Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Rosburgs Harley Jefferies just made his dream come true. The 6-year-old dirt bike racer has qualified for the largest amateur motocross race in the world, the 30th Annual AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynns ranch.

    Jefferies took on more than 20,000 other hopefuls from across America to earn one of just 1,386 qualifying positions.

    The Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynns is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in, said event director Tim Cotter. A win at the amateur nationals gives a rider instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.

    Most of Americas top professional motocrossers, including James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana and Jeremy McGrath, have won AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynns. The race is so prestigious that last year, teenage stars Dean Wilson, from California, and Eli Tomac, from Colorado, were awarded premier professional contracts for the 2010 season.

    Jefferies, who attends Long Beach Elementary, has been riding since he was 4 years old. Jefferies started racing the I-5 Arena cross series with Promoto Promotions in November. He won the Clark County championship and won second place in Salem. Since then, Jefferies has raced in the Washougal MX, which is where he qualified for the Loretta Lynn Nationals.

    Jefferies will make the long journey to Tennessee along with his dad (BJ), mom (Tammie), brother (Kaden), and grandmother (Mary Ann). The race runs Aug. 1 through Aug. 6.

    Jefferies spent the last four months qualifying for the event. The top finishers in area and regional qualifiers earn a spot into the National Championship race at Loretta Lynns. Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from minicycle classes for children as young as 4, all the way up to a senior division for riders over 50. There are also classes for women and classes for both stock and modified bikes.

    The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynns ranch and campground in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers.

    Most riders attend the event with the help of their families. In fact, many groups consider the event their familys summer vacation. Besides races, the ranch provides family-friendly facilities including a game room, swimming pools, arts and crafts activities as well as a fashion and talent show.

About the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships

Produced by MX Sports, Inc., the AMA National Motocross Championships is the worlds largest amateur motocross race. Hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., the event is the premier amateur motocross race in the world.  Approximately 25,000 racers attempt to qualify in 33 classes for the 1,386 available gates at the finals.  The National event, christened The Worlds Greatest Motocross Vacation, is held the first week of August annually.  As proof of the significance of winning an AMA Amateur National Championship title, most of todays top motocross and Supercross stars, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Ryan Villopoto, won championships at Loretta Lynns. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

 

About MX Sports

MX Sports, Inc. is a Morgantown, West Virginia-based motocross production company. The group coordinates the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, which includes a national qualifying program consisting of 52 Area Qualifying races held annually from February through May and 12 Regional Championship races conducted in June at select motocross facilities across the country. Less than five percent of the Area Qualifier entries actually qualify for the national championship event, held during the first week of August at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.