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LUKEFINEIS Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Champion
Anyone who has paid close attention to the C class at the various Major Events throughout the 2018 racing season wasn’t surprised to see Luke Fineis running game at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Championship. The Indiana native hadn’t won anything preceding the 2018 season, but everything changed at the Daytona RCSX when he landed on the top step of the podium following a frightful crash that could’ve potentially ended his season. Fineis showed the determina- tion and resolve to keep racing and his efforts were duly rewarded with a handful of heavy hardware throughout the season, steadily improving his confidence in preparation for the big dance at the Ranch. The Fly Racing backed rider came in as one of the favorites in both 250 C Limited as well as 250 C Jr. (12-17) Limited and he delivered -- winning four out of six motos while finishing second place in the other two. The KTM rider was utterly dominant in both of the classes that he contested, pulling multiple holeshots that consistently put him in position to win. Although he proved himself to be a competent starter over the course of the week, Fineis also had his fair share of adversity to overcome at the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch as well. In the first 250 C Limited moto, he wasn’t able to execute the best of starts and found himself wavering outside of the top ten on the opening lap. Nonetheless, the Fly Racing athlete put on a hard charge on the first flying lap and surged past a number of riders, advancing from tenth place all the way to third in just one lap around the track. At that point, he chose his lines wisely and methodi- cally worked his way back toward the leaders, eliminating a ten second gap by the end of the race. Fineis did the fastest time of the moto on the penultimate lap in an attempt to hunt down the leader, but he was forced to settle for second position with the overall championship in mind. The Indiana native pulled the holeshot and dominated the second 250 C Limited moto in relatively routine fashion, setting him up for a comfortable second place finish in the final moto to clinch the champion- ship. In the 250 C Jr (12-17) class, Fineis compiled an impressive trio of first place finishes in order to take the title, winning a duo of number one plates to commem- orate his first time competing at the one and only Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch.
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