Hampshire, Harrison and Marchbanks Dominate Opening Day of 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship.
The one event upon which many of the nation’s top amateur motocross racers center the calendar is now under way in the hills of Tennessee.
The gate dropped on the 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL off Tuesday at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills for the 33rd running of the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross championship. By the end of the first day, 17 different riders emerged victorious through the first 20 motos. There is still a lot of racing to be done to determine the national champions, but a few of the rider to watch emerged as expected.
The Open Pro Sport and 250cc A divisions are always interesting, as they are usually full of riders that will soon make the leap to the professional ranks. AMSOIL Factory Connection Honda’s RJ Hampshire is one such ridder, and Hampshire established himself as the rider to beat on opening day with a big win in the Open Pro Sport class. Hampshire did battle with Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger in the opening moto before coming out on top.
The Hampshire/Plessinger battle carried over into the opening moto of the 250 A division as well, with KTM-mounted Daniel Baker also factoring into the battle early, after he captured the $100 Bell Helmet Holeshot Award and the early lead. Hampshire and Plessinger eventually passed Baker and engaged in a mano y mano battle for the win. The battle ended when Plessinger suddenly crashed and was unable to finish the moto.
Hampshire remained solid to capture his second moto win of the day in Pro Sport, where he now heads into the second set of motos Wednesday with first gate pick and a slight advantage on his competition. Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge capitalized on the opportunity to take second, while Club MX’s Marshal Weltin took third.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Mitchell Harrison emerged with a pair of wins in the Intermediate ranks through the first set of motos, one in Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C and another in 250cc B. Although he swept both motos of the day, Harrison was challenged by Tristan Charboneau and Lorenzo Locurcio in the 250cc B class, and Jon Ames and Mark Worth in the Schoolboy class. KTM Orange Brigade’s Alexander Frye proved to be a big contender early in 250cc B until a big crash set him back quite a few positions near the end.
The Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki squad was also dominant in the Youth classes as Garrett Marchbanks swept both of the Mini Senior classes for the day. Marchbanks was kept honest by Yamaha bLUcRU’s Chase Sexton, who finished a close second in moto one.
The age classes typically bring about some of the most intense battles of the week and Tuesday’s racing was no different as many of the sport’s most accomplished racers made their return to the Amateur National Championship. The Junior 25+ class showcased a host of talent once again with familiar names such as Robbie Reynard, James Povolny and Andrew Matusek, but this year it was all about Ricky Renner, who outran a stacked field to claim the first-moto win.
Yamaha bLU cRU/Rock River’s Mackenzie Tricker is back to defend her Women (14+) National Championship, the Australian got off to a good start by winning moto one. Tricker’s Rock River Yamaha-backed teammate, Kaitlyn Morrow, finished less than one second behind Tricker in moto one.
Hannah Hodges continued her streak in the Girls (12-16) class with a dominant performance to capture the opening moto win, while North Carolina’s Jordan Jarvis took the Girls (9-13) class win.
Day two of racing resumes today with the remaining opening motos, as well as the beginning of the second set of motos. Live streaming coverage is available on RacerTV.com. Tuesday’s archived coverage is now available on RacerTV.com.
The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL will run through August 2. For more information, visit the series website at www.mxsports.com.
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