HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. — The second day of racing headlined Wednesday’s action at the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship as the gate dropped on 22 more motos.
Racing got underway in the morning to complete the remaining opening motos from the 36 classes of competition before the afternoon gave way to the start of second motos.
250 Pro Sport: Moto 1
After a dominant performance in Open Pro Sport on Tuesday, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Daxton Bennick earned the attention of onlookers as the 250 Pro Sport field lined up for the first time.
However, Bennick would face challenges from the likes of KTM Orange Brigade’s Julien Beaumer, GASGAS riders Evan Ferry and Mark Fineis, Rock River Yamaha’s Avery Long and NSA Yamaha Amateur Factory Team rider Gavin Towers.
Out the gate, it was Towers who led the field through the first turn aboard his Yamaha with the STACYC Holeshot. He held the top spot briefly but was soon overcome by Beaumer before the completion of the opening lap. Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha’s Trevin Nelson slotted into third ahead of Yamaha rider Brad West, while Ferry completed the top five.
Bennick was several spots back deep in the top 10, while Fineis was just outside the top 10.
The clear track allowed Beaumer to build a multi-second advantage over Towers, who in turn distanced himself from the rest of the field. As the lead duo asserted themselves out front, the jockeying for third started to unfold as Nelson, West, and Ferry battled it out.
Both West and Ferry were able to get by Nelson and each rider held onto the third spot for a brief period, but Fineis was on a torrid charge through the field. After he methodically improved one position each of the opening laps, he was able to pass multiple riders through the halfway point of the moto and had soon fought his way into podium position in third.
As the fastest rider on the track, the GASGAS rider quickly made inroads on his deficit to Towers and made the pass for second with a couple laps remaining.
Beaumer enjoyed a pressure-free ride to capture his first moto win of the week, while Fineis impressed in his climb to second. Towers parlayed his strong start into a third-place finish. Bennick was unable to make up the kind of ground he did in Open Pro Sport and was never a factor, mired in a battle just outside the top five throughout the moto, ultimately settling for seventh.
Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C: Moto 1
With a win in 250 B to start the week, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Casey Cochran was another rider garnering attention as the Schoolboy 2 field took to the starting gate for the first time.
Another stacked field also featured Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Drew Adams, NSA Yamaha Amateur Factory Team rider Logan Best and the Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green duo of Krystian Janik and Enzo Temmerman.
As the field emerged from the first turn it was Janik out front for the STACYC Holeshot, accompanied by his Team Green teammate Temmerman. They easily paced the field through the opening laps, during which Temmerman made the pass for the lead. Their battle allowed Best to close in from third after starting fourth.
Best was the faster rider of the trio and was patient in his pass on Janik for second. He shadowed Temmerman for a couple laps before going on the attack to take control of the lead halfway through the moto. Their battle continued, as the pair traded the top spot several times throughout various parts of the track.
As the lead trio duked it out, Cochran was making his charge to the front.
The Husqvarna rider didn’t get a great start and began his journey deep in the top 10, but he wasted no time picking off riders in the opening laps and soon slotted into fourth after a couple laps. He watched as the leaders engaged in battle and soon made it a four-rider affair.
He dropped the hammer to run the fastest laps on the track, which allowed him to go from fourth to first in just two laps. Once he took control of the moto Cochran never looked back.
Cochran stormed to his second moto win in as many days, doing so with a savvy climb through the field, while Best kept him honest through the finish in second. Janik reclaimed third from his teammate late to secure the final spot on the moto podium.
Schoolboy 1 (12-17) B/C: Moto 1
Following an impressive victory in 125 Jr. (12-17) B/C on Tuesday, GASGAS Amateur Team rider Tiger Wood made an even bigger statement on Wednesday during the first moto of Schoolboy 1.
The Georgia native put himself at the front of the field from the outset of the moto with the STACYC Holeshot, ahead of the Husqvarna of Owen Covell and the KTM of Klark Robbins. The clear track allowed Wood to sprint out to a multi-second advantage over the field that grew to nearly double digits as the moto surpassed the halfway point.
The rider on the move throughout the moto was EBR Performance/Altus Motorsports Yamaha’s Landon Hartz, who started the moto in ninth but rocketed up the running order to take control of second at the halfway mark.
Hartz continued to run the fastest laps on the track to chip away at his deficit to Wood, but the GASGAS rider managed his comfortable lead to perfection, riding conservative but consistent lap times to bring home his second win of the week.
Hartz turned heads with his resiliency and strong finish in second, while GASGAS rider Carter Malcolm rounded out the top three.
Supermini 1 (12-15) & Supermini 2 (13-16): Moto 1
The two respective Supermini classes bookended Moto 1 action on Wednesday, featuring a loaded lineup of minibike talent headlined by KTM Orange Brigade’s Seth Dennis, Husqvarna rider Deacon Denno, and Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Landen Gordon.
All three riders were in the mix across both classes.
Supermini 1 opened the morning, and it was Dennis who controlled the moto from start to finish.
The young racer got a stellar jump out the gate to easily claim the STACYC Holeshot and quickly gapped the field. After just a couple laps, his lead had grown to nearly 10 seconds and he was able to manage his advantage from there.
Denno started the moto in third and soon took control of second, which allowed him to keep Dennis honest throughout the remainder of the moto, even closing to within a couple seconds of the lead before dropping back in the closing laps.
Dennis and Denno were never challenged out front and finished 1-2, while Gordon endured an adventure of a moto to ultimately claim the final spot on the moto podium. After starting all the way back in 28th, Gordon managed to pass 25 riders to break into the top three with just a couple laps left in the moto for one of the most impressive individual performances at Loretta Lynn’s thus far.
The final class to complete its first moto was Supermini 2 and the race began with KTM rider Max Shane out front with the STACYC Holeshot, but he was quickly overcome by Gordon, who was determined to reverse his fortune from earlier in the day and put himself out front early.
He appeared to have control of the moto until an early tip over dropped the Kawasaki rider from first to fourth. That handed the lead to KTM rider Canyon Richards and initiated a three-rider battle with the KTM mounted duo of Dennis and Cole Timboe.
This played back into the hands of Gordon who fought back to the tail of the KTM trio and made quick passes to reclaim the top spot just a couple of laps after his misfortune. Once he regained the lead Gordon inched away from Timboe, who moved into second, and carried on to take the moto win for Team Green.
A late pass by Richards helped him finish second, while Timboe settled for third.
Moto 2 Results
Open Pro Sport: Moto 2
Daxton Bennick, Morganton, N.C., Yamaha
Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM
Gavin Towers, Venetia, Pa., Yamaha
Bryce Shelly, Telford, Pa., Yamaha
Parker Ross, Herald, Calif., Honda
Senior (40+): Moto 2
Mike Brown, Bluff City, Tenn., KTM
Jeff Emig, Riverside, Calif., KTM
Robert Fitch, Elbert, Colo., Yamaha
Shane Kelleher, Cumberland, R.I., Honda
Dennis Stapleton, Lake Elsinore, Calif., Honda