REGIONAL UPDATE

2022 Wrap Up And 2023 Race Schedule Preview

The 2022 season is a wrap and, in this article, we will cover the season finale at Wildwood MX Park in Kentwood, Louisiana, as well as dip a toe into the upcoming regional schedule. The regional schedule is just slightly premature, although having the information available now is consumption friendly enough for folks to start making plans. This year, the South-Central region will have three national races along with the national championship in Henryetta,

Oklahoma. Also, this year Kevin Windham and Farm 14 MX are hosting a national motocross race in southwest Mississippi that is close enough to our region to be included for point accrual. AHRMA is looking to regain some footing in the southeast region; coincidentally, our success in Kentwood at Wildwood MX Park has been a great support system for riders along the eastern Gulf Coast to re-engage. We are planning on four separate regional-only events in the SouthCentral region, kicking off on March 18-19 at the Waco Eagles Motorcycle Club facility with both cross country and motocross.

The final race at Wildwood MX Park in early December this season was again a nice success. The weather was incredible and the track was stellar as usual. David and Sivi Shirah, along with our cast of contributors lead by Brian Oakley were stellar as well. Adding cross country into the mix was something David and I have been talking about for over a year and finally decided to pursue. The course we created was 2.5 miles and from the feedback gathered, we will race again in 2023, adding two more miles to the loop. The largest class for cross country was our 60 Plus age group. It was Rusty Bernard with a big win over Doug Williams and Chris Burchfield. Congratulations to all the other class winners and competitors in this inaugural race!

Motocross action both days was incredible, and the track prep from Raymond Easterly was spot on. Raymond tamed the modern track to perfection for vintage racing on Saturday, and adapted it again for the post-vintage racing on Sunday.

On Saturday, Linda Dowell secured her regional championship in the Women’s Vintage Novice class on Saturday with a 1-1 finish. In the same moto, Clint Austin won the Classic Novice age group, and Tracy Gibbens won the 60 Plus Novice class over Jeff Birch. Many of our Florida racers were in the second race of the day as Frankie Lapina went 1-1 to win the 100cc Intermediate class, with Curt Jaimet winning the 100cc Expert.

Sportsman 125 Expert racing was once again stole the show - returning to AHRMA racing were the Thomas brothers along with JC Roberts and Wade Woodall. Chad and Cody Thomas went toe-to-toe each moto, and it was Chad with the win. Also on the gate was the 50 Plus Intermediates and Charlene Campbell was on point with her win over Gary Davis in a tightly contested set of motos. Our 70 Plus class had Joe Koury making the trek from central Texas to face off with Jim Bradford from Pensacola, Florida. Joe and his little Honda captured the win with 1-1 finishes. Over in the Expert gate it was Loyd Morgan beating Don Rainey for the top podium spot.

Sunday’s Post Vintage competition was incredible; with nearly one hundred entries for our regional program, it was a long day of racing. For many of the Next Gen classes, everyone was entertained with incredibly fast local racers. Kimble Jett and Kirby Dodd had the crowd completely enthralled with their speed throughout the day on the more modern program bikes. The Thomas brothers met up again in the Ultima 125 Experts and it was Chad Thomas taking a 1-1 finish over his brother for the gold. In the fourth race it was Zac White going against Mark White in the Ultima 500 Intermediates with Zac winning this class. Kirby Dodd was on the course with the Thomas brothers; he left the two in his wake for the win in the Open Age Expert class.

Our big Novice gate saw William Lawson beat Dario Campo in the Next Gen Open Age class along with Elton Smith edging out Tracy Gibbens and Jeff Birch for the PV 60 Plus Novice class. Joel White was on fire this weekend, dominating some very fast racers in Race 6. Joel lead not only his 40 Plus Expert class but also the 50 Plus Experts and 60 Plus Experts from start to finish both motos. Joel has worked himself into great shape; he is someone to keep your eye on for 2023.

Hoot Parker went 1-1 to win the 50 Plus Experts over Dave Gardner, Scott Slay, and Brian McCann; Stuart McAvoy won the 60 Plus Expert class. The biggest highlight of the day for many was to see Muff Leblanc on the track again. Muff had some memorable moments for sure with his unique starting style but he completed the race and regained speed each lap! Again, congratulations to all the competitors, your presence was much appreciated.

Per normal Wildwood MX Park standards, there was plenty of great cooking for all the racers. Between the beer tent and fire pit, the social scene was great for everyone at the track. Easily one of the best regional events in the nation!

As mentioned for 2023, we will have national events along with regional events to put yourself into position for a championship win at the end of the year. The schedule and regional qualifications are as follows, so please read carefully. Take special note that for cross country, only one discipline will qualify for regional championships as we will run the vintage and post-vintage cross country races mixed together for our regional-only events.

Looking forward to a successful 2023 season and anyone interested in regional sponsorship for the race season feel free to contact me.

See you at the races, Albert

Newmann

ALBERT NEWMANN WESTERN TRUSTEE

Regional Qualifications

• Vintage and Post Vintage motocross - minimum 6 events of which 3 must be a regional-only event.

• Next Gen motocross - minimum 5 events of which 3 must be a regional-only event.

• Cross Country - minimum 5 race events of which 3 must be a regional-only event

• All events will be counted towards points totals for championship. Not a “best of” series.

• Regional-only events will not have bonus points for 2023 as we migrate towards a more national points system.

• You must be an AHRMA member to receive Regional AHRMA Championship Awards and Points. Non-member points will be removed and re-scored for members.

2023 SCHEDULE (as of AHRMA MAG deadline)

• March 18-19 - Regional Motocross and Cross Country Waco Eagles Motorcycle Club, Waco, Texas

• April 1-2 - National Motocross; Farm 14 MX; Centreville, Mississippi

• April 29-30 - Regional Motocross and Cross Country; TBA

• June 10-11 - National Motocross and Cross Country Desoto Motorsport Park, Grand Cane, Louisiana

• September 8-10 - National Motocross and Cross Country Diamond Don’s Riverport, Jefferson, Texas

• Sept 30-Oct 1 - Regional Motocross; TBA “Houston Metroplex”

• November 3-5 - National Motocross and Cross Country Championship Okie Shootout, Henryetta, Oklahoma

• December 2-3 - Regional Motocross and Cross Country Wildwood MX Park, Kentwood, Louisiana