AMA Amateur Rider of the Year

Another Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green racer also enjoyed a breakout week at the Ranch, as Texas native Caden Dudney joined his teammate as a dual-class champion. In his first appearance at Loretta Lynn’s aboard a 250cc motorcycle, Dudney looked like a veteran with incredible poise and unmatched speed. He started his week with a quiet third-place finish in 250 B but went on to win his remaining five motos across 250 B and Schoolboy 2 to capture each AMA National Championship. By virtue of his overall effort across both classes, Dudney was named AMA Amateur Rider of the Year.

Since joining Team Green in 2022, Dudney has yet to miss out on a championship at the Ranch. While he was forced to sit on the sidelines last year due to injury, he’s now four-for-four in his last two appearances.

AMA Youth Rider of the Year

Another two-class champion was the recipient of AMA Youth Rider of the Year as NSA Factory Yamaha Team’s Owen Covell enjoyed his own breakthrough week by earning the first AMA National Championships of his young career. The Massachusetts native took advantage of an unparalleled level of consistency to capture his maiden title in 125 Jr. and then capped off an incredible week with a dominant performance in Schoolboy 1, where he was one of just seven racers to compile a 1-1-1 sweep of the motos in a single class.

AMA Vet Rider of the Year

The highly anticipated return of beloved former pro Andrew Short to Loretta Lynn’s proved to be well worth the wait. Just a year and a half removed from a broken back that threatened to end Short’s ability to ride a motorcycle again, the longtime Texas resident competed at the Ranch for the first time since he graduated from the amateur ranks, 23 years ago. Riding a KTM, Short immediately joined the list of contenders in the Senior (40+) class. However, he would need to outlast Mike Brown, the most dominant and successful vet racer in Loretta Lynn’s history. In his first moto back, Short took a surprise win and found himself in the thick of the title fight through two motos. The third and final gate drop set up a winner-take-all scenario against Brown, which culminated in what could very well be the closest and most spectacular finish in 43 years of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship. An incredible last-lap surge positioned Short to make a Hail Mary-style push for victory on the home stretch, where one final twist of the throttle launched his KTM to the finish line alongside Brown. It was a photo finish, from which Short prevailed with the win and AMA National Championship by a margin of .016 in a finish that will be talked about for years to come. By virtue of his incredible triumph against the Ranch’s most formidable foe, Short was recognized at AMA Vet Rider of the Year.

AMA State Championship

Within the battles for individual class wins at the Ranch is an inter-state competition to determine which of the 50 states achieves the most success each and every summer. Since the inception of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship in 1982, the AMA State Championship has been dominated by California, as “The Golden State” has amassed more than double the number of championships of any of the other 49 states. That reign of dominance continued in 2024, as California captured seven class championships over the course of the week to once again claim the trophy and remain the standard bearer for producing motocross athletes.

Air Force Special Warfare AEGIS Award

As an integral supporting partner of the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, Air Force Special Warfare has provided the AEGIS Award as a way to recognize the athlete that embodies the the eight attributes that make up members of the Special Warfare unit – Drive, Stress Tolerance, Problem Solving, Team Work, Communication, Trainability, Integrity, and Physical Fitness.

Cobra rider Ezra Ambruster was this year’s recipient, as the California native stood out in his ability to showcase each attribute during his Loretta Lynn’s journey. Armbruster contested the Micro 2 division and opened the week with back-to-back moto wins. Unfortunately, the third and final moto started with adversity as his motorcycle would not start. While the field took off, Armbruster remained on the starting gate. Soon the bike came to life and Armbruster was able to enter the race but did so well behind the field in 40th place. From there, the young racer put his head down, dug deep, and tried to make up as much ground as possible. He quickly caught the field and proceeded to pass 22 riders over the course of the first two laps. He then found himself on the cusp of the top 10 one lap later and moved up to seventh on the ensuing lap. Ambruster made one final pass into sixth on the final lap to cap off an improvement of an incredible 34 positions from start to finish. Despite his incredible perseverance, Armbruster came up a single point shy of capturing the class championship, but his runner-up effort was a testament to his never-give-up mentality. He left it all on the track and showed everyone at the Ranch the incredible character he has at such a young age. His confidence in the face of adversity made him an easy choice for the Air Force Special Warfare AEGIS Award.

Ezra Armbruster was the deserving recipient of the AEGIS Award for his determination to overcome a heartbreaking conclusion to his title hopes in Micro 2.

Oakley Award

The Oakley Award was the newest addition to the lineup of specialty awards and was given to the rider who posted the single-fastest lap over the course of the week at Loretta Lynn’s. Across all the national classes at the event, it was Caden Dudney who laid down the quickest lap of the week, which came in Moto 2 of the Schoolboy 2 class on Thursday. The Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green rider posted an incredible time of 1:48.640 and proceeded to go into the sub 1:50 range five times over the course of the moto.

2024 Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Champions

Vet (30+):                                Brandon Haas, Chesterfield, S.C., Yamaha
450 B:                                     Diesel Thomas, Raymond, Neb., Yamaha
125 C:                                     Carson Asay, Vancouver, Wash., KTM
85cc (10-12):                           Braxtyn Mes, Temecula, Calif., Husqvarna
65cc (7-9) Limited:                 Kannon Zabojnik, Rowlett, Texas, Cobra
Senior (40+):                           Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM
Mini Sr. 2 (13-15):                   Dane Pappas, Livermore, Calif., GASGAS
450 C:                                     Jamieson MacDonald, Grafton, Ont., Canada, KTM
250 B Limited:                        Grayson Townsend, St. George, Utah, Kawasaki
65cc (10-11) Limited:             Carter Gray, St. Clairsville, Ohio, Cobra
250 Pro Sport:                        Drew Adams, Chattanooga, Tenn., Kawasaki
Mini Sr. 1 (12-14):                   Ries Seeba, Wrightwood, Calif., KTM
Masters (50+):                        Mike Brown, Bristol, Tenn., KTM
250 B:                                     Caden Dudney, Athens, Texas, Kawasaki
125 Jr. (12-17) B/C:                Owen Covell, Plymouth, Mass., Yamaha
Micro 2 (4-6) Limited:             Trey Geary, Imperial, Neb., Cobra
Micro 3 (7-8) Limited:             Tate Brush, Atwood, Tenn., Cobra
Micro 1 (4-6) Shaft Dr. Ltd.:   Wyatt Tedesco, Checotah, Okla., Yamaha
Micro-E (4-7) Limited:            Mickey Fluhart, Brandywine, Md., Cobra
Junior (25+):                           Jacob Hayes, San Antonio, Fla., Honda
250 C:                                     Ryan Jaramillo, Los Lunas, N.M., Yamaha
Girls (11-16):                           Lachlan Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., GASGAS
College (18-24):                      Noah Stevens, Danbury, N.C., KTM
Supermini 1 (12-15):               Grant McDonald, Cairo, Ga., KTM
65cc (7-9):                               Kannon Zabojnik, Rowlett, Texas, Cobra
250 C Jr. (12-17) Limited:       Drew Roberts, Kemp, Texas, Yamaha
450 B Limited:                        Diesel Thomas, Raymond, Neb., Husqvarna
85cc (10-12) Limited:             Nolan Ford, Fairfield, Calif., KTM
Schoolboy 1 (12-17) B/C:       Owen Covell, Plymouth, Mass., Yamaha*
Open Pro Sport:                     Drew Adams, Chattanooga, Tenn., Kawasaki
Senior (45+):                           John Boruff, Maynardville, Tenn., Kawasaki
250 C Limited:                        Austin Ellis, Grass Valley, Calif., Honda
Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C:       Caden Dudney, Athens, Texas, Kawasaki
WMX:                                      Kyleigh Stallings, Yukon, Okla., Kawasaki
65cc (10-11):                           Jaydin Smart, Berry Creek, Calif., Cobra
Supermini 2 (13-16):               Aidan Zingg, Hemet, Calif., KTM