Jason Anderson wins Horizon award

Jason Anderson wins AMA Racing Motocross Horizon Award

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Thirty-five American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) members have joined the ranks of the 2010 AMA Racing national champions following a week of bar-to-bar racing at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, presented by AMSOIL, at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

"More than 1,400 qualifying riders worked through nationwide qualifiers for a chance to come to Loretta's to win an AMA Racing National No. 1 plate at the world's biggest week in motocross, and when the dust settled 35 remained," said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. "MX Sports, the organizer of this event, put on another great week of racing in conditions that ranged from brutal heat to sloppy mud and gave our members a stellar track for deciding our 2010 AMA Racing amateur national motocross champions."

One of the most impressive riders of the week was AMA Racing Motocross Horizon Award winner Jason Anderson from Bernalillo, N.M. The Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki rider won four of his six motos in the 450 A and 250 A/Pro Sport classes and took the national championship in 450 A. A DNF in the final 250 A/Pro Sport class, following two class wins earlier in the week, likely cost Anderson a second No. 1 plate.

"I'm really excited to win the Horizon award," said Anderson, who's also backed by Pro Circuit, Fly Racing, Volcom, Oakley, Sebastien Tortelli and Coach Seiji. "So many big names have won it, and I'm just exited to be one of them."

Anderson's final moto wasn't without drama, however. He had to race back from dead last to fifth to secure the championship.

"The week went really well at the beginning, and then on the last day, I had my bike break and the last moto I crashed three times on the first lap," Anderson said. "I was mad at myself for getting myself in that situation, but I just put my head down and charged through the pack. I was just pinned everywhere. I had a million people cheering me on. My last pit board said I had to get one more guy, so I wasn't sure I had one it until it was all over."

The AMA Racing Youth Motocrosser of the Year was Cooper Webb. Webb, from Newport, N.C., raced a Honda Red Bull JGR Racing CRF150R to a national championship in the SuperMini 1 class with two moto wins and a second. In the SuperMini 2 class, Webb finished second overall with a win and two thirds.

"This is the biggest achievement I've done," said Webb, who's also backed by Triangle Cycle, Thor, Smith, Kenda, Decal Works and FMF. "I won the first two motos, and then during the mud race, I had clutch problems, but still managed to get second. I'm really honored the AMA selected me for this. It's what I've been working for, as far as my goals, training, going to school and right now, I feel like this is one of my biggest achievements."

In the Vet ranks, Keith Johnson earned the AMA Racing Vet Motocrosser of the Year. Johnson, from Carver, Mass., took the Vet 35+ championship over Loretta Lynn legend Kevin Walker, from Gray, Tenn., who claimed his record 14th AMA Racing national championship No. 1 plate in the Senior 40+ class.

Rockstar Suzuki teammates Gannon Audette and Ian Trettel were two other high-profile champions. Audette, from Cairo, Ga., won the 450 A/Pro Sport class with three wins. Florida-based Trettel topped the 250 A class with a second and two moto wins.

A full list of the 2010 champions from the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, presented by AMSOIL, is below. For complete results from the week of racing, see MXSports.com.

The AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship finals have been organized since their 1982 founding by MX Sports. A list of past champions includes such superstars as Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath, Travis Pastrana, James Stewart, Kevin Windham, Ryan Dungey, and more.

-source: ama