he Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world's

largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national
qualifying program will consist of over 50 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 15
Regional Championships (May through June), hosted at select motocross facilities across
the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week in August)
hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane
Mills, Tenn. Christened "The World's Greatest Motocross Vacation", the National event
serves as a launch pad for some of the biggest names in professional motocross and
supercross, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan
Dungey. The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based
race production company and is sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA). For more information, visit www.mxsports.com.

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (August 7, 2022) – After a memorable week of the

best and most captivating amateur racing in the world, the 41st running of
the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship came to a
thrilling conclusion on Saturday from Tennessee’s Loretta Lynn Ranch. The gate
dropped on the final set of motos of the 2022 event, where the remaining 17
classes crowned their respective AMA National Champions.

On Saturday evening the 29 different athletes who became newly crowned

titleholders of the event’s 36 classes were celebrated at the awards ceremony,
where their efforts from the past week were recognized in front of their family,
friends, teams, and peers. Additionally, GASGAS Factory Amateur Team rider
Caden Braswell received the prestigious honor of the Nicky Hayden AMA
Motocross Horizon Award as the most promising talent in amateur motocross,
while NSA Yamaha Factory Amateur Team’s Avery Long earned AMA Amateur
Racer of the Year honors and Husqvarna Factory Amateur Team’s Casey Cochran
was named AMA Youth Racer of the Year.
..

When he entered Saturday’s action Monster Energy/SlamLife Racing Honda’s

Cole Martinez had most of his focus centered on closing out an impressive week
in Junior (25+) where he had won the first two motos and came into Moto 3 in
control of the championship battle. A fierce battle with SmartTop/MotoConcepts
Honda’s Mike Alessi meant Martinez would have his work cut out for him on the
final gate drop, and he was forced to dig deep to pull out a deserving
championship.

When the race got underway Phoenix Racing Honda’s Heath Harrison and Alessi
duked it out for the lead while Martinez had one of his worst starts of the week
and slotted into fifth. The battle out front was short lived as Harrison
encountered misfortune and dropped out of the race, which gave Alessi a
comfortable lead over the field.

ield.

With his rival out front, Martinez went to work and picked his way forward. He
fought his way up to third and rode in podium position for most of the moto. In
the closing laps he took advantage of misfortune for Crosley Radio KTM’s Jacob
Baumert, which moved the Honda rider into second and effectively wrapped up
the title. Alessi carried on to the Moto 3 win, while Martinez followed in second.

Martinez’s impressive 1-1-2 moto finishes allowed him to edge out Alessi by a
single point and earn his first Loretta Lynn’s championship, in what would be the
first of two titles in a memorable return to the Ranch

Trail Jesters KTM’s Korie Steede controlled the majority of the final moto and managed
to open up a healthy lead that surpassed five seconds. As she led the way, the attention
shifted to Phelp’s incredible climb through the field. The Kawasaki rider broke into the
top 10 after just a couple laps and laid down the fastest laps on the track to continue
picking off riders. She first closed in on Allred and made quick work of her main
championship rival in a pass for fifth. Phelps then closed in on Contreras for a spot on
the podium. She showed patience and made her move and ultimately climbed from
fourth to second with a pass on both Contreras and Troy Lee Designs GASGAS’ Hannah
Hodges. On the final lap of the moto Steede lost her hold of the lead in a moment of
misfortune that ultimately saw her drop to fifth. That opened the door for Phelps to
assume the top spot and bring home an emphatic championship-winning moto victory
that seemed unlikely on the outset of the moto.