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Jett Reynolds made history throughout the 35th annual Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National Championship as he continues to steal the show with unfathomable consistency and speed year after year. He didn’t finish off the podium
in either of the 85cc classes that he competed in and he
had two moto victories in the process. It was a very Ryan Dungey-esque performance from the Team Green superstar, not doing anything over the top and setting a metronomic pace to break down the competition. He put together
two 2nd place finishes and a 1st in the 85cc (9-11) class, narrowly missing out on a victory in the first moto. He worked his way from 3rd to 1st past Nicholas Romano and also took advantage of a mistake by Caden Braswell in the matter of
a couple laps. Unfortunately, Reynolds made a mistake of his own and forfeited the victory to first time winner Jordan Biese. The conditions were extremely challenging after a morning of heavy delays, but he still managed to bring the Kawasaki home for a 2nd place finish. The second moto
also took place in tricky conditions and the young Californian didn’t get a good jump out of the gate. He was forced to work his way through the field, from 6th on the first lap, up into 3rd with just a couple laps expired. Reynolds got by
the Husqvarna of Brock Lassiter at the midway point in the race and charged away from him as quickly as he could.
He set his fastest lap on the final lap, but Matthew LeBlanc had already set sail to the finish line and Reynolds had
to settle for 2nd. In the final moto, he was able to make a few quick passes early on and ride his own race from that point forward. He made an early pass on his Team Green teammate, Nicholas Romano, and he also got Matthew LeBlanc back for the previous race and put himself into 2nd place. In a smart, settled ride to the finish line, Reynolds clinched the overall win ahead of Caden Braswell and took his 7th consecutive title at the Ranch. The 85cc (9-12) class was easily the most dominant class for Reynolds as he was able to grab two moto wins. He started off with a win in the first moto by carving his way through the pack and taking 1st place from Shane Gola on the penultimate lap. He was able to stretch the lead out to 6.5 seconds before he crossed the finish line, a testament to his fitness and ability to pick lines as the track develops. The second was working out to be the same outcome as Reynolds was passing his way toward the front, but he made a mistake and dropped himself and his Kawasaki back to 6th place. From there, he was able to fight through the 2nd half of the race and work his way into 3rd position before the checkered flag. He ended the class on
a high note with the fastest lap of the race whist in the thick of a battle with Nicholas Romano. The two of them duked it out until the checkered flag, but Reynolds just held on for the victory and the overall victory, bringing his consecutive title tally to eight and making history in the process.
words/LAKEKILPATRICK WWW.MOTOPLAYGROUND.COM
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