New Hyde Park’s Vincent Murphy just made his dream come true. The 15-year-old dirt bike racer has qualified for the largest amateur motocross race in the world, the 32nd
Annual Red Bull AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. Murphy took on over 20,000 hopefuls from across America to earn one of just 1,446 qualifying positions.
“The Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” said Event Director Tim Cotter. “A win at the Amateur Nationals gives a rider instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”
Most of America’s top professional motocrossers, including James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana and Jeremy McGrath, have won AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s. The race is so prestigious that in 2012 it became part of the Red Bull Signature Series, airing race coverage on NBC for the first time ever. In 2013, the coverage only gets better as the Red Bull Signature Series will air live coverage from Loretta Lynn’s on NBC for the first time ever.
Murphy, who attends New Hyde Park Memorial High School, has been riding since he was 5 years old. With the help of sponsors such as Island Powersports, Spectro Oils, Tucker
Rocky and Parkview Plumbing who help pay his way to the races, Vincent has had the opportunity to pursue his dreams. He competes nearly every weekend both local and out-of-state.
Murphy is just one of the over 20,000 who spent the last four months qualifying for the event. The top finishers in area and regional qualifiers earn a birth into the National Championship race at Loretta Lynn’s.
Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from minicycle classes for children as young as four, all the way up to a senior division for riders over 50. There are also classes for women and classes for both stock and modified bikes.
The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn’s Ranch and Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers.
Most riders attend the event with the help of their families. In fact, many groups consider the event their family’s summer vacation. Besides races, the ranch provides family-friendly facilities including a game room, swimming pools, arts and crafts activities as well as a fashion and talent show.
