| The the first wave of AMA National Champions were crowned on Friday afternoon at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. The highly coveted AMA National No. 1 plate was awarded to the titleholder across 19 different classes. |
 The first wave of champions were crowned on Friday at Loretta Lynn’s.Photo: Ken Hill |
| 250 Pro Sport On the heels of a convincing win in the second 250 Pro Sport moto, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Stilez Robertson carried a surge of momentum into the deciding third moto on Friday afternoon. Robertson carried a three-point advantage over Yamaha/Rock River/bLU cRU Amateur Motocross Team rider Mason Gonzales into the final race. Fully aware of the significance of the moment, Robertson took care of business right out of the gate and put his Husqvarna at the head of the pack. He dropped the hammer on the opening laps and set the fastest lap time of the entire moto to establish an insurmountable seven-second advantage after just two laps. From that moment forward Robertson was able to focus on managing the lead and staying out of trouble, particularly as he approached lapped riders in the late stages of the moto. After struggling with starts most of the week, BarX/Chaparral/Suzuki’s Dilan Schwartz finally put himself at the front of the field and assumed control of second early on. However, his deficit to Robertson was simply too much to overcome. Robertson went unchallenged for virtually the entirety of the moto, taking the moto win and clinching the 250 Pro Sport title by seven seconds over Schwartz. Gonzales, who had been one of the best starters all week, was forced to battle his way from a sixth-place start and fought his way to the final spot on the podium in third. With his 250 Pro Sport triumph and a chance to also secure the Open Pro Sport title on Saturday, Robertson made himself the front-runner to bring home Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award honors. 250 Pro Sport Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Stilez Robertson, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (2-1-1)Dilan Schwartz, Alpine, Calif., Suzuki (1-5-2)Mason Gonzales, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Yamaha (3-2-3)Preston Kilroy, Afton, Wyo., Suzuki (7-3-5)Austin Black, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM (5-7-4) |
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| Stilez Robertson took home the AMA National Championship in 250 Pro Sport. Photo: Ken Hill |
| 450 B The battle atop the 450 B classification was the tightest of any division entering Friday’s final moto as Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Matt Leblanc, Deep South Kawasaki’s Luca Marsalisi, and SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts/Honda’s Luke Kalaitzian all sat tied atop the overall classification. With all three riders holding an equal opportunity to take home the title, and each finishing inside the top three in both motos, it was anyone’s guess as to who would prevail. For Leblanc, he hoped the experience from his victory in the class last year would work to his advantage. As the field jockeyed for position early on it was Kalaitzian who grabbed the early advantage and jumped out to the lead ahead of Leblanc and Husqvarna rider Wyatt Mattson, while Marsalisi was just outside the top five in sixth. A determined Leblanc was able to muscle his way around Kalaitzian to seize control of the race lead. On his first full lap as race leader, Leblanc put his head down and charged out to a multiple-second advantage. As this unfolded, Marsalisi’s eagerness to catch the leaders resulted in misfortune and dropped him to the tail end of the running order, effectively ending his championship hopes. Once he built his gap on the field, Leblanc controlled the remainder of the moto with ease as Kalaitzian encountered misfortune as well in pursuit. Leblanc capped off his second consecutive 450 B championship in dominant fashion, taking the moto win by more than 21 seconds over Mattson, with SLM KTM’s Matthew Curler in third. 450 B Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Matthew Leblanc, Breaux Bridge, La., Yamaha (3-1-1)Luke Kalaitzian, Sun Valley, Calif., Honda (2-2-6)Matthew Curler, Wills Point, Texas, KTM (4-4-3)Wyatt Mattson, Murrieta, Calif., Husqvarna (6-6-2)Cole Bradford, Tampa, Fla., Honda (5-5-4) |
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| Matt Leblanc captured his second consecutive title in 450 B. Photo: Ken Hill |
| 125cc (12-17) B/C As he entered the third and final 125cc B/C moto on Friday for the final race of the day Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM’s Max Vohland had amassed an undefeated record across two divisions and was in a prime position to wrap up a pair of titles, an accomplishment he achieved one year prior by taking home the Supermini 1 and Supermini 2 championships. On Friday, his first task would be wrapping up the 125cc B/C crown. When the gate dropped on the final moto, Vohland wasted no time putting his KTM out front and established some breathing room between himself and MTF KTM’s Gage Linville, his primary challenger, at the end of the opening lap. Well aware of the situation at hand, Linville gave his all to keep Vohland within striking distance, ready to take advantage of any mistakes or find an opening to attempt a pass. As the moto wore on, Vohland’s consistency was putting the pressure on Linville to keep up and as the race surpassed the halfway point Linville lost touch, falling back to a double-digit deficit. Out front, Vohland was on cruise control and easily swept the 125cc B/C motos by nearly 22 seconds over Linville. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Talon Hawkins followed in third. Vohland has now won a title in each of the last three classes he entered and is poised to earn a fourth in Schoolboy 1 (12-17) B/C on Saturday. 125cc (12-17) B/C Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Max Vohland, Granite Bay, Calif., KTM (1-1-1)Gage Linville, Lake Park, Ga., KTM (2-2-2)Larry Reyes Jr., Houston, Texas, Yamaha (3-4-4)Talon Hawkins, Temecula, Calif., Husqvarna (7-3-3)Myles Gilmore, Australia, Yamaha (6-7-9) Women Carrying back-to-back moto wins into the final moto on Friday, SBG Racing/Maxxis/Babbitt’s Online Kawasaki’s Jordan Jarvis was in a comfortable spot to bring home a third Women class title thanks to a five-point cushion over KTM Orange Brigade’s Tayler Allred. All week long Jarvis had been at her best when the gate dropped and that trend continued to start Moto 3 as the Kawasaki rider moved into the early lead over Allred, with Newground Husqvarna’s Hannah Hodges in third. Jarvis laid down her fastest lap of the moto on Lap 2, which helped her put a little breathing room between her and Allred, who was able to secure her hold on second after Hodges encountered misfortune. Jarvis continued to nail her marks and log consistent laps, which only added to her lead and eventually allowed her to build a double-digit advantage. She finished strong and wrapped up a 1-1-1 sweep of the motos with a winning margin of nearly 19 seconds over Allred, while Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM’s Sophia Phelps rounded out the podium in third. With six career AMA National Championships to her credit, Jarvis is now one of the most decorated riders in Loretta Lynn’s history. Women Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Jordan Jarvis, Clayton, N.C., Kawasaki (1-1-1)Tayler Allred, Riverton, Utah, KTM (3-2-2)Tayla Jones, Denton, Texas, Husqvarna (6-3-4)Sophia Phelps, Saint George, Utah, KTM (9-4-3)Hannah Hodges, Deland, Fla., Husqvarna (2-5-9) |
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| Jordan Jarvis’ week-long dominance continued en route to her third Women’s title. Photo: Ken Hill |
| Mini Sr. 1 (12-14) & Mini Sr. 2 (13-15) Undoubtedly one of the hottest riders all week long at Loretta Lynn’s was second generation racer Haiden Deegan. Entering Friday’s final motos for both Mini Sr. 1 and Mini Sr. 2 the KTM Orange Brigade rider had compiled an undefeated record and was poised to go a perfect 6-0 en route to a pair of AMA National Championships. To no one’s surprise, Deegan rose to the occasion yet again and put forth arguably his best rides of the entire event to finish undefeated. The first race of the day for Deegan came in Mini Sr. 2, where he put his stamp on the winning effort after just a single lap, building an insurmountable lead of more than five seconds ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Krystian Janik and Triangle Cycles/bLU cRU/Yamaha’s Logan Best, who were engaged in their own battle for the runner-up spot in the overall classification. At the conclusion of the third lap Deegan’s advantage had grown to double-digits and he continued to build on the lead through to the checkered flag, where he wrapped up the sweep of the motos by just under 19 seconds. The battle for second raged on for much of the moto, but Best got the better of Janik in the end to secure the position in the overall standings. When Deegan returned to the track for the final Mini Sr. 1 moto, he put his KTM to the front early and opened up a lead of more than a second over Best, his closest challenger, at the end of the opening lap. Deegan continued to run at a blistering pace and found himself out front by almost 10 seconds halfway through the moto. That allowed him to maintain the lead and bring home a drama free moto sweep by 18 seconds over Best, followed by KTM rider Landin Pepperd in third. With his pair of victories, Deegan became the first rider at the 2020 event to bring home multiple AMA National Championships. He’s also the first rider to complete the week undefeated across more than one division. Mini Sr. 1 (12-14) Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., KTM (1-1-1)Logan Best, North Port, Fla., Yamaha (2-2-2)Krystian Janik, Oak Lawn, Ill. Kawasaki (3-5-10)Jeremy Fappani, Scottsdale, Ariz., KTM (6-8-5)Agustin Barreneche, Colombia, KTM (7-4-11)Mini Sr. 2 (13-15) Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., KTM (1-1-1)Logan Best, North Port, Fla., Yamaha (2-4-2)Krystian Janik, Oak Lawn, Ill. Kawasaki (3-2-3)Adler Caudle, Moore, Okla., KTM (5-10-4)Casey Cochran, Clermont, Fla., Suzuki (7-3-9) Mini-E (4-6) Jr. Friday signified a landmark moment in the history of Loretta Lynn’s as the first ever AMA National Championship was handed out for an electric motorcycle class. The debut of the Mini-E Jr. division in 2020 was well received, with a significant number of entries and alternates. As for the action on the track, one rider, Kade Nightingale, had set the benchmark coming into Friday with wins in the first two motos. Nightingale found himself in a familiar spot to start the final moto and led the field around to complete the first lap, but Jaydin Smart, Nightingale’s primary rival all week, made a bid for the lead and successfully seized control of the moto. As he attempted to fight back, Nightingale lost ground and faced a multi-second deficit early in the moto. Smart continued to ride strong and extended his lead further in the closing stages of the moto, becoming just the second rider to win a Mini-E moto. Nightingale settled for second, nearly nine seconds back, but still enjoyed the spoils of the first AMA National Championship in the division thanks to his consistent 1-1-2 moto finishes. Mini-E (4-6) Jr. Overall Results (Moto Finishes)Kade Nightingale, Mounds, Okla., KTM (1-1-2)Jaydin Smart, Berry Creek, Calif., KTM (2-2-1)Anderson Waldele, Lizella, Ga., KTM (7-3-3)Jeter Ramirez, El Reno, Okla., KTM (3-6-4)Gavin McCoy, Clever, Mo., KTM (13-4-5) |
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| Kade Nightingale took a historic first title in the debut of the Mini-E Jr. class. Photo: Ken Hill |
| Additional AMA Amateur National Champions from Friday (Moto Finishes) 250 B Limited: Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Yamaha (1-1-1) 125 C: Garrett Alumbaugh, Newark, Texas, Yamaha (1-1-1) Vet (30+): Nicholas Hayes, Chester, Va., Kawasaki (1-2-1) 85cc (10-12) Limited: Luke Fauser, Midland, Pa., KTM (1-1-3) Masters (50+): Kevin Walker, Kingsport, Tenn., Suzuki (3-1-1) 51cc (7-8) Limited: Gauge Brown, Cypress, Texas, Cobra (2-2-3) 65cc (10-11) Limited: Seth Dennis, Minneola, Fla., KTM (1-1-2) 250 C: Albert Haberle IV, Atco, N.J, KTM (3-3-3) 65cc (7-9) Limited: Darren Pine, Crosby, Texas, Cobra (1-1-3) 51cc (4-6) Limited: Jaydin Smart, Berry Creek, Calif., Cobra (2-1-1) 51cc (4-6) Shaft Drive Ltd: Grayson Porco, Barberton, Ohio, Yamaha (3-2-2) Senior (40+): Kris Keefer, Hesperia, Calif., Yamaha (1-1-2) The final day of the 2020 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship commences Saturday, August 8, where champions will be crowned in the final 17 classes. Broadcast coverage of every moto can be seen exclusively on Racer TV. |