Brandon Clarke
Welcome to the 2026 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s. We will be providing updates from the first day of racing all day. Will we have every class? No, no we will not. Will we have a bunch of classes? Yes, yes we will.
You can follow live timing and scoring on the Vurbmoto Prospect app (it is free, go download it). Download on the App Store or Google Play.
Note: This post will continue to update throughout the day.
Mini Sr 2
Mini Sr. 2 got off to a fast start with Guadalajara, Mexico’s Enrique Rodriguez grabbing the holeshot, but the early lead didn’t last long. Michigan’s Joey Vicari wasted no time getting to the front, making the pass on the opening lap before putting the hammer down.
Behind him, championship favorite Dylan Graham found himself on the ground early, forcing him to charge through the pack from outside the top 30. Graham salvaged a 13th-place finish, but it wasn’t enough to challenge for the podium.
Once Vicari hit the front, it was game over. He stretched his advantage to nearly 13 seconds over Eidan Steinbrecher, while Talon Madaglia, son of Canadian motocross standout Tyler Medaglia, completed the podium in third.
One rider who deserves a little extra recognition is Landon Lee. After crossing the line in 14th, Lee was credited with an impressive 26 passes during the moto.
It’s safe to assume Moto 2 will be filled with more explosive battles as the talent runs deep in this class.
250 Pro Sport
Max Shane grabbed the holeshot and looked strong early, but it didn’t take long for the ClubMX duo of Justin Turner and Ryder Malinoski to make their presence known. Once they got around Shane, the teammates immediately separated themselves from the rest of the field.
For a few laps it looked like we might have a full-on teammate showdown, but Malinoski had other plans. He made the pass on Turner, then quickly stretched out the lead, eventually settling into about a five-second advantage on his way to the Moto 1 win.
Behind them, championship favorite Carson Wood didn’t do himself any favors off the gate. A mediocre start forced him to fight through traffic before salvaging a fourth-place finish. His biggest title rival, Kade Johnson, had an even tougher opening lap, buried deep in the pack before charging back to seventh.
Quietly putting together one of the better rides of the moto was Landon Gibson. He worked his way into third with impressive speed, although he still finished more than 12 seconds behind Turner.
Moto 1 belonged to ClubMX from start to finish, but Ryder Malinoski was the rider who left everyone talking. Not only did he take the win, he also laid down the fastest lap of the race with a blistering 1:51.8, sending an early message that he may be the rider to beat this week.
250 B Limited
If there was any doubt about who the fastest rider was in 250 B Limited Moto 1, Darrin Pines erased it in a hurry.
Pines grabbed the holeshot and never looked back. He immediately began stretching the lead, opening up more than a 20-second advantage before ultimately taking the win by over 15 seconds ahead of Logan Hekker. Simply put, nobody had anything for him.
Behind the runaway leader, the battle for the podium stayed busy throughout the moto. Talon Staggs found himself fifth at the end of the opening lap but quietly pieced together an impressive ride, making the necessary passes to climb into third by the checkered flag.
One of the biggest “what ifs” of the race belonged to Braxtyn Mes. He rocketed off the gate with one of the better starts in the class before his day nearly unraveled with a get off in the second turn. While the riders inside the top five shuffled positions throughout the moto, Mes put together one of the best comeback rides of the day, charging all the way back to seventh.
Moto 1 was all about Darrin Pines’ dominance up front, but Mes charge through the field and Staggs’ methodical climb onto the podium were every bit as impressive in their own way.
Junior 25+
Maybe it’s the nostalgia talking, but the Junior 25+ class might honestly be one of the most anticipated motos of the week. It’s basically a motocross reunion tour featuring names like Zach Osborne, Phil Nicoletti, Jake Weimer, Alex Ray, and a gate full of riders we all grew up watching.
Weimer got things rolling out front, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Osborne made the pass in style, scrubbing a nasty whip while the two were side-by-side over one of the tables. From there, he did what we’ve seen him do so many times throughout his career, ride smooth, stay composed, and slowly squeeze the life out of the field.
Well… almost.
Late in the moto, Osborne found himself tangled up with a lapped rider in a moment that looked like it could’ve ended his race. Somehow he kept it on two wheels, bounced off the rider, gathered it back up, and carried on to take the Moto 1 win.
Behind him, Phil Nicoletti spent the entire moto applying pressure to Weimer before turning the final lap into absolute must-watch on Floracing.com moment. Lapped riders suddenly became moving chess pieces as Nicoletti looked like he was trying to run a pick-and-roll to get around Weimer. At one point, Weimer had to thread the needle between two lappers, and I’m willing to bet he had a few Tampa 2025 Ken Roczen flashbacks running through his head.
Nicoletti finally capitalized as the closing laps turned into a full-blown game of Frogger through traffic, taking over second while Weimer settled for third.
Rounding out the top five were ClubMX owner Brandon Haas in fourth and Judson Wisdom in fifth.
If Moto 1 was any indication, these “old guys” still have plenty left in the tank… and they are definitely going to be exciting to watch as the week continues!
250 B
Not every moto needs late-race drama to make a statement.
Brennon Harrison put together one of the cleanest rides of the day, wasting little time getting to the front before settling into the lead within the opening laps. From there it was smooth, mistake-free riding all the way to the checkered flag. No fireworks, no panic, just a professional Moto 1 victory.
Tanner Dorman quietly put together a solid ride of his own, climbing from fourth on the opening lap to finish second. Tomi Doble followed a similar script, working his way from fifth into third by the end of the moto.
Ryder Skodras and Ryan Jaramillo completed the top five after consistent rides from start to finish.
The bigger storyline may have come from the championship favorites. Grayson Townsend never quite found the pace he was looking for, crossing the line seventh, while Dane Pappas endured an even tougher opening moto, finishing 12th. It’s only Moto 1, but both riders have some work to do if they want to claw back points as the week rolls on.
Womens
The women wasted absolutely no time putting on an exciting race.
Mayla Herrick looked untouchable early, charging to the front and immediately putting veterans Hannah Hodges and Jordan Jarvis on notice. On Lap 2, Herrick made the pass just before the mechanics’ area as Hodges nearly threw it away with a big rear-wheel swap trying to respond.
By Lap 3, Herrick was in another zip code. She fired off an impressive 2:03.8 lap on a beat up track late in the day. She stretched her advantage to nearly 30 seconds, and looked well on her way to a comfortable Moto 1 victory.
Then everything changed.
While in cruise control mode, Herrick tucked the front and took a heavy slam on the backside of a table. Somehow, she remounted with roughly a 20-second cushion over Jarvis. But the drama wasn’t over. As she worked through lapped traffic in the closing laps, Herrick hit the ground a second time, erasing nearly all of her advantage and setting up a heart-stopping finish. On the podium we would learn she broke a lever in that first crash.
Jarvis, who had already overcome adversity after stalling her bike on the opening lap, charged through the field with 14 passes and nearly stole the moto at the line. It came down to what felt like just a couple of knobbies on the front tire, with Herrick hanging on for the win in a thrilling drag race to the checkers.
Hannah Hodges rode a steady race throughout before surrendering second to Jarvis late in the moto, ultimately finishing third. Piper Bell and Zoe Moore rounded out the top five.
Supermini 1
The highly anticipated Super Mini 1 class finally dropped the gate, and Easton Graves wasted no time showing everyone why he’s one of the favorites.
Graves grabbed the holeshot and never looked back, putting together a flawless ride that saw him stretch the lead to nearly 17 seconds by the time the checkered flag flew. It was a statement win from start to finish.
Behind him, Cooper Johnson quietly pieced together an impressive moto of his own. After completing the opening lap in fourth, Johnson methodically worked his way into second and settled in with a comfortable cushion over the battle for third.
That battle, however, is where things got interesting.
Maddox Temmerman found himself buried off the start and was still outside the top five early in the race. By the end of Lap 2, he had clawed his way into sixth before spending much of the moto trying to chip away at the gap to the riders ahead.
With just a couple of laps remaining, Temmerman found another gear. He first worked his way around Jackson Vick before making another decisive pass on Elliott Bowsher to steal the final podium spot.
Vick wasn’t finished either. On the final lap, he answered back by getting around Bowsher to secure fourth, leaving Bowsher to round out the top five.
Graves may have put the field on notice with a dominant Moto 1 victory, but Temmerman’s late-race charge gave us a glimpse of a rider who could become a major factor as the week unfolds.
