2020 AMA Amateur National Motocross | Thursday Race Report

2020 AMA AMATEUR NATIONAL MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

2020 AMA AMATEUR NATIONAL MOTOCROSS RESULTS ARCHIVE

Racing at The Ranch. Families and riders from all over have flocked to central Tennessee for the 2020 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, the crown jewel of amateur motocross competition, for a week of battles, come from behind rides, career-defining results, and an all-around great time. Here’s a recap of Wednesday’s top motos…

125 B/C

Can we crown Max Vohland as the fastest two-stroke rider of the week? The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider scored Moto wins on Thursday in the Schoolboy 1 (12-17) B/C and 125 B/C divisions, both in a dominant manner. Vohland led Lap One of the 125 B/C Moto, briefly engaged in a battle with MTF KTM’s Gage Linville on Lap Two, then pulled clear of the pack to win by 13-seconds. There was little action among the top three, really, as Vohland led all but one lap while Linville ran second and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Talon Hawkins came in third. The big mover of the Moto with JR Reyes, who went from 10th place on Lap One to fourth place on Lap Three. 

As for Vohland’s speed on the two-stroke, his best lap in this particular race was a 1:54.250.

250 B

Thursday’s 250 B race is going to have an impact on the rest of the week. The top riders in the Intermediate ranks found their way to the front of the field the moment the gate hit the ground for Moto Two when Nick Romano scored the holeshot while Jett Reynolds, Chance Hymas, Matt Leblanc, Kade Amerine, and Nate Thrasher found themselves within the top-10. Reynolds went on the attack on the opening lap and got by Romano for the lead, while Leblanc followed in his wake and moved up to second place. An excellent battle for the top spot ensued, as Reynolds managed the lead while Leblanc looked for any way around, and the lap times recorded by the two were within a few tenths of a second of each other. Leblanc was the faster rider of the field, evident in the Star Racing Yamaha rider’s 1:52.216 time on Lap Two, and he made a move on Reynolds during Lap Four. After a short amount of time in second place, Reynolds regrouped, forced his way back in front of Leblanc on Lap Six, and started to sneak away with the lead. Just when it seemed like the win was in Reynolds’ hand, the Team Green Kawasaki made a mistake in the Ten Commandments rhythm section and suffered a vicious crash on Lap Nine. Although Reynolds was able to walk away uninjured, it was enough to sideline him for the rest of the Moto.

With Reynolds out, it looked like the lead was going to go back to Leblanc, but his run to the checkered flag was disrupted by Nate Thrasher, who put in a career-best ride during the Moto. The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM rider started the race in sixth place, ran a fast yet sustainable pace through the opening half, then dropped the hammer in the closing laps while those higher in the running order eased up. Trasher stole the top spot from Leblanc on Lap Nine, moments after Reynold hit the ground, and bolted to take the win by 12-seconds.

Despite Trasher’s win, the combined scores from the two races run so far put things in Leblanc’s favor; 1-2 results by Leblanc have him well ahead of Hymas (2-5) and Thrasher (9-1) going into Saturday’s decider.

SUPERMINI 2

Another day, another win for Ryder DiFrancesco. The Team Green Kawasaki rider started the race behind Benjamin Garib, who claimed the holeshot on his EBR Performance KTM, and SSR KTM’s Jayden Clough, who was scored as the leader of Lap One. But DiFrancesco was soon in his groove and he moved into first place with a pass on Clough during the second lap, then ran away from the field with a set of steady laps. As impressive as DiFrancesco’s lead was, the real talking point of the race was the way he repeatedly launched his KX mini off the big jump and into the sand section, a move made popular by elite riders in the big bike classes.

A poor start put Evan Ferry in fourth place on Lap One, but the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider rose to the challenge and worked his way up to second place by the checkered flag. 

DiFrancesco’s 1-1 scores have him in position to win the title on Saturday, while Ferry sits second with 2-2- results and Garib is third with 4-3 finishes.

OPEN PRO SPORT

Mason Gonzales made a statement in Moto Two of the Open Pro Sport class. The Rock River Yamaha rider was unmatched during Thursday’s 20-minute race, as he aced the start, scored the holeshot, took the lead immediately, and put plenty of space between himself and the rest of the field in the opening laps. This early advantage proved to be key because Gonzales was able to manage the pace of the Moto, even after a late-race attack by Moto One winner Stilez Robertson. A mediocre start put the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider further back than he would have hoped, but Robertson was clearly the fastest rider on the track and he reeled in Gonzales during the closing laps, which made for an exciting run to the checkered flag.

Robertson’s speed during the closing stages of the race was better than Gonzales, there’s no denying that, but Gonzales was able to control the lines and prevented any sort of pass from taking place, which allowed him to take the win by a slim 0.719-second margin. 

With 2-1 scores by Gonzales and 1-2 results by Robertson, the two top talents in the most prestigious class are tied going into their final moto of the weekend. What more could you ask for?

450 B LIMITED

Levi Kitchen continued to impress on Thursday afternoon. The Rock River Yamaha rider held the lead from the moment the gate dropped until the checkered flag flew, which made for his fourth win of the week. As impressive as the wins are, the way that Kitchen is able to sustain a very fast pace for the full duration of the 20-minute Moto might be more important. His laps in the race were between 1:53 to 1:57, and his last lap was the only two-minute plus time, which made for a 39-second gap on second-place.