Amateur Supercross Racers Invade Daytona International Speedway
Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross

The biggest amateur supercross event on the planet, the Ricky Carmichael Daytona Amateur Supercross, returned for its 12^th annual trip to Daytona International Speedway on March 7th, 8^th and 9^th where amateurs from all over the country got a chance to race on the same course that the pros raced on during the Daytona Pro Supercross. In all, 1637 entries lined up to compete for championships in 35 amateur and 34 vintage classes.

New for 2021, the RCSX also serves as an AMA Road to Supercross points-earning event with its introduction of the 250 Futures class. This new class will also be featured at the AMA Amateur National at Loretta Lynn’s.

The 250 Futures race was perhaps the premier race of the day, and for sure, the most anticipated race of the weekend. The race was stacked, since anyone eligible and hoping to advance to AMA Supercross was entered, as participants earned points toward advancement into the pro ranks.

A few of the top riders were making their debuts in the “big bike” classes after dominating the mini divisions for the past few years. Among them, Jett Reynolds and Ryder DiFrancesco had stellar days. Reynolds was particularly impressive in the 250 Futures final.

Jack Rogers grabbed the holeshot to kick off the 15-lap 250 Futures main event, followed by Slade Smith in second and Carter Biese in third. Team Green Kawasaki’s Jett Reynolds got bumped around in the first turn and joined the chase in fourth.

Rogers had a clear track on the second lap while Smith, Biese and Reynolds jostled for second.

On lap three, Smith took the lead from Rogers, but then went down spectacularly a few turns later when he took a nosedive into a jump. Reynolds was the benefactor with all of the confusion, taking the lead ahead of Biese and Rogers.

By lap 11, Wyatt Liebeck had worked up into third ahead of Rogers, with Reynolds and Biese leading out front.

At the finish, Reynolds took a comfortable win ahead of Biese, Liebeck and Rogers. Hunter Yoder slipped into fifth late in the race.

Reynolds returned to the track later in the day where he dominated the Open A division, taking the win ahead of Jace Kessler (Yam) and Brandon Ray.

“If you don’t get a good start here it’s gonna be kind of tough on this track,” said Reynolds. “Luckily, I got good starts today. They gave us 15 laps, which was good for me because I’ve been putting in the work with Jeff Ward and that has me in good shape. I mainly came here hoping to make it through all the races and see what happens.”  

Ryder DiFrancesco went six-for-six last year at Loretta Lynn’s and then made the jump to the big bikes for 2021 and didn’t miss a beat. In his first final of the day, the Team Green Kawasaki rider took the lead right after the start of the 250 B main and pulled away to a more than impressive win ahead of KTM’s Caden Braswell and Kawasaki’s Gage Stine. Later in the day, DiFrancesco claimed a dominate win in the 450 B class as well, finishing comfortably ahead of Stine and KTM’s Austin Kapoukranidis.

“This was my first time on a big bike and it felt good,” said DiFrancesco. “I got good starts all day and just rode my race. I’m still learning the big bike but it’s coming around.”

Casey Cochran gave GasGas a pair of marquee wins by topping the Mini Sr 1 (12-14) and SuperMini 2 (13-16) classes.

“All the gates are kinda rough, so it was difficult picking a good one, but I got off to some good starts today, which is key for this track,” said Cochran.

KTM riders Agustin Barreneche and Jude Smerlick were second and third in the SuperMini 2 (13-16) class, while Luke Fauser and Thomas Wood were second in third in the Mini Sr 1 (12-14) division, both on KTMs.

Other riders claiming more than one win included New Hampshire legend Tony Larusso, who claimed championships in the Senior 40+ and in the Senior 45+ classes; Landon Gibson, with titles in the 85cc (10-12) Limited and the 85 (10-12) divisions; and Georgia rider Jordan Bowen, who took wins in the 450 C and 250 C Junior (12-17) classes.

Logan Best proved to be best in the Schoolboy 1 (12-17) division, the Triangle Cycles North Yamaha rider passing Noah Stevens (KTM) on the second lap and then holding off Yamaha’s Justin Allen to take the lead.

Best, who struggled during qualifying races on Sunday, looked in top form on Monday as he stretched his lead to a comfortable margin by the end of the race.

Bryce Shelly (KTM) moved into second place with an inside move on lap four, dropping Allen (Yam) to third, and from there the top three was set in stone.

Ivan Aldama Jr. finished fourth on a KTM, with Crocket Myers rounding out the top five on a Yamaha.

“I had such a terrible day yesterday and I’m so glad I was able to come out here in the Finals and get a win,” said Best. “This is such a stacked event, everyone is fast, so I just went into the finals thinking about myself and not worrying about the competition”

Orange Brigade KTM’s Caden Braswell took an impressive win in the Schoolboy 2 (12-17) class, beating out DeFrancesco and KTM’s Ayden Shive.

The highly competitive SuperMini 1 (12-15) went to Team Green Kawasaki’s Krystian Janik, who beat out GasGas’ Kelana Humphrey and Husqvarna’s Diesel Thomas for the honors.

Gabriel Andrigo came away with a hard-fought win in the 450 B Limited class. The Brazilian, who is in the country training at South of the Border training facility, mixed up with fellow KTM rider Austin Kapoukranidis in a race that saw multiple passes by the two riders and a little bit of bar banging. Andrigo made a last-second pass to claim the win with Kapoukranidis settling for second. Alex Ransom was third on a Yamaha.

“I’m good friends with “Kap” and we are giving it all we had, it was a fun race,” said Andrigo.

Tennessee’s Shelby Rolen (KTM) showed the guys how it’s done by winning the Vet (30+ B/C) ahead of Aaron Cannonier (Kaw) and Kristopher Clark (Yam).

Other winners included Bryce Shelly (125 12-17); Patrick Murphy (250 B Limited); Kalab Hagan (250 C); Alex Orourke (250 C Limited); Samual Posada (125 C); Aaron Lampi (Junior 25+); Ben Robinson (Vet 30+); Eric Parham (Senior 40+ B/C); Barry Carsten (Masters 50); and Katie Benson (Women).

About Ricky Carmichael Daytona Supercross (RCSX):

The Ricky Carmichael Daytona Supercross is the world’s premier amateur supercross event hosted annually since 2010 at the World Center of Racing - Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.  The class structure includes 34 classes from youth riders on 51cc bikes all the way to Golden Masters (60+). The program follows a supercross format, using heat races and last chance qualifiers to seed the field of riders into the main event in each class. In collaboration with 15-time champion Ricky Carmichael, this event is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company and sanctioned by AMA. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

About Daytona Vintage Supercross (DVSX) and AMA Pro ATV Supercross:

The Daytona Vintage Supercross was added to the event roster in 2019 and has doubled in size in one year.  The program features 34 classes from Vintage (through 1974) to Evolution (through 1979, 1984, and 1986) and Revolution (through 1998 and 2008), sprinkled with some modern classes.  The highlight of the race action is the AMA ATV Pro Supercross, featuring the world’s fastest Pro ATV racers. Held the Tuesday after RCSX, the program attracts vintage motorcycle enthusiasts and older riders. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

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: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.

About Ricky Carmichael Daytona Supercross (RCSX):

The Ricky Carmichael Daytona Supercross is the world’s premier amateur supercross event hosted annually since 2010 at the World Center of Racing - Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.  The class structure includes 34 classes from youth riders on 51cc bikes all the way to Golden Masters (60+). The program follows a supercross format, using heat races and last chance qualifiers to seed the field of riders into the main event in each class. In collaboration with 15-time champion Ricky Carmichael, this event is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company and sanctioned by AMA. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

About Daytona Vintage Supercross (DVSX) and AMA Pro ATV Supercross:

The Daytona Vintage Supercross was added to the event roster in 2019 and has doubled in size in one year.  The program features 34 classes from Vintage (through 1974) to Evolution (through 1979, 1984, and 1986) and Revolution (through 1998 and 2008), sprinkled with some modern classes.  The highlight of the race action is the AMA ATV Pro Supercross, featuring the world’s fastest Pro ATV racers. Held the Tuesday after RCSX, the program attracts vintage motorcycle enthusiasts and older riders. For more information, please visit www.mxsports.com.

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: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/membership/join.  

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Shan Moore
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