Area Qualifiers Kick off This Weekend for 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

Aaron-Plessinger-250B-and-450B-LimitedMORGANTOWN, W. Va. (February 13, 2014) – The six-month journey towards the 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL-also known as the Road to Loretta’s-is set to kick off this weekend in the Southwest Region of the country. Arizona Cycle Park will host the first Area Qualifier of 2014, taking place Feb. 15 and 16 in Litchfield, Ariz.

This weekend’s qualifier is the first of 51 Area Qualifiers taking place in seven different geographical regions from February to May. Riders who place in a qualifying spot at any Area Qualifier are invited to participate in the corresponding Regional Championship in June. Riders may attempt to qualify in as many Area Qualifiers, in as many regions, as they choose. The Regional Championships then act as a qualifier for the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, taking place July 27 – Aug. 2 at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

“This is our favorite time of the year as racers all around the country are gearing up for their quest to get to the2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship,” said MX Sports Director, Tim Cotter. “The adventure starts this weekend in Arizona and continues throughout the summer.  We are looking forward to the race season ahead and all the excitement it will bring.”

The next round of Area Qualifiers will take place the weekend of Feb. 22 and 23 in various parts of the country, including a stop in the Northeast with Elizabeth City in North Carolina, the Southeast with MX of Marion Co in Florida and the South Central’s Buffalo Creek MX in Texas. For a complete schedule of Area Qualifiers, please clickHERE.

“All amateur motocrossers aspire to one day line up at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, and the first step to that goal is success at an AMA Area Qualifier,” said AMA Motocross Manager Kip Bigelow. “This weekend, the journey to the nationals will begin with the first AMA Area Qualifiers of 2014. Our members will see how dedicated we are to offering a premium program at the country’s best tracks, and I can’t wait to see the best amateur motocross racers start competing for the right to race at the national.”

The 2014 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship presented by AMSOIL will take place July 27 – Aug. 2 at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. For more information, visit the series website atwww.mxsports.com.

About the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship

The Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship is the world’s largest and most prestigious amateur motocross racing program. The national qualifying program consists of 51 Area Qualifiers (February through May) and 12 Regional Championships (June), hosted at select motocross facilities across the country. The qualifying system culminates in the National Final (first week of August) hosted annually since 1982 at the home of country music star Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Nearly 20,000 racers attempt to qualify in 36 classes for the 1,446 available positions at the National. Christened “The World’s Greatest Motocross Vacation”, the National event serves as a launch pad for some of the biggest names in professional motocross and supercross, including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey. The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production