Award nominees announced for 2018 AMA Championship Banquet

Voting for AMA Racers of the Year is open to AMA members

PICKERINGTON, OH – November 6, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) –  The American Motorcyclist Association has announced the nominees for the 2018 AMA Championship Banquet awards. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that excelled in AMA-sanctioned competition and recreational activity in 2018.

“The AMA Championship Banquet is an annual celebration that honors national champions in AMA competition and recognizes recreational and competition organizers and special accomplishments,” AMA Director of Racing Kevin Crowther said. “This prestigious event spotlights individuals and organizations from a variety of motorcycle and ATV disciplines who represent the country’s best. We welcome the opportunity to publicly recognize them and what they accomplished this year.”

AMA members help choose the winners of selected categories, including the coveted AMA Athlete of the Year awards.

AMA members may vist www.surveymonkey.com/r/9HBSF6F to cast their votes for the 2018 AMA racing awards. Voting ends at midnight Sunday, Nov. 11.

The special award winners will be announced at the 2018 AMA Championship Banquet on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris in Columbus, Ohio. The event is part of the 2018 AMA Legends & Champions Weekend, Dec. 7-9.

Among those recognized at the banquet are top clubs and promoters in competition and recreational riding categories.

Class champions from national and regional motorcycle and ATV championships will be honored with AMA National No. 1 plates at the banquet, while second- and third-place finishers also receive awards.

The AMA Championship Banquet recognizes hundreds of top racers from across the country in disciplines ranging from flat track to motocross to woods racing and everything in between.

Recreational organizers will be recognized in road-riding and off-road categories. The AMA Club of the Year and the AMA Media Award also will be presented.

To reserve your space at the event, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Events/AMA-Championship-Banquet. Tickets are $75 each. AMA Life Members receive a $10 discount and children 4 years old and younger are free.

The banquet includes dinner and door prizes.

Visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/events/ama-championship-banquet to learn more.

2018 AMA Racing Award Nominees

AMA Athlete of the Year: National Championship Series

Steward Baylor Jr. — Champion, AMA Enduro National Championship Series
Colton Haaker — Champion, AMA Endurocross National Championship Series
Jacob Hayes — Champion, AMA Arenacross National Championship Series
Billy Janniro — Champion, AMA Speedway National Championship Series
Kendall Norman — Champion, AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
Kailub Russell — Champion, AMA Grand National Cross Country Championship
Ryan Sipes — ISDE, Motocross of Nations
Patrick Smage — Champion, AMA/NATC MotoTrials National Championship Series

AMA Athlete of the Year: Grand Championships

Dallas Daniels — Nicky Hayden AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award Winner; Nicky Hayden AMA Road Race Horizon Award Winner
Derek Drake — Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award Winner
Koa Estrella — Kenda AMA Tennessee Knockout Extreme Enduro Grand Championship
Brock Riffe — AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship
Quinn Wentzel — AMA Vintage Grand Championship

AMA ATV Athlete of the Year

Walker Fowler — AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Jeremy Gray — AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series
Traci Pickens — AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Logan Stanfield — AMA ATV Motocross National Championship Series

AMA Veteran/Senior Racer of the Year

Destry Abbott — ISDE, AMA National Endurocross Championship
Bryan Bigelow – AMA Ice Race Grand Championship
Mike Brown — AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship
Thomas Hannum — AMA Vintage Flat Track National Championship Series
Kendall Norman — AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series

AMA Youth Racer of the Year

Caden Braswell — FIM Junior Motocross World Championship (85cc)
Tom Drane — AMA Flat Track Grand Championship
Max Fernandez — AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Sebastian Palmese – AMA Youth Speedway National Championship
Nate Thrasher — AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

AMA Female Racer of the Year

Jamie Astudillo — WMX, AMA MotoAmerica Junior Cup
Jordan Jarvis — AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, WMX, AMA Amateur National Arenacross Championship
Tayla Jones — AMA National Enduro Championship Series, AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Traci Pickens — AMA Grand National Cross Country Series
Kayla Yaakov — AMA Road Race Grand Championship Series

2018 AMA Organizer Award Nominees

AMA Motocross Organizer of the Year

Lincoln Trails Motosports, Casey, Ill.
RedBud Recreation, Buchanan, Mich.
Unlimited Sports, Winter Garden, Fla.

AMA Off-Road Organizer of the Year

Mid East Hare Scramble, Shelby, N.C.
Racer Productions Inc., Morgantown, W.Va.
Southwestern Idaho Desert Racing Association, Caldwell, Idaho

AMA Track Racing Organizer of the Year

Deliciate Promotions LLC, Belleville, Ill.
Flat Out Friday, Milwaukee, Wis.
WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Inc., Canton, Ga.

AMA ATV Organizer of the Year

Mid East Hare Scramble, Shelby, N.C.
Racer Productions Inc., Morgantown, W.Va.
Western New York Off-Road Association, Lansing, N.Y.

AMA Recreational Road Riding Organizer of the Year

Azratpack, Buckeye, Ariz.
Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club Inc., Lebanon, Pa.
Sand Dollar Motorcycle Club Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

AMA Recreational Off-Road Organizer of the Year

Horizons Unlimited, Blane, Wash.
Stoney Lonesome M/C, Columbus, Ind.
Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders, Neenah, Wis.

AMA Club of the Year

Lansing Motorcycle Club, Lansing, Mich.
Pasadena Motorcycle Club, Pasadena, Calif.
Trials Inc., Louisville, Ky.

AMA Media Award

Braap Magazine, Willow Street, Pa.
Mark Kariya, Pauma Valley, Calif.
Dave Swarts (Roadracing World and Technology), Lake Elsinore, Calif.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

Not a member? Join the AMA today.

Source: American Motorcyclist Association

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