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year alongside his Suzuki in the 125cc Stock (12-15) class. Rival teammate, Ben Lamay, placed second in the first moto, but lost valuable ground with his 30th- place finish in moto two, forcing him to give up a podium position with 2-30-1 scores, while Wharton went to the top of the podium carrying 1-4-4 finishes. Taylor Futrell, also aboard Suzuki, put together an unexpected overall second place by adding up his 5-2-8 scores. Suzuki once again topped the charts in the 85cc Modified (12-13) class, with Eli Tomac's 2-1-2 victory, following an intense three-way battle with teammate Jason Anderson, who took second place, 1-2-3, and Kawasaki's Blake Bagget, who posted 3-3-1 final scores. Double-title Champion Jessy Nelson captured the win aboard a Suzuki in the 85cc Stock (7-11) class with a 1-1-2 win, while another Suzuki pilot, Justin Summers, accepted a close second by Loretta Lynn's Ranch Hurricane Mills, TN August 1-5, 2006 AUGUST 23, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 32 25th Annual Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National MX Championship Presented by Amsoil 25 Years in the Making BY JASON WEIGANDT If a motocrosser and a motocrosser's family comes to Loretta Lynn's to race, they've prob- ably noticed that the ranch is just about perfect for holding an event such as this. Not only is there enough room for 1386 racer families and their ever-expanding army of motorhomes, there's plenty to do off the track, too, at the pool, a game room, and the famous Hurricane Creek. And while the track doesn't look difficult, it is actually one of the toughest the riders will ever face due to the big bumps and searing heat and humidity. Loretta Lynn's is the ultimate proving ground for a racer, and also the ultimate motocross vacation for a family. But even though it's such a good setting, the race started as a bit of an accident. The event was founded through the vision of two men, Paul Schlegal and Dave Coombs. Both successful racing promoters, Schlegal had been to the ranch before for a motorcycle rally and mentioned it to Coombs. Coombs stopped there on the way back from the Ponca City NMA National in 1981, and decided to go for a jog around the ranch in the morning. As Coombs scoped out the ranch, he realized he might have found the per- fect place to hold a permanent AMA Amateur National (up until then, the AMA Amateur National was held at a different track every year). Coombs pitched the idea to the ranch managers, including Loretta herself and her husband Mooney. They were skeptical, but agreed. Coombs and Schlegal formed a partnership called MX Sports, and Coombs would handle the track and facility at the ranch, while Schelgal would set up the series of area and regional qualifiers that seeded riders into the race. Then Coombs got in touch with Kawasaki's Dave Jordan, who was just beginning the Team Green amateur-support program. Jordan and Kawasaki were already behind the idea of holding the event at a permanent facility that would only race once a year, so they sup- ported it whole heartedly. The trio - with Coombs working out a track design, Schlegal working on the business end, and Jordan making sure the top Team Green riders attended - were about to build a masterpiece, even though they didn't really know it at the time. The goal for Loretta Lynn's wasn't to build the world's biggest motocross race (which they did), but just to create a fair, safe race for everyone. To keep it fair, the rules haven't changed. Everyone must qualify for the race through area- and regional-qualifier events. The track only gets used once a year for the National so no one gets an advantage. Start- ing-gate positions are chosen at random by pulling numbered spoons from a bucket. MX Sports enforces the fairness rules all the way down to outlawing cheering on the infield of the track, so factory-supported riders don't get additional infield motivation from VIP spon- sors. Eventually, Schlegal retired and passed his interest in the MX Sports venture to his part- ner, Dave McCarthy. McCarthy retired a few years later, leaving the MX Sports operation in the hands of Coombs and his family and staff at Racer Productions. Coombs passed on August 3, 1998, which was the first day of racing at Loretta Lynn's that year. Mathew Lemoine won every moto in the Four-Stroke 201- 650cc class. Michael Hall went 2-1-2 for the 125 Modified (12-15)-class win. Former World MX Champion Trampas Parker won a moto in the Over-30 class. Matt Boni won the 250/Open A/Pro Sport class and took second in the 250/Open class.