Nicole Voorhees and her bike are headed to the AMA National Motocross Championship again this year. Submitted photo
Honeoye Falls’ Nicole Voorhees just made her dream come true once again. The 19-year-old dirt bike racer has once again qualified for the largest amateur motocross race in the world, the 35th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, presented by AMSOIL, to be held this August at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch. Voorhees took on over 22,000 hopefuls from across America to earn one of just 1,482 qualifying positions. This will be Nicole’s 4th year competing at Loretta Lynn’s.
“The Amateur National at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” said Event Director Tim Cotter. “A win at Loretta’s gives a racer instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”
Voorhees works along side her boyfriend Jesse Kirchmeyer and his parents Jeff and Nicole, as a site contractor for Kirchmeyer Inc. Voorhees has been riding dirt bikes since she was 12 years old. Voorhees’ boyfriend Jesse will also be competing at the ranch this year for his first time in two classes, 450B, and 450B Limited.
With the help of sponsors such as MB60 Action Sports, One Industries, 6D Helmets, EKS Brand Goggles, MotoOption, Novik Gloves, FMF, Hotshot Mx Graphics, Amsoil, Beef and Peg, The Kirchmeyer Family, and her Mom and Dad, who help pay her way to the races, Voorhees has had the opportunity to pursue her dreams. She has won over 100 races in the last 6 years and competes nearly every weekend at WNYRacing tracks, or other events around the East Coast and Canada.
Voorhees will make the long journey to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee with her parents Tom and Tammy, and along side the Kirchmeyer, Camp, Sigismondi, Krezimen, Schmidt, and Mcdonald families. The race runs August 1 – 6, 2016. Voorhees and her family will be camping onsite for the weeklong event, and will participate in many non-racing evening activities.
Voorhees is just one of the over 22,000 racers across the country who spent the last four months qualifying for the event. The top finishers in Area Qualifiers and Regional Championships earn a gate position in the National Championship race at Loretta Lynn’s. Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from mini-cycle classes for children as young as four, all the way up to a senior division for riders over 50. There are also classes for women and classes for both stock and modified machines. In total, there are 38 different classes of competition. Voorhees will compete in the highly competitive Women’s 16+ All-star class, which is for female riders who have obtained their Pro License. Voorhees received her pro license in the United States and Canada back in 2013.
The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn Ranch and Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers. The motocross track is used only once a year for motorcycles, so there is no hometown advantage. Racers compete in three 15-20 minute races over the course of the week per class, sometimes in grueling temperatures. Proper training and preparation are paramount.
Most riders attend the event with the help of their families. In fact, many consider the event their family’s summer trip, nicknaming it the “World’s Greatest Motocross Vacation.” Besides the races, the weeklong event hosts many family-friendly activities, including swimming, talent show, concerts, and live entertainment.
The race action will be broadcast live daily at www.RacerTV.com, August 1 – 6, for a total of 40 hours of live coverage. In addition, two highlight shows featuring the event will air on NBC Sports Network in the fall.
The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program consists of 59 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 13 Regional Championships (May through June), hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week in August) hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Nearly 22,000 racers attempt to qualify in 38 classes for the 1,482 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 and is sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.
