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Day two of the 2021 AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship from Loretta Lynn’s delivered plenty of action as the gate dropped on 23 motos throughout the day.

By the conclusion of another full slate of racing that essentially lasted from sunup to sundown, all 36 classes had at least completed one moto to officially begin the journey to crown an AMA National Champion in each.

The rising stars of 250 Pro Sport were back at it again on Wednesday with the second of three motos. After a rare post-race penalization for Levi Kitchen (Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha) saw Bar X Chaparral ECSTAR Suzuki Racing’s Preston Kilroy get awarded the victory, Kitchen entered moto two looking to minimize the damage.

Austin Black stormed out of the gate for the STACYC holeshot, but Phoenix Racing Honda’s Hunter Yoder emerged as the leader for the opening lap. Yoder came under fire immediately from  Jett Reynolds (Team Green Kawasaki) with Kitchen just behind.

Reynolds crashed, remounting outside the top 10, leaving Kitchen to chase Yoder for the lead. Kitchen eventually made the pass and sailed to the win ahead of Chance Hymas (Team Green Kawasaki) and EBR Performance Yamaha’s KAeden Amerine.

Reynolds recovered to finish fourth ahead of Kilroy, setting up a battle for the overall between Kilroy and Kitchen in the final moto later this week.

The excitement was palpable as the same riders that put on a show in 250 Pro Sport made their return to the track for the opening moto of Open Pro Sport later in the afternoon.

Based on his performances in the other class, Kitchen was the favorite as the field lined up for the first time, but his rivals were eager to make their own statement.

As the field stormed through the first turn to start Moto 1 it was NSA Yamaha’s Luca Marsalisi who came away with the STACYC Holeshot, followed by Crow Hill Moto KTM’s Robbie Marshall.

Yoder and Kilroy were the best of the high-profile group of riders, with Hymas seventh and Amerine in eighth. Both Kitchen and Reynolds endured through poor starts and were buried deep in the top 20.

Kilroy went to work, charging to the front and eventually sailing to the win ahead of Hymas and Kitchen, who recovered well to keep his championship hopes alive.

Reynolds on the other hand found difficulty overcoming his rough start, finishing down in 14th, mistakes likely costing him a shot at the title.

The first appearance of the Schoolboy 1 class signified the second time on track for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Evan Ferry. While the second-generation racer enjoyed a strong start Tuesday, it was bittersweet given a late-race miscue resulted in a missed win.

Wednesday’s moto provided an opportunity to rebound and he definitely did. He started the moto in third, working his way around Grindstone Compound KTM’s Kayden Smith who led the opening laps of the moto from GPF KTM’s Jordan Renfro. Ferry brought home the win ahead of Logan Best (Yamaha) and Logan Best (KTM).

After a dominant performance Tuesday in Supermini 1, all eyes were on KTM Orange Brigade’s Haiden Deegan in his quest for a pair of AMA National Championships.

The second-generation racer entered as a heavy favorite, but had his work cut out for him in the early stages of the opening Supermini 2 moto. Off the start, Deegan’s closest rival Casey Cochran grabbed the holeshot aboard his Monster Energy Vision Wheel GasGas.

Cochran hit the ground on the opening lap, allowing JMC Motorsports GasGas rider Reven Gordon to take the lead from Dilon Belcha (Race Tech KTM) and Krystian Janik (Team Green Kawasaki), with Deegan buried in 16th place at the end of lap one.

Toward the end of the race, KTM Orange Brigade’s Enzo Temmerman made his way into the lead, as Deegan defied the odds and worked his way into the top three.

With less than two minutes to go Deegan made the pass on Janik for second, but shortly thereafter he failed to complete a tabletop jump that Janik had already committed to.

Janik landed on Deegan in a frightening incident that saw Janik continue on while Deegan quickly moved out of harm’s way and fortunately did not appear to be injured. Unfortunately for Deegan, his race, and likely his hopes of a Supermini 1 title, ended there.

Zemmerman went on to take the moto win over Janik, but both riders were penalized following the conclusion of the race and docked two positions apiece.

That moved KTM rider Adler Caudle to the top of the results, with Rides Unlimited KTM’s Noah Viney in second. Zemmerman was dropped to third and Janik to fourth, with Blecha in fifth.

Unfortunately, Cochran’s crash at the beginning of the moto was the end of his week, as he sustained multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung, ending up in the hospital following the incident.

Arguably the most accomplished class at Loretta Lynn’s is Senior (45+), which boasts former AMA Pro Motocross champions Jeff Emig (Husqvarna) and Mike Brown (Rockstar Energy Munn Racing Husqvarna), in addition to multi-time National winner Ryan Hughes (Rynopower Honda).

A lot of excitement surrounded the first gate drop for this division, from which Brown emerged with the STACYC Holeshot aboard his Rockstar Energy/Munn Racing Husqvarna with Walker in pursuit aboard his Ulrich Performance/Triangle Cycles Suzuki.

As Brown looked to take advantage of the clear track, Walker and The Wick 338/Pilgrim Powersports Kawasaki’s Keith Johnson battled for second, with Johnson gaining the advantage.

The holeshot worked like a charm for Brown, who found himself more than seven seconds clear of the field at the completion of the opening lap. At that point his lead was going to be too much to overcome, so the attention shifted to the battle behind him.

Johnson gained a firm hold on second, but soon had Emig and his Shift MX Husqvarna pressuring from third. Johnson and Emig engaged in an exceptional battle that saw the Husqvarna make the pass halfway through the moto.

Johnson didn’t give up and the battle reignited in the closing stages. Johnson reclaimed the position from Emig and then posted his fastest lap of the moto to put the finishing touches on the pass.

Brown went wire-to-wire for the moto win, with Johnson second and Emig third. Hughes was fourth aboard his 1986 CR250, while Carsten completed the top five on his RM Army Suzuki.

Other winners on the day included Gage Ripplinger (250C), Nico Long(250C Limited), Chase Prince (450B), Matti Jorgensen Jr. (450B Limited), Keegan Rowley (125C), Nick Romano (Schoolboy 2 B/C), Broc Peterson (Vet 30+), Jimmy Jarrett (Senior 40+), Talon Hinson (Mini-E 4-6 Jr), Kannon Zabojnik (51cc 4-6 Limited), Jaydin Smart (51cc 7-8 Limited), Elliott Bowsher (65cc 7-9 Limited), Carson Wood (65cc 10-11), Drew Adams (85cc 10-12), Klark Robbins (85cc 10-12 Limited), Landen Gordon (Mini Sr. 2), and Kyleigh Stallings (Girls 11-16).