Troy Dog
The majority of my life is consumed with racing, so when a rider comes out of nowhere and puts in a great result it always intrigues me. How did you do so well and how have I not heard of you?
At RedBud, Bryce Shelly from Telford, Pennsylvania went 15-12 for 11th overall in the 450 class. WHO? I’m sorry, but how has no one been talking about this?
RedBud was Shelly’s second national as he had lined up at High Point two weeks earlier and finished 20-24 somehow for 25th overall. It was his hometown race and it had to be a dream come true to make his debut.
Yet, he pulls up to RedBud two weeks later and almost pops off a top ten overall in the 450 class? That’s not a fluke. I’m sorry, but the 450 class really isn’t the shell that it was at the beginning of the motocross season. We’re in the middle of the season and these guys racing are legit. The kid earned it. Was this a surprise to him? Well, lucky for you, I went to the source to find out. It turns out that Shelly’s goal was to be in the top 20 and to build from there and he said that he wasn’t surprised, but that it was an awesome feeling.
I went back and looked into his Loretta Lynn’s results because I’m an ELITE journalist and I do my research. Shelly has been legit at the Ranch as well. He’s gotten six top ten overalls and his best finish was a third overall in the 125 (12-17) B/C class in 2021. Last year he made the jump up to 250 Pro Sport and Open Pro Sport mostly hovering around the 10-15 range with a bad luck moto sprinkled in. He finished 20th overall in both classes.
With some pro racing in his back pocket, Shelly is now in his final preparations for his farewell trip to the Ranch as an amateur. The 19-year-old is planning on racing 250 Pro Sport and Open Pro Sport again, but he’s got new goals. He said that he wants to be on the podium every moto and be set up for championships at the end of the week. After the Ranch he will be lining up for the last three round of AMA Pro Motocross.
“Coming into Loretta Lynn’s I’m way more confident,” Shelly said. “Doing these couple of Nationals, the longer motos, and stiff competition has helped a ton. I definitely turned some heads with the RedBud finish.”
Shelly has trained at ClubMx since the end of 2018. He’s not living there full-time, but he said that he’s there pretty often and up to six months out of the year. Over this past winter, he had the chance to ride supercross with the team and now he’s practicing with them on the outdoor tracks.
In our talks it occurred to me that this is one of those young rippers that is keeping Phil Nicoletti on his toes on practice days.
“Yes, I have to keep the old man in check,” Bryce confirmed.
The future’s looking bright with talent and attitudes like Bryce Shelly coming through the ranks. The next generation is ready and they are ready to show what they’re made of.
Main image: Mike Vizer
