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IN THE WIND P30 CHAMPS CROWNED AT SUZUKI AMA DIRT TRACK GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP T wenty racers who earned national championships were presented their AMA National number-one plates at the con- clusion of the 2016 Suzuki AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship on July 6 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Du Quoin, Illinois. "The talent at this event is al- ways first-rate," said AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant. "Racers definitely brought their A-game to battle for an AMA National Championship, and 14 competitors took home that rec- ognition in 20 different classes." Jarred Brook of Gympie, Australia earned the 2016 AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award, es- tablished in 1997 to recognize the rider best prepared for the professional ranks, based on performance at the event. "This award means the world to me," Brook said. "It's unreal! I'm stoked! I came here planning to at least be in the top 10. This is my first time in America, and pretty much the first time racing with this sort of setup. My plan was to simply make the mains. In my future, I plan to go pro." Jeremiah Lindberg from Cam- bridge, Minneapolis, captured the 2016 AMA Fast Brain Award, which recognizes a young racer whose motorcycling talents are matched by classroom perfor- mance. The AMA Fast Brain award includes an educational schol- arship that is funded by contri- butions from AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Bill Werner of Bill Werner Racing, Zanotti Racing's Dave Zanotti, AMA Life Member Stan Simpson, Tom Seymour of Saddlemen motorcycle ac- cessories, AMA supporter and friend of the AMA David Coovert and other anonymous donors. "This means a lot to me, because grades have always come first and racing second in my life," Lindberg said. "So, I am glad that I got an award that recognizes that education is important." In addition to racing for AMA National number-one plates, the top racers competed for AMA Youth Dirt Track Racer of the Year and AMA Vet/Senior Dirt Track Racer of the Year honors. This year's AMA Youth Dirt Track Racer of the Year is 10-year-old Tyler Scott of Em- maus, Pennsylvania. "This award means a lot to me," Scott said. "I put in a lot of hard work. I got that from my mom and dad." The AMA Vet/Senior Dirt Track Racer of the Year award went to Dallas Mayer, 54, of Carbondale, Illinois. "It was quite an accomplish- ment for me to win this year," Mayer said. "I was on top of my game. We had a lot of rain, so, I skipped on mowing the grass and a lot of chores, so I could practice for this event. I felt real confident coming in this year, and it worked out for me." The 2016 Suzuki AMA Dirt Track Grand Championship included competition in all four disciplines of dirt track racing: short track, half-mile, mile and TT. Points earned in each dis- cipline determined the national champions in each class. CN 2016 AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: 50cc DTX Sr. (7-8): Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 50cc DTX PW Shaft: Trevor Tidwell (Kaw) 50cc DTX PW (4-8): Bradon Pfanders (KTM) 65cc DTX (7-11): Chase Anderson (Kaw) 65cc Modified (7-11): Tyler Scott (Kaw) 85cc DTX (7-11): Tyler Scott (Kaw) 85cc DTX (12-15): David Kohlstaedt (Hon) 85cc Modified (7-11): Tyler Scott (Kaw) 85cc Modified (12-15): David Kohlstaedt (Hon) 250cc DTX: Dallas Daniels (Yam) 250cc Modified: Dallas Daniels (Yam) 201-250cc: Hunter Brooks (Yam) 251-500cc DTX: Jarred Brook (KTM) 450cc Modified: Jarred Brook (KTM) 450cc Open Singles: Jarred Brook (KTM) 450cc Open Modified (Single and Twin): Jeremy Orr (Hon) Veteran 30-plus: Thomas Englehart (Hon) Senior 40-plus: Dallas Mayer (Hon) Super Senior 50-plus: Dallas Mayer (Hon) Women (12+) 250cc-Open Single: Sara Saathoff (Yam)