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DAXTONBENNICK Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Champion
Daxton Bennick had a tough year at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Mo- tocross Championship back in 2017, getting as close as possible to winning
a number one plate without actually winning one. The North Carolina native finished second in the 65cc (7-11) class and was slated to take the title in the 65cc (10-11) Limited division, but a bike problem forced him to retire from the third moto on the very last lap, therefore nullifying the 1-1 scores that he worked so hard for at the beginning of the week. 2018 was a year of redemption for the Team Dunlop Elite rider as he attempted to hunt down his third career number one plate at the Ranch. A successful 2018 racing season in which Bennick earned a handful of titles and dominated the competition at his Loretta Lynn Qualifiers was exactly what needed to get him in the right mindset for the week of racing in Hurricane Mills where the North Carolina native chose to contest the 85cc (9-11) Limited class as well as the 85cc (9-12) class. Although he logged
a couple of strong results in the (9-12) class and ended up finishing in third place overall on the podium, his performances in the (9-11) Limited class were nothing short of incredible. It was clear once racing got underway that Bennick was not going to be denied his third Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross title; he rode with a sense of urgency and aggression that propelled him to the front of the field in all three motos, allowing him to take control of the race from the very first lap to the last. The Orange Brigade backed rider led every single lap of action in the 85cc (9-11) Limited class, set the fastest lap time in all three motos, consistently putting him in the position to win. Winning a championship is a fantastic achievement no matter the details, but a clean sweep and a domi- nant performance such as Bennick’s is just icing on the cake. His combined gap ahead of second place at the finish line turned out to be a whopping eighteen seconds, proving exactly how dominant his speed was in the 85cc (9-11) Limited class throughout the week. The Team Dunlop Elite rider made things look easy as he soared to back-to-back-to-back moto victories, redeeming his shortcomings from the previous year with one of the most satisfying champion- ships of his career to date.
2018
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