2011 Loretta Lynn's Classes and Rules posted

RocketRobin

RocketRobin

PR Founding Father
The people from MX Sports have changed the class line up this year slightly........ in what seems to be good changes for the Amatuer side of the sport:

1. They dropped 1 of the Pro Sport classes and now there is only 1 Pro Sport class (Open) that riders can ride 250cc or 450cc bikes in. Less for the guys that already have their pro license..... which makes sense at the Amatuer National Championship.

2. A new younger girls class (9-11 Years old) to give younger girls a place to race at Loretta's away from the boys. Which seems like a good idea with the increasing # of women racers.

3. And 2 new entry level Youth Beginner Classes run together in a split program (9 -14) or (12 - 15) on 85cc 2 strokes. I assume this is like adding a 85 C class where you have to not have raced prior to this year and give some slower 85cc pilots (not the current amatuer home schooled pros) a chance to go to Loretta Lynn's.

All the age classes stayed the same as last year along with the other youth classes. Here's the press release:





Supplemental Rules and Classes Announced for the
2011 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch

Morgantown, WV (January 26, 2011) -- MX Sports formally announces the 2011 Class Structure and Supplemental Rules for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship to be held at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., August 1-6.

The class structure has undergone minor changes in both the youth and amateur categories. Highlighting the class changes is the reduction to one Pro Sport class and the creation of a new entry level Youth Beginner (9-14) and (12-15) split class.

"We are very excited about providing the opportunity for new faces to get involved in the Loretta Lynn's Program," said Tim Cotter, Director of MX Sports. "Entry level classes like this one provide a great platform for riders to excel in the program."

The addition of the Girls (9-11) class will run alongside the existing assembly of Girls (12-15) and Women (14+) classes, which remain unchanged. The Girls (9-11) class will allow younger girls on smaller motorcycles to compete in the program.

"The addition of the Girls (9-11) class satisfies a growing sector of the motocross community, giving them their own class, while also providing another entry level class," continued Cotter.

The Supplemental Rules for 2011 also make the top 20 overall riders in the 250 A, 450 A and Open Pro Sport classes at the National automatically eligible to obtain an AMA Pro Motocross License in the current and following year without further qualification. Due to the importance of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, a finish in the top 20 of the A and Pro Sport classes is deserving of advancement to the pro ranks.

Regarding the newly added Youth Beginner classes, it is important to note that these classes will not be awarded National Championship status at the National. These classes are offered as an opportunity to experience the Loretta Lynn atmosphere as a beginner and to provide a platform to become a contender for a National title.

Click HERE to view the 2011 Supplemental Rules.

Click HERE to view the 2011 National Classes.

Once again, the National Final will be held August 1-6 at the home of country music legend Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. In 2011, 35 champions will be crowned at what marks the 30th Anniversary of the greatest motocross vacation in the world - the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

About the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

The AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world's largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program consists of 52 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 12 Regional Championship (June) events hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week of August) hosted annually at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., since 1982. Nearly 25,000 racers attempt to qualify in 33 classes for the 1,400 available positions at the National. Christened "The World's Greatest Motocross Vacation", the National event serves as a launch pad for some of the biggest names in professional motocross and supercross, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey. The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.
 
So are you just giving the info or looking to go as a rider this year?

If I had it my way it would look like this:

Steel City April 16 & 17 Qualifier to Mt. Morris Regional June 18 & 19

and/or

Fast Traxx April 16 & 17 and/or Crow Canyon April 30, May 1 Qualifier to Red Bud Regional June 11 & 12

Crow and Bud should be doable. Very doubtful I'd get past regionals and/or make the trip to TN, but it's fun thinking about it. I am making the effort to at least be in better shape (other than round) by spring and it's going pretty well so far. Let's just say one leg in......maybe one leg out getting ready to shake it all about... ;) LOL
 
So I wonder if this means that the factory 60 riders can move up to the new 85 C class? Is this going to turn into a Supermini to C class similar trade off?

Everybody knows how I feel about that subject, you race Supermini, then welcome to B class when you switch to big bikes.

So if you go to Loretta's on a 60...welcome to the regular 85 classes! I do remember someone putting up a post--hershey I believe about the 1980's.

Something about, baseball had tryouts and people got cut...There wasn't any deviations in the 60 class or a beginner 85 class when I qualified. And trust me I went home dissappointed a few years for sure.

Adding a younger womens class on the national level: ITS ABOUT TIME. The week will be only be longer at Lorettas, they Dropped 1 class, and added 3. However, the younger Women class is needed in my opinion.


Top 20 in A classes gets you eligibility for pro license is pretty cool. About time for that one as well!
 
Georgie: MXsports has done a decent job of eliminating cherrypicking the C classes since 2002. The problem with the big bike c class is getting accurate info from non ama areas such as TX, FL, CA, or outside of the United States. The s-mini to c class was eliminated around 2004-2005, when c class supplemental rules were changed to read that if you have ever competed at the national, you were not eligible for the c class.
Current c class supplemental rules:
7. Riders may not participate in a "C" class if they have ever:
a. Participated at the National in any previous year in any class;
b. Received any type of OEM factory support in any class;
c. Earned a Rider Performance Value (RPV) of 15.0 or higher the previous advancement year (11.1.2009-10.31.2010) in any class, including youth divisions; or
d. Competed in any C or youth division at the age of 12 years or older prior to January 1, 2009 and had an RPV or calculated RPV of 11.0 or higher the previous advancement year (11.1.2009-10.31.2010) in 6 or more events.
e. For more information regarding C class eligibility and to check RPV status, see www.amaracing.com.



192499315.jpg

2002 The C class champion you will not find in the record books

As for the new mini beginner class and your question; no a 65cc racer will not be able to drop into the beginner class.
From the supplemental rules:
8. Riders may not participate in the Youth Beginner (9-14) or (12-15) classes if they have ever:
a. Participated at the National in any previous year in any class;
b. Received any type of OEM factory support in any class; or
c. Competed in any discipline (motorcycle or ATV) prior to 2010.
d. U.S. Citizenship is required for participation in this class.
e. This class will not be awarded national championship status at the National.

There isn't really much you can do about B class and schoolboy other than accept that sometimes they may be the fastest class at Loretta's.
 
Not sure which qualifiers you go to, but the C class is not a C class. I went to Tomahawk a few years back and there was a triple that a good bit of the A class was doing and the front half of the B class. Here comes the C class and the kid winning jumps this triple. HMMM don't think he is in the right class. Most people do not follow the rule where if you run supermini you jump to B. They run C to hopefully make it to Lorettas but why. How many people on here can name one LL champ in the C class without looking it up.

The little girls class is awesome. I am excited for that class addition, hopefully it will continue to draw young ladies.
 
Lots24: The problem is (possibly) that I attend the major amateur races and have not attended very many local races the past few years. There will always be a few in the C or B class racers at a qualifier that would very easily compete (or win) at a higher class at the local level. What I was trying to convey was that at the national level (Loretta Lynn's), mxsports has put some rules in place to reduce the cherry picking of the C class. Is it perfect or will it eliminate kids in the c class that should compete in the b class? No, but I don't feel it is as bad as it was 6-10 years ago.
bruce
ps In addition to McGrath, Jonathan Camp and Jimmy Albertson were C class champs at Loretta's. Michael Lapaglia and Oscar Diaz won c class titles but were overturned on protest.
 
The rider in the picture is Michael LaPaglia from California. I consider him responsible for the start of reforms being made in the C classes. He dominated the 125cc stk and mod c classes that year. The record book will show that Jonathan Camp and Jimmy Albertson were eventually declared the champions. In 2002 the rule book read that you could not receive "factory support" in the c class. Michael was a suzuki support rider on his mini bikes, but Cole Gress (far right in photo) claimed that Michael was not part of the support team on a 125. He was supported by a local shop. Also, at the regional race, Michael Sr. (2nd from left) asked if Mike was c class eligible. The response was that he was and he was permitted to race the c class at the regional. If he were deemed inelibible for the c class, he would have qualified for Loretta's in the schollboy class, where he would have been a title contendor also. Of course, when he got to Loretta's a protest was filed and what was said at the regional did not matter.
bruce

ps sorry for the long winded response to a simple question, but this is one of my sore spots with some decisions by mxsports. You really don't want me started on Dungey's DQ from his first title at Loretta's.
 
Thanks to Bruce for being so on top of the rules..... I was just posting the info on Pitracer and gave my little opinion on the changes for this year. I think they are going a little more "Amatuer" with these changes and that's a good thing for the National AMATUER Championships in my mind. The problem with Loretta Lynn's is that people that you see there at the front of the classes are not really AMATUER at all, they are hired riders for company's that are paying them to showcase their equipment. And the Vet classes are even worse with many former riders who have only made their living racing motorcycles still racing in the "Amatuer" racing circuit.

So I like an 85cc Beginner class with no factory support..... that is what should be there racing in the AMATUER Championships.
 
Finally something written by Rocket Robin that I enjoyed reading(Didn't bore me), and that I agree with. You are back in my life, for now. See you later BFF. Yours truely, Dan
 
Well the problem I have is factory support. When I was riding 50s, nobody was factory supported, when I was on 60s James Stewart was the only factory supported rider, by the time I got into Supermini it seemed like every make had a factory team which hogged up the top 10 at every event.

It's a prestigious race, they should cut C class altogether, and cut all this FACTORY support garbage...There shouldn't be NOVICE classes at prestigious amatuer national. Practice harder, want to win and that's what it will take to get to a prestigious event. I know cutting factory support isn't ever going to happen. But factory support can be beaten. Who was the kid on a Yamaha 85 this year who whipped on all those factory riders and won a championship? So beating factory at the amatuer level is possible with great talent.

Mxsports realizes they can bring in about 40 grand or more per those added classes throughout the qualifier, regionals and national.
 
I think a lot of rules need to be changed. Not sure about the "C" class idea or not. I went to Lorettas in C class. Since I qualified for Lorettas I had to go to B class. Even though I broke my wrist two weeks prior and tried racing with a broken wrist. No chance to go back in "C" class again. I am ok with that. How about a "B" rider winning at Loretta's. Should they be forced to go to "A" class the following year?
 
I am not for sure but I thought that was the case. I remember a few years back Tyler Bowers won B and they moved him to A. He couldn't ride A cause he was only 15, so he ran schoolboy and 4 stroke.
 
I think Bruce is quite possibly the most knowledgable person I have ever met when it comes to National level amateur motocross. You need your own column in a magazine! Or maybe we should have the "Ask MXBum" section on here!
 
Georgie, you might be thinking of Dakota Alix. He won supermini this year. Everyone sitting along the fence was asking who that #37 is, and that was really cool to see an unknown racer beat out factory riders. And look at the past few years. Who set the fastest lap-times of the week? I think this year it was Anderson, A rider, but previous years they were all B riders.
 
There are many rules out there that only come into play once in a while.......... Tyler Bowers won a B class (or finished top 5 in a B Class as I can't remember which) and wasn't allowed to ride the same class the following year. The rule states that the top 5 finishers in any B class can't ride THAT same B class the following year. (It does not say that the rider is automatically moved to the "A" class, that is just an assumption in people's minds). The move to "A" class is voluntary on the rider's part or mandatory if you ride enough AMA events to be moved up by your RPV Value. With the decline in AMA promoted events throughout the country, it's easy for riders to stay under the radar from AMA points and still keep their "B" status by not racing AMA events. (Think riding CRA and PA/OH MX events now instead of AMA stuff) But since Ty Bowers was 15 for the year following his TOP 5 B class finish according to YOUTH Rules (Age as of January 1 of the year in question), he was still considered a "Youth" rider and and not a "Amatuer" rider yet which allowed him to follow "Youth" rules and ride the Schoolboy class which at the time was unclassified for skill level and Fourstroke Class on the amatuer side of the event which were essentially "unclassified" for skill level classes. He is to thank for the current Schoolboy classes being called "B/C" at the end of them in order to eliminate another Tyler Bowers situation where a kid runs top five in B class one year and comes back the next year in schoolboy. Under the current class structure, Tyler Bowers would have had no where to go except the A class at Loretta Lynns after finishing in the TOP 5 of a B class at Loretta Lynns.

Classes Open to 15 year olds now:

SuperMini 1 (12 - 15) 79cc - 112cc 2 stroke or up to 150cc 4 stroke
SuperMini 2 (13 - 16) 79cc - 112cc 2 stroke or up to 150cc 4 stroke
Schoolboy 1 (12 -16) B/C 86cc - 125cc 2 Stroke or up to 150cc 4 Stroke
Schoolboy 2 (13 -16) B/C 86cc - 150cc 2 stroke or 126cc to 250cc 4 stroke
250cc A
450cc A
Open Pro Sport

So in theory, Tyler Bowers could have gone back and ridden Supermini class after finishing TOP 5 in 250B or 450B class today....... as the schoolboy class is now "B/C" and the Fourstroke class no longer exists, but who would go back to a Supermini after being a top 5 B rider in the big bike classes??? Or he would have had to move up to the A class in order to ride Loretta Lynns. The problem with Tyler was his size, he was huge at age 15 and the chance of racing Supermini at his size isn't realistic, but another rider of his caliber that is smaller might make the same problem for MX Sports in the future by going back to Supermini after doing well in a "B" class. Tyler's father didn't want him to be in the "A" class at age 15 due to his age and wanted to get him more experience before moving up at age 16. This only partially makes sense as he entered him into the FourStroke class, which was essentially an "A" class (although not called one) with the same riders he would have raced in the A classes instead of Schoolboy that year. They were really looking for good results at Loretta Lynn's and the prospect of getting more support or a factory contract based on his results.

Anyway........ finding the hole in the rules is what Ty Bowers dad did, and that hole has been plugged after that happened for the schoolboy class by adding the "B/C" issue to the class.
 
Here is something interesting, from the Loretta Lynn's supplemental rules:
5. Riders who placed in the top 5 overall in a "B" or "B/C" class at the previous National and who are 16 years of age or older as of January 1, 2011, are not eligible to compete in a "B" division.

I am trying to find a copy of 2010 supplemental rules because I believe last year this rule excluded vet classes, By the wording of the rule for 2011, it would appear that if you were top 5 in Vet B/C you can not race that class this year. Keep in mind this is a LL supplemental rule, which does not apply to local races, it only applies to one race the 2011 Loretta Lynn National.

bruce
 
John250 how was your experience getting to lorettas in the C class? I'm trying to qualify in C and heard there are a lot of sandbaggers. I'm not a novice rider but not the best intermediate rider so I've been debating what to race this weekend, c or b
 
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