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NATETHRASHER Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Champion
The Supermini class is regularly one of the most competitive classes year
in and year out at the Ranch; providing close battles, multiple winners, and unpredictability. Well, Nate Thrasher had other ideas for the 2018 Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship. The Tennessee native rose to the occasion in both Supermini 1 and Supermini 2, dominating proceedings with six moto wins and two number one plates. At first it seemed as though Thrasher’s lead at the end of the first moto was a result of his holeshot, hav- ing a clear track ,etc...but it became crystal clear at the midway point of the week that he had a leg-up on the rest of the competition. The Orange Brigade backed rider was multiple seconds per lap faster than his nearest rival in practically every moto, stamping his authority on the field each and every time he hit the track. Not only was Thrasher clearly the fastest rider on the gate, but he was also the most consistent rider out of the gate. He was the first rider to cross the finish line in all six of his motos and would’ve led all sixty laps of competition if not for a small mistake in the third and final Supermini 2 (13-16) class. In actuality, Thrasher led 59/60 laps between both Supermini classes and laid down one of the most dominant performances at the Ranch in recent memory. Considering it was as recently as last year that the Orange Brigade rider bagged his first career podium at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship, it was easily one of the most memorable weeks of his career thus far. Number one plates are hard to come by at the Ranch and Thrasher got his hands on two of them in the same week; although he took a big step forward in the grand scheme of his career with such a dominant per- formance at the Ranch, he’ll have an even bigger target on his back heading into the remainder of the 2018 racing season.
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