[American Motorcyclist Association] - Hampshire, Harrison and Marchbanks dominate ope

[Ninjette Newsbot]

The following is an industry press release...

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (July 30, 2014) - The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL kicked off its racing schedule on Tuesday from the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee for the 33rd running of the world's largest and most prestigious amateur motocross championship. Seventeen different riders emerged victorious through the first 20 gate drops and while there's still plenty of racing left to go, several of this year's key players were established in the opening set of motos.

RJ Hampshire is the man to beat in the A classes after the first set of motos

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

Some of the most highly anticipated competition of the week comes from the Open Pro Sport and 250 A divisions who are usually packed full of riders that will soon makea jump into the professional ranks. So far, in his final bid as an amateur racer this week, AMSOIL Factory Connection Honda's RJ Hampshire has laid the foundation as the rider to beat in the premier class. Hampshire began the day with a big win in the Open Pro Sport class, fending off Yamalube/Star Racing/Yamaha's Aaron Plessinger in the opening moto.

Garrett Marchbanks established himself early in the minicycle ranks

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

The Hampshire/Plessinger battle carried over into the opening moto of the 250 A division as the duo hooked up just behind KTM-mounted Daniel Baker, who captured the $100 Bell Helmet Holeshot Award and the early lead. Hampshire and Plessinger eventually moved into the lead and it was a head-to-head battle for the win. That is, until Plessinger abruptly went down in what would ultimately result in a DNF for the rising motocross star, who also plans to move into the pro ranks this season. Despite the chaos, Hampshire remained solid to capture his second moto win of the day in Pro Sport, where he now heads into the second set of motos with first gate pick and a slight advantage on his competition. Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki's Chris Alldredge capitalized on the opportunity to take second, while Club MX's Marshal Weltin took third.



At the intermediate level, it was Monster Energy Kawasaki's Mitchell Harrison who emerged with a pair of wins through the first set of motos, one in Schoolboy 2 (13-16) B/C and another in 250 B. Although he swept both motos of the day, Harrison was challenged from all angles by riders such as Tristan Charboneau and Lorenzo Locurcio in 250 B, and Jon Ames and Mark Worth in the Schoolboy class. KTM Orange Brigade's Alexander Frye proved to be a big contender early on in 250 B until a big crash set him back quite a few positions near the end.

Mitchell Harrison heads into moto two with a nice gate pick

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

The Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki squad carried its dominance into the Youth divisions as Garrett Marchbanks swept both of the Mini Sr classes for the day. While Marchbanks experienced plenty of competition from riders like Yamaha bLUcRU's Chase Sexton, who finished a close second in moto one, the Utah native held strong to put forth the only 1-1 performance in the minicycle divisions thus far.

Ricky Renner captured the Junior 25+ win

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

The age classes typically bring about some of the most intense battles of the week and Tuesday's racing was no different as many of the sport's most accomplished racers made their return to the Amateur National Championship. The Junior 25+ class showcased a host of talent once again with familiar names such as Robbie Reynard, James Povolny and Andrew Matusek, but this year it was all about Ricky Renner, who took the moto one win in a dominant fashion over a tough set of competition.

Mackenzie Tricker began her title defense in a favorable way

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

Yamaha bLU cRU/Rock River supported Mackenzie Tricker returned this year to defend her Women (14+) National Championship and so far so good for the Australian native as she captured the win in moto one. It wasn't an easy feat for Tricker, though, as her Rock River Yamaha-backed teammate Kaitlyn Morrow laid on the pressure near the end to finish less than one second behind the defending champ for the number two spot in moto one.

Hannah Hodges captured two podium finishes in the first set of motos

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

Hannah Hodges jumped into the Women (14+) ranks this season, finishing an impressive third place in moto one. Hodges continued her streak in the Girls (12-16) class with a dominant performance to capture the moto one win, while North Carolina's Jordan Jarvis took the Girls (9-13) class win.

Tuesday showcased 20 different gate drops to complete half of the first moto order

Photo: Ken Hill / MX Sports

Day two of racing will resume on Wednesday, July 30 with the remaining number of opening motos, as well as the beginning of the second set of motos. Live streaming coverage begins Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET on RacerTV.com. For more information on the viewing times for the rest of the week, please click HERE.



Tuesday's archived coverage is now available on RacerTV.com, to view the racing action from day one please click HERE.



Complete results from the 2014 National Championship can be found HERE and Live Timing & Scoring can be accessed HERE.



The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL will take place July 27 - Aug. 2 at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. For more information, visit the series website at www.mxsports.com.





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