Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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IN THE WIND P38 Davis Named 2019 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award Winner B lake Davis was named the 2019 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award win- ner and was one of four riders to receive AMA Racing Awards at the 2019 AMA Road Race Grand Championship, October 27, at Barber Motorsports Park in Bir- mingham, Alabama. Other riders to win AMA Racing Awards included AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year Eli Banish; AMA Vet/Senior Road Racer of the Year Charles Ivey; and AMA Novice Road Racer of the Year Will Ray. Davis, 13, from Lynchburg, Virginia, is no stranger to winning AMA Racing Awards, having won the AMA Youth Road Racer of the Year in 2018. "I was definitely surprised," Davis said. "There are a few other people I was expecting to win it." The Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award honors the amateur racer who is poised for success at the professional level. The award is named after AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Nicky Hayden, who won the first AMA Horizon Award in 1997. The 2006 MotoGP champion died in 2017 af- ter being hit by a car while training on a road bicycle. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Davis competed in the AMA Lightweight Twins Superstock Expert class at the AMA Road Race Grand Championship and finished in fifth place while racing a 400cc motorcycle in a 650cc class. His 2019 successes included winning two WERA na- tional championships and seven WERA regional titles. He plans to make his Mo- toAmerica debut in 2020 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, August 6-8. The Barber event also featured 12 riders who claimed 14 AMA National Championships. Ray and Chris Bettis claimed two class championships each. The winners of each competi- tion class and AMA Racing Award are recognized as AMA national champions and are awarded AMA National number-one plates. They will be honored as part of the AMA Legends & Champions Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, December 6-7. CN 2019 AMA Road Race Grand Championship Class Champions AMA 1000 Superbike Expert: Ryan Jones AMA 1000 Superbike Novice: Chris Bettis AMA 300 Superstock Expert: Daniel Kinard AMA 300 Superstock Novice: Nicole Karamichael AMA 1000 Superstock Expert: Vasiliy Zhulin AMA 1000 Superstock Novice: Chris Bettis AMA 600 Superbike Expert: Greg Melka AMA 600 Superbike Novice: Will Ray AMA Lightweight Twins Supestock Expert: Tyler Freeman AMA Lightweight Twins Superstock Novice: Rodney Vest AMA 600 Superstock Expert: Connor Funk AMA 600 Superstock Novice: Will Ray AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Expert: Kayla Yaakov AMA Lightweight Twins Superbike Novice: Aden Thao Thirteen-year-old Blake Davis was named the 2019 Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award winner.