Path to 2022 AMA Motocross Horizon Award Begins in February
AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship Area Qualifier and Regional Championship dates announced
The road to the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s and the Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award is set, and it all gets started in February.
MX Sports, organizer of the 41st annual Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, announced the 2022 Area Qualifiers and Regional Championships schedule Thursday. With the slate of qualifiers beginning in February, the season will culminate at Loretta Lynn’s ranch with the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship Final — held Aug. 1-6.
“Nicky Hayden’s racing success and legacy are honored through the AMA Nicky Hayden Horizon Awards across the motocross, roadracing and flat track disciplines,” said AMA Deputy Director of Racing and Motocross Manager Mike Burkeen. “This award is truly one of the most prestigious honors a motocross rider can receive. The path to this award starts with the Area Qualifiers, and we’re excited about a qualifying season that returns to some of our favorite racetracks, and some exciting new ones, too.”
The hunt for the Horizon Award will once again follow the Super-Regional format, and 2022 qualifying is set to start in Arizona — one of 32 states that will hold at least one of the over 50 Area Qualifiers. Riders finishing in the top positions listed in the supplemental rules will move onto the 18 Regional Championships that funnel through eight regions in the United States.
The results of the Regional Championships determine rider seeding at the National Championship, with only those in qualifying positions eligible to race at Loretta’s in August.
The sites for the 2022 schedule include many Pro Motocross tracks, giving the amateur riders a chance to race on the same dirt as the professionals.
“The 2022 lineup of Area Qualifiers and Regional Championship facilities are the best America has to offer,” MX Sports Event Director Tim Cotter said. “The organizers and their staffs are looking forward to continuing the growth that the Amateur National program has seen over the past four decades.”
The full 2022 schedule can be found HERE.
The Regional Plus Classes will be available to riders outside the Northwest, Midwest and Southwest regionals. The Regional Plus Classes are independent from Area Qualifiers and will not advance to the National Championship.
As it has since the 1980s, the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship will be held at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. The event — which includes the announcement of the 2022 Nicky Hayden AMA Motocross Horizon Award — is set to begin Monday, Aug. 1, and end Saturday, Aug. 6.
Additional information on the season can be found at www.mxsports.com.
