2023 Mini Major Championship | Race Report & Images

November 15, 2023

The Mini Major Championship was a massive success and saw hundreds entries across 40 classes during our return to Freestone Raceway. Taking the largest “minis only” race series to different parts of the country has been an exciting experience, as it gives us a chance to see the differences and the uptick in amateur motocross across each region, and it’s hard to top the size and potential of Texas. Heavy rains leading up to the weekend kept the crew busy, but they had an amended course ready for practice laps on Friday morning and the first round of motos on Saturday, then opened the National track up for Sunday’s elite divisions.

The Mini Major Championship wouldn’t have been possible without the support of sponsors Seven MX, Red Line Oil, ProTaper, KTM, Husqvarna, GASGAS, and STACYC, the non-stop efforts of the Freestone Raceway staff, the families that traveled from all parts of the country to the Lone Star State.

Saturday morning started with an extended run through of the practice order and then immediately went into the first sets of motos in the 18-race schedule, starting with a competitive mix of 85s was followed by race after race of 50s, 65s, and PWs/XRs.

Sunday was another run through the full schedule, this time with the day began with Moto Nine after a short practice. Why the shuffle? We wanted riders to experience different in track conditions between their first and second motos, which had developed noticeable chop, ruts, and bumps. The pre-race rain was the perfect amount of moisture for the sand-clay mix, as the precipitation soaked into the soil, and thanks to overcast skies, the track crew never had to start up the water truck.

Gauge Brown won six motos on his way to three overall wins while Landen Walters picked up his share of checkered flags in the 85cc and SuperMini division. Chance Ulberg and Kannon Zabojnik traded wins and trophies across the 65cc and young rippers Logan Moore, Huxley Nolan, Talon Rogers, Evertt Jones displayed endless energy lining up for multiple PeeWee categories and running up in front in each moto.

The weekend’s biggest classes were 85 8-12 Open, 85 8-11, 50 4-6, SuperMini 3 85 Open, 85 8-11, 65 4-11 Open, 65 4-8, and the KTM-Husqvarna E Challenge.

Hudson and Andrew Short picked up the 85cc win in the Family Team Race while Ryder and Derek Kelly defended their 65cc victory at Lincoln Trail with another dub.

The Mini Major is a weekend like no other, thanks to elements like a no-pressure environment, reasonably priced entry fees that encourage racers to sign up for multiple classes, and more laps on expertly maintained tracks. We look forward to continuing next year with multiple Mini Major events around the country, including our home race in California, returns to the Midwest and South, and expansion into new territories around the country.