Clay Holmes: 2009
AMA Pro ATV Motocross Rookie
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| #79
Clay Holmes - Quick Facts |
| Birth
Date: |
10/22/1987 |
| Height: |
6' 2" |
| Weight: |
170lbs |
| Hometown: |
Lexington, TN |
| ATV: |
Honda TRX 450R |
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Clay Holmes made an impressive AMA Pro ATV Motocross
debut, beating out many seasoned Pros to take
a top five finish at round number one of the
2009 AMA ATV Motocross Championship in California.
The Lexington, TN native showed that he could
definitely be a contender for a top five finish
at the end of the year if all goes well for
him in his rookie year.
He may be new to the Pro class, but Clay
is an experienced ATV motocross racer that
has been on the track for years, taking the
ATVA Motocross National Pro-Am Championship
in 2007 and racing competitively again in
2008 with several podium finishes before an
injury sidelined Holmes for the final three
races, which dropped him back to 7th in points.
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In
2007, Clay Holmes ran away with the
Pro-Am Produciton Championship with
7 class wins |
In
2008, Clay Holmes season was cut short
due to injury, which left him sidelined
for the final 3 rounds of racing |
There aren’t many racers who can remember
the exact date that they started racing, but
Clay Holmes does. “My first race was
on February 18, 2001, the day of Dale Earnhardt’s
crash,” said Clay. Although a somber
day in NASCAR racing, Clay remembers having
a great time racing his quad.
As Clay began to progress in his skill level
and take racing more seriously, he felt that
working with a trainer would be beneficial.
As luck would have it, Clay’s skills
on the track were noticed by none other than
Joe Byrd, who decided to take Holmes under
his wing.
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| Clay
Holmes made an impressive AMA Pro ATV
MX debut at Glen Helen by securing a
5th Overall finish while battling with
another Pro Rookie, Thomas Brown, in
both Motos |
Holmes raced in the Pro-am Nationals for
two years under Byrd’s guidance, and
now races with his support in the Pro ranks.
Like all of the new riders, Clay agrees that
there is a lot more pressure in the Pro class.
“I was hoping I would do well my first
time out there, so I’m pretty excited.
It’s a lot faster pace out there and
it’s more intense so you really have
to be on top of things,” said Clay,
who is looking forward to another strong finish
at round two.
With the support of The Joe Byrd Riding School,
Walsh and Custom Axis as his biggest supporters
for this year, Clay could definitely have
a consistent season and achieve his goal of
finishing in the top five.
| 2009
AMA Pro ATV Motocross Rookie Links |
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