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20th Annual AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships Loretta Lynn's Ranch (Left) James Stewart broke the all-time win record at Loretta Lynn's. (Above) Andrew Short topped the 125cc A Pro Sport class. "The track was great all week long and I was just enjoying myself at my last amateur national. Coming here has always been a blast for me and my family, and I'm glad to go out of here with some new records. All I did was try my best the whole week and throughout my amateur career, and I want to thank all of my sponsors like Team Green and Fox and everyone who stuck with me, and I hope I can do as well in the pros." Stewart was one of just three riders to clinch a pair of class titles at the 2001 version of what's billed as "The World's Greatest Motocross Vacation." Team Green's Ohio prospect Gavin Gracyk and Tennessee ar{lateur legend Kevin Walker also scored two titles apiece. Ominous weather threatened the amateur classic all week long as a hurricane brewed up in the Gulf of Mexico and moved through the southeastern United States. But the rain only fell on a few of the 96 motos that stretched from practically dawn to dusk, beginning early Tuesday morning and running through late Saturday afternoon. The occasional shower made for a dynamic and rough track, as the standard Loretta Lynn's design of a By DAVEY COOMBS PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN HURRICANE I\\ILLS, AGG 6-11 eam Green's James Stewart went to the Tennessee home of country music legend Loretta Lynn for the 20th Annual AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships and proceeded to break some of her most prized records. Stewart, the 15-yearold prospect from Florida, smashed the all-time record for AMA Amateur National Motocross Championshjps held by Ricky Carmichael with his 10th and 11 th career titles. Stewart also broke the aU-time record of 18 consecutive moto wins set by Kevin Windham between 1992 and '94 by winnmg aU six of his motos this time around for a grand total of 23 straight successes. The FoxjOakleyjGatoradejPro Circuitbacked Stewart completely·dominated the 12?cc A and 125cc Schoolboy (12-15) classes at Hurricane Mills, leading every lap of each of his six 20-minutes-plus-one-lap motos. "I just kept trying to keep going faster and faster and keep breaking my own records," said Stewart, who has already inked a deal to join Team Chevy Trucks Kawasaki in 2002. T 38 AUGUST 29. 2001 • cue • • n _ vv • mile-long ribbon of long straights, rolling jumps and switchback corners tested the riders' endurance and discip'line throughout the week. With all three 20-minutes-plus-one-lap motos counting toward the championship, there was little room for error. Stewart proved himself to be the best overall amateur of this year's Loretta Lynn's class. He also made a very strong argument for himself as the best amateur talent of all-time, blitzing the track every lap of every moto. Debuting the special black, white and magenta Fox Racing gear that he will soon be wearing in hjs rookie pro supercross season, Stewart rolled out leads of up to 40 seconds on both classes. Along the way he mastered the Loretta Lynn's course with record lap times that broke the two-minute barrier, though it was impossible to gauge Stewart's lap times to those of Loretta Lynn's alumni like Ricky Carmichael, Kevin Windham, Tim Ferry and Damon Bradshaw, because the track design left out a narrow "SO turn from previous years. (Above) Stewart posted his 18th consecutive moto win, breaking the old record held by Kevin Windham (Bottom) Broc Hepler was perfect In the 85cc Modified 114-15) class. Califomia's Ryan Morais, who has overcome a nasty hip fracture that put him out for the better part of a year, placed second to Stewart in the 125cc A race with a 2-4-2 showing, while Florida's Nick Adams pushed his thumper to third overall with steady 5-7-4 scores. Finishing fourth in the class was Suzuki rider Shane Bess, who briefly led Stewart in one moto. Stewart grabbed up the holeshot the second time out, but he was unable to hold the Kawasaki rider at bay for long. "I got the holeshot all right, but I just didn't know what to do with it," said the 16-year-old Bess. "I needed to cut my corner speed a little bit. Stewart set me up and I went over a rut and that kind of messed up my concentration. " Stewart was followed in the 125cc Modified Schoolboy (12-15) class by Georgia prospect Nick Adams (2-2-4) and New York Honda pilot Ryan Mills (6-3-2). The Stock version of this class was won by Adams, who posted a convincing 2-1-1 score for the championship. Californian Sean Collier was the only rider to front Adams at the finish, taking the first moto win of the week aboard his Honda. Collier ended up second overall, while the poor-starting Mills was, once again, third with a 5-2-2 tally. In the 250jOpen A class, California's Steve Mertens picked up his first major title with the Loretta Lynn's win. Mertens went 1-2-2 on the week aboard his YZ250. "The last moto didn't start out too good after I stalled it," admitted