Loretta Lynn's ATVA MX Amateur Racing Action

Clay Holmes breaks the champagne seal

Hurricane Mills, TN (8/14/2007) – Two divisions of Pro Am saw Tennessee's own Clay Holmes steal the show and finish out the season undefeated. In Division 1, Holmes left Cody Miller in second after the start. The top two checked out from the rest of the pack, as Miller rode tight behind Holmes who had locked up the championship with still one moto to go. “I trained a little harder, and the hard work paid off,” Holmes said after his first moto win.

In second place was the upcoming Yamaha ride of Cody Miller, who raced once earlier in the season. "The race went really good," Miller said. "I wish I could have holeshotted it. Clay ended up in the front, and I knew it was going to be tough after that. I stayed close and tried to follow his lines. There’s just a few places on the track where I could catch up to him and get on him. I attempted to make a pass but it never really did pull through."

One pass that did pull through for Miller happened later in Moto 2. Holmes pulled another holeshot, with Nick Denoble passing for the lead on the first lap, Holmes had first by the green flag. While Holmes ran away with the win, Denoble battled with Florida’s Josh Williams, Cody Miller and Cody Harris for top five. A battle for second developed between Denoble and Miller. Miller gained on Denoble by tripling into the Ten Commandments, and later charging down the Camel-back rhythm section for the inside line. “He pulled on me, I went wide and he stuck his corner in there,” Denoble said. “He got passed me—good rider.”

“I had second yesterday behind Clay again, and second again today,” Miller said. “Today I had to work a little bit harder for it, I was about to wad up on the start, and I made it out fourth or fifth and had to work my way up. It was a long hard race, but my bike’s working real well, so I feel pretty good.”

Next year, Cody Miller will make his Professional debut, after competing in the AMA Pro ATV Open at Steel City on August 25. “I’m going to train all the off-season and turn it up a notch. Yamaha’s helping me out, DASA and everybody. It’s been a big help, I’m going to train all off-season and try to run Pro next year and see what I can do.”

Amateur riders like Jason Corn went 1-1 in the Production Limited class, and hard feelings paying off for the Illinois native. “Yeah it’s pretty hard,” Corn said. “The track was a little better than I thought it was. Some stiff competition, I pulled the holeshot at the last minute, straight out front.”

In his first national ever, Indiana’s Kade Wagner took 5th place overall in 50 Production Auto (6-8) with a 4-6. “[The track was] good,” Wagner said. “I liked the big table top in the back.”

Hometown Tennessee rider Travis Moore overcame a second in Moto 1, and what happened failed to discourage him.

“With a lap and a half to go, I blew a rear tire,” said Moore. “So I just tied to salvage as much points as I could and came out here and pulled it off today.”
With the championship on the line, Moore called the shots and came out with overall win. “Yeah, I had to finish at least in the top 12 to get [the championship], so I guess you can say this race did help a lot with it. I wanted to come out here with a win, leave the A class a champion. [I’ll] probably just move to Pro Am and go after the championship next year. Anybody in Pro Am, watch out, here I come.”

Of the four divisions in 4-Stroke B, two Moto 1 winners podiumed overall. Illinois’ Dustin Rhymer was undefeated with a 1-1, while Kody Kropp took second with a 1-2 and Kyle Kropp went 2-3 for third. “I knew my brother was close by, and I couldn’t give up one foot,” Kody Kropp said. “I was ready for the white flag to come out; about all I could do.”

Garrett Greeves also finished first in his division, and an eighth place finish in Moto 2 scored sixth overall. After his division win, Adam Smith’s prediction for Moto 2 resulted in 1-16 for 11th overall. “There’s lot of competition out there,” Smith said. “The track’s getting really rough. The main tomorrow is going to be a lot more interesting.”

The 33rd Annual AMA Pro Racing Championship Awards Banquet will be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday, November 18, 2007. The celebration held each year wraps up AMA Racing’s professional championship season. New for 2007, the evening will also see the recognition of the top riders from AMA Pro ATV Racing. The public is encouraged to attend the Pro Banquet. For ticket information visit www.amaproracing.com/banquet or call (614) 856-1900, ext. 1232.

About the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited:
Sanctioned by the AMA and ATVA, the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series is the nation’s premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, and is hosted by many of America’s premier motocross facilities. The 12-round series approaches its 21st season with the Pro class newly under the wing of AMA Pro Racing. The 2006 series hosted over 8,000 entrants, making it America’s largest and longest-running ATV National Motocross series. Series sponsors include title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited. Premier and feature sponsors include ATV Sport, MotoTees, Scott USA, Maxxis Tires, Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four. Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers, Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing. Media partners include ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.

About AMA Pro Racing:
AMA Pro Racing is the professional racing division of the American Motorcyclist Association (“AMA”). 2007 will mark the inaugural year for AMA Pro ATV Racing, as the sport’s top pro riders will be recognized as professional-licensed racers by the AMA Pro Racing division. Founded in 1924, the AMA has an unparalleled history of pursuing, protecting and promoting the interests of the world's largest and most dedicated group of motorcycle enthusiasts. The AMA focuses on rights, riding and racing through its government relations work, by sanctioning road and off-road riding activities and overseeing professional and amateur racing events. For more information about AMA Pro ATV Racing, visit www.amaproracing.com.

About the ATVA:
The ATV Association (“ATVA”) is the official sanctioning body of the amateur divisions of the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited. The 9,000 member ATVA is the sister organization of the 260,000 member American Motorcyclist Association (“AMA”). ATV racing has experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past two years alone, and continues to gain momentum and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually. Each round attracts 600-700 racers who compete for bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national titles. For more information about ATVA, visit www.atvaonline.com.

About the ATVPG:
The ATVPG is comprised of the 12 individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events. For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, go to www.atvmotocross.com.

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