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MATTHEW LEBLANC
A three-time Loretta Lynn’s Champion, Matthew LeBlanc has put himself at
the forefront of the amatuer motocross ranks for the majority of his career. The Louisiana native took a huge step in the right direction in 2015 when he won his first title at the Ranch in the 65cc (7-11) class and he has continued the tradition of leaving Hurricane Mills, Tennessee with a number one plate three years run- ning. LeBlanc made a big move towards the end of 2017 as he decided to step away from KTM for the first time in his racing career, switching to bLU cRU as a member of the Monster Energy Yama- lube Star Racing Yamaha team. The Team Dunlop Elite rider wasted no time getting up to speed, winning a title at The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City and finishing on the podium in all eight of his classes at Mini O’s, but the best is still to come for LeBlanc.
JO SHIMODA
Jo Shimoda spent the majority of his amateur career onboard a KTM, finishing on the podium at Loretta Lynn’s a total
of four times before capturing his first title at the Ranch in 2016. The Japanese native’s undeniable speed and consis- tent results earned him a spot on the AMSOIL | Factory Connection | Honda team for the 2017 season to accompany his transition to the big bike and it’s clear that the right move was made. Shimoda immediately found success in the form
of a championship in the Schoolboy
2 class at Mini O’s and easily carried
that momentum into 2017, finishing on the podium at both the Daytona RCSX as well as the JS7 Freestone Spring Championship. The teenager added another Loretta Lynn’s podium to his
tally in the 250 B class and rounded out the podium at the Monster Energy Cup, continuing his unwavering consistency shown throughout the year. Shimoda only finished one class outside of the
top five at Mini O’s at the end of the season, keeping himself at the sharp end of the field in one of the most competi- tive classes in amateur motocross. He started off 2018 by contesting Monster Energy Amateur Supercross rounds on the west coast, recording two first place finishes and four second place finishes in his respective classes.
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