but Logan Best held on to take the win ahead of Noah Stevens and Cochran.
KTM’s Landon Gibson turned in an impressive ride to top a stacked Mini Sr (12-14) division, the Georgia rider pulling away to a safe victory after charging into the early lead after the start. The battle for second was the most interesting part of the race, as Yamaha’s Kade Johnson and GasGas’ Kelana Humphrey went back and forth in the runner-up slot. Humphrey passed Johnson on lap two to move into second, while Gibson pulled a gap at the front. Johnson, however, was not about to give up and latched into Humphrey’s rear tire. After several attempts that came up short, Johnson finally made a pass stick and moved back into second ahead of Humphrey at the exit of the split lane and held on until the checked flag. At the finish, the order was Gibson with the win, followed by Johnson and Humphrey, while KTM riders Brody Barth and Chance Lawton rounded out the top five.
Carson Wood jumped out into the lead at the start of the 85 (10-12) race with Seth Dennis challenging. Dennis made a pass for the lead on the second lap, dropping Wood into second. While Wood and Dennis battled up front, Landon Gibson was making a run from third and caught up with Wood on lap three. On lap six, Gibson finally made a pass on Wood to take second. With two laps to go, Gibson started to make a run for Dennis and in one lap caught the leader and made the pass. Dennis fought back, but at the checkers, Gibson took the win by just under two seconds ahead of Dennis with Wood in third.
GasGas Factory rider Thomas Wood led start to finish in the Supermini 1 (12-15) main. Landen Gordon ran second with pressure from fellow Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki teammate Drew Adams throughout the race. Gordon made a late push to catch Wood, but it was too little too late and Wood took the win ahead of Gordon and Adams. Seth Dennis (KTM) was fourth, with Austin Schafer (KTM) in fifth.
In the Supermini 2 (13-16) main, Wood held off the intense pressure from Drew Adams to take the win. Adams made several attempts and nearly pulled off a pass or two, but Wood withstood the pressure and brought home the win.Landen Gordon and Kelana Humphrey were third and fourth, while Tristan Dalton was fifth. Kade Johnson (Yam) and Chase Lawton (KTM) came together on the next to last lap of the Mini Sr 2 (13-15) main, allowing Johnson to displace Lawton as the leader of the eight-lap race. Johnson took the win by nearly four seconds ahead of Lawton, with Kalena Humphrey (GG) in third.
Seth Dennis jumped out to the lead in the 85cc (10-12) Limited main and went the distance as Landon Gibson and Carson Wood ran 2-3 during the early going. Gibson fell midway into the race, allowing Wood to move into second and the die was cast as Dennis took the easy win ahead of Wood in second and Gibson in third. Colby Lessar and Wyatt Duff were fourth and fifth.
Triangle Cycles Yamaha’s Katie Benson led after the start of the WMX main with Jaime Astudillo (KTM) in tow. On lap five, Astudillo closed on Benson and was all over the Yamaha rider, finally making a pass on lap eight to take the lead. Astudillo, who has been racing the WMX GPs in Europe, won the race with Benson in second and Hodges in third.
In the Junior 25+ race, it was no surprise when Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot to start the main event, leading James Roberts (Husqvarna) through the opening lap. Alessi quickly pulled away, as Roberts and Michael Ashe (Suzuki) battled over second. GasGas-mounted Logan McConnell pushed Ashe during the early laps, which turned into the best battle of the race. Finally, with the laps winding down, McConnell made a pass for third on the final lap and the final order was set. At the finish, Alessi took an easy win, followed by Roberts, McConnell and Ashe. Lowell Spangler was fifth on a Honda.
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