Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1060787
AMA HONORS AMATEUR RACERS, INDUSTRY T he AMA honored the 2018 season's fastest amateur mo- torcycle racers and top event or- ganizers at the American Honda AMA Championship Banquet at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris on Saturday, December 8. The AMA sanctions thousands of motorcycle and ATV races every year on dirt, sand, asphalt, ice and snow. The racers attend- ing the banquet placed in the top three in their respective classes and are among the elite amateur motorcycle racers in the country. Ryan Sipes was recognized as the AMA Athlete of the Year from AMA National Championship Series competition for his ability to race competitively in several disciplines in 2018. He competed on the U.S. ISDE World Trophy team that finished second at the 2018 FIM International Six Days Enduro. He also competed as a member of Team Puerto Rico at the 2018 FIM Motocross of Nations, scored a top-10 finish in an AMA Grand National Cross Country Series event and won the American Flat Track Buffalo Chip TT Singles main event. "It was a busy year," Sipes said. "I have to thank my wife for holding down the fort at home. We have three kids and that's not easy. I had an opportunity to try something crazy and different and went for it and it went pretty good." The Nicky Hayden AMA Hori- zon Awards were presented to up-and-coming amateur racers in motocross, road racing and flat track who demonstrated the tal- ent, dedication and poise to excel in the professional ranks. The 2018 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award was presented to Derek Drake of San Luis Obispo, California, and the Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon award and the Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award were presented to Dallas Daniels of Mattoon, Illinois. The 2018 AMA Athlete of the Year from Grand Championship events was also Daniels. He is the first person to win two Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Awards and also won three class champion- ships at the 2018 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship. Kacy Martinez received the AMA Lifetime Achievement Award for becoming the first female off- road champion in all six off-road disciplines. She won the 2007 AMA Hare Scramble National Championship Series, the 2008 and 2009 AMA West Hare Scram- ble Championships, the 2014 and 2015 AMA Grand National Cross IN THE WIND P20 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF KARDAS Ryan Sipes receives the 2018 AMA Athlete of the Year Award from the AMA Director of Racing Kevin Crowther at the American Honda AMA Championship Banquet in Columbus, Ohio.