IN
THE
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AMA HONORS 2017 CHAMPIONS
T
he AMA recognized its great-
est champions and hardest-
working organizers from the 2017
season during the AMA Cham-
pionship Banquet at the Hilton
Downtown Columbus in Colum-
bus, Ohio, January 20.
Cody Webb was recognized
as the AMA Athlete of the Year
from National Championship Se-
ries competition. Webb earned
the national number-one plate in
the AMA EnduroCross National
Championship Series and the
Extreme Enduro Pro class at
the AMA Tennessee Knockout
Extreme Enduro Grand Champi-
onship.
Attending the ceremony was
Rose Hayden, the mother of
2006 MotoGP World Champion
Nicky Hayden who tragically
passed away in 2017. The Execu-
tive Committee of the AMA Board
of Directors passed a resolution
last year to name the prestigious
AMA Horizon Awards after Nicky.
AMA Horizon Awards are pre-
sented to up-and-coming ama-
teur racers in motocross, road
racing and dirt track who demon-
strate the talent, dedication and
poise to excel in the professional
ranks.
Nicky Hayden won the first
AMA Horizon Award ever pre-
sented—the 1997 AMA Dirt Track
Horizon Award.
Mrs. Hayden presented the
Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race
Horizon Award to Joseph Blasius
of Northville, Michigan, and the
Nicky Hayden AMA Dirt Track
Horizon Award to Hunter Brooks
of Escalon, California.
The 2017 AMA Athlete of the
Year from Grand Championship
events was Justin Cooper, AMA
Motocross Horizon Award Win-
ner and AMA Amateur National
Motocross Championship.
Tayla Jones, who moved to
North Carolina from Australia
last year, was announced as
the AMA Female Racer of the
Cody Webb was
named AMA
Athlete of the
Year of 2017.
