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1344 rider field that earned the right to race for a national championship title at Loretta Lynn's. Nearly 19,000 entries attempted to qualify for the race in a two-step qualifying system, and the final field, as it has for 21 years, represents the best of the best in amateur motocross racing. Some riders will soon turn pro, some riders are just beginning their racing career, and some are trying to reclaim lost glory by taking to the various vet classes. In the case of this weeklong event, all of them converged under sunny skies and perfect track conditions of Loretta Lynn's 2002. A total of 32 classes, made up of 42 riders each, would come together for three 20-minute-plus-one-Iap motos to decide this year's LL national champions. Perhaps Emig, who claimed a championship in the competitive 250cc/Open A Pro Sport Class, summed it up best when he said, "I'm obviously on the way down with my career, and most of these guys are on the way up. But for this week, we met somewhere in the middle." Emig showed that even the downside of a career can have its ups when he topped Hansen in the 250cc/Open A Pro Sport class. Hansen actually got the jump on Emig in the first moto when the Yamaha rider took the early lead, while 'Fro was unable to climb back quickly from a seventh-place start. Emig seemed to loosen up a bit in the second moto, but it wasn't enough to MUut ....... _ eIqMICItlICI to be lIP front at Loa he didn't III I PP Gild, _ 1""'" old .............. 8IIoc (1lto131 ................. :1..... keep another Yamaha pilot, Adams, from grabbing the early lead and taking away the win. Unfortunately, Adams' engine blew, which allowed Emig and Hansen to inherit the first and second spots going into the final moto. Emig pulled the holeshot in that race, and even though he tightened up and allowed Alabama privateer Clark Stiles to ride past and take the third-moto victory, he held off Hansen to win the championship. "You would think I have some experience in those situations," joked the Kawasaki/Shift-backed Emig, "but I really tightened up out there." Hansen was back to contend for the 125cc Pro Sport title, but this time he had to deal with Laughridge, who went 3-1- 1 to take the overall, while Hansen settled for second again with a 1-3-3 performance. "Laughridge was riding really good, I guess he had part of his game together that I didn't," said Hansen. "But I'm happy with this week. I was consistent. " Laughridge also won the 250cc A class with a 1-4-1 score, which just bettered Team Green's Gavin Gracyk, who went 3-1-4. With each holding a moto win heading into the final moto, the duo battled side-by-side for several laps in the final. Once Laughridge secured the lead, Gracyk tried his hardest to get him back, and when the white flag came out, he crashed his KX pulling out all the stops. Jesse Casillas followed the battle and came within a few seconds of Laughridge at the finish. The 125cc A class was taken by 16-year-old Amsoil/Factory Connection/Honda rider Ryan Mills. Mills, who turned pro immediately after this race, was plagued by horrible starts early in the week, which allowed Yamaha's Nick Adams to step into the class lead. But Mills stopped by the Pro Circuit truck to borrow one of their fork-hooks (which aid starts by lowering the front end), and Mills turned his starts and his finishes around. In the final moto, Mills grabbed the holeshot, while Adams spent the entire moto chasing the Honda, coming up just a few bikelengths short at the finish. "I've been coming down here for a long time and this is my first title," said the New Yorker who has been plagued by bad luck in the past. "I'm really looking forward to turning pro now, but everyone kept telling me to go out and win Loretta's first. Now I did it and I'm so pumped." Mills also competed in the 125cc Modified (12-15) division, but he, along with the rest of the pack, was overshadowed by a former minicycle champion who had just graduated to the 125s - Georgia's Davi Millsaps. Only riding a 125 since May, most expected the Suzuki rider to have his hands full against a talented 125cc Schoolboy division. But he silenced everyone by getting great starts and pulling commanding leads in each of his first five motos. Millsaps was looking to become the only rider to win six motos during the week, but Mills was able to best him in the final Modified race. cue I • "I'm really happy, it doesn't get any better than this," said the Suzuki/No Fear/Pro Circuit/Dunlop/Renthai-backed Millsaps. "I fell in that last moto, but I knew I had to get back into third and I would be okay." With Millsaps out of the minicycle divisions, the classes were wide open for the Honda-backed brother duo of California's Mike and Jeff Alessi. Mike rounded up both the 85cc Modified (9-13) class and the 85cc Stock (12-13) class, making him a seventime Loretta's champion. Alessi withstood a serious week-long challenge in both classes from Washington's Ryan Villotopo. Crashes and bad starts held Villotopo back early, but he and Alessi put on perhaps the best race of the week during a moto-Iong duel in the second 85cc Mod (9-13) race, with Alessi getting the win by just inches. The Honda/FMF/Race Tech/Fox-backed Alessi collected five moto wins throughout the week, with Villotopo topping him once. Florida's Matt Goerke was the star of the Senior Mini classes. The Suzuki/WMR/Fox/Oakley-backed rider was out front almost every time he raced in the Supermini and the 85cc n _ _:IS • AUGUST 28, 2002 29