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Brad West close to the front in Loretta Lynn debut


The Loretta Lynn AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world's largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing event. For multiple-time Australian Junior Motocross Champion, Brad West, it was the young Queenslander’s first opportunity to test himself against the world’s best. Since 1982, the event has been held at the legendary Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Racers from around the world compete in various Area Qualifiers and Regional Championships to determine the final rider roster for the National, which this year was held from Monday August 3rd until Sunday August 9th. 
Brad qualified into the two most competitive proving classes for future professional Supercross and Motocross racers, the 250B and Schoolboy 2. Brad and father Sean had just two months preparation in the US and with the COVID-19 implications, the West’s had plenty of hurdles in the build-up to the event. Brad explained “It was tough, but we managed to get some good training in to help prepare for my first attempt at a Loretta Lynn title.” “I learnt so much about what it takes – we had to acclimatise to the weather, adapt to food, get into a training routine, as well as configuring a brand new bike set up!” “Overall, I feel like I could have achieved some even better results, but I have so many positives to take away from the whole experience. I rode pretty well throughout and had consistent lap times, running up front with the top 5 in both classes.” Brad added “With such a tough class, it’s really all in the starts. Going away knowing what we have to work on. So many positives to take out of our trip, we will be back next year with a lot more knowledge up our sleeves!” 250B The event for West started with the Moto 1 for 250B. After a good start and some smooth laps, Brad managed a strong 4th, beating out some big names. The start for 250B Moto 2 was not as good. After battling through the field into 8th position, Brad crashed but managed to get back up to finish in 11th place before the end of the moto. It was an average start for the 250B Moto3, but fast lap times made up for a small tip-over, leaving the #45 with an overall event placing of 7th. Schoolboy 2 Just like the 250B motos, Brad could not get the starts that he would have liked, which left him 7th and 5th for Motos 1 and 2 respectively. These results left Brad heading into Moto 3 sitting 5th overall, but after his worst start of the week, he made his way through the pack only to crash and end in 11th. The result still left the young Aussie in 6th overall in the class. West concluded, “I am just grateful and happy with the whole experience. I have so many people to thank, but most of all my family as well as all of the sponsors and supporters that made this possible.” “We will be back next year and ‘landing on the box’ is the goal!”


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