2006 NOMXA Rider's of the Year
The Motocross Academy's 2006 Riders Of The Year
PeeWee (50cc): Blake Rothenstine - Alabaster, AL - Cobra 50 #623
Minibike (65cc-85cc): Kris Burden - Sheffield, AL - KTM 65SX, KTM 85SX #5
Big Bike (125cc and above): Jared Hicks - Irvington, AL - Kawasaki KX125, KX250 #17
I train riders from all over the eastern U.S. and some from other countries as well. I have to say, them BAMA boys are showing great promise. Blake and Kris have only been riding for a short while and they both are consistently in the top 5 (even with 40 riders on the gate at national events) at most races they enter. And Jared was already fast and got even faster with our help.
Blake Rothenstine (that's ROTH-IN-STYNNNEE not Steen) was a relatively new rider who was just going to the faster 2-stroke 50 racing bike when I started training him early in 2006. During our very first lesson together, I got him jumping a pretty fast double (his first ever) and he just took off from there. The entire 2006 season, he would show up at tracks and startle the spectators as he flew over very large jumps on his 50, sometimes lapping many riders in some races. He had a few cases of bad luck at some of the national events but I know he will be faster than ever, wowing the crowd with his speed and jumping skills on his number 623 next year as he moves up to the 65cc class this year.
In the Minibike class, Kris Burden was also relatively new to racing and he had decent skill as I analyzed him in our first training session at Twin Peaks MX. He needed some fine-tuning and encouragement to move up in speed and overall performance. Little Kris and his dad, "Big Kris", traveled (sometimes hours) to meet with me just to work for a half a day or so at a time. I marveled over how dedicated they were to get training on a regular basis. Lesson after lesson, Kris got faster and faster. Jumping bigger, crashing less, better cornering, more speed, consistent laptimes, more track-smarts for passing and pulling holeshots. He showed great determination in many Alabama Series races sometimes coming from the back of the back to win races or place in the top 3 against strong talent.
Kris' highlight of the year was going to The U.S. Team Challenge at Cycle Ranch Motocross Park, near San Antonio, Texas where he helped pull his state of Alabama Team to a top finish in the 65 class. Kris had consistent top 5 finishes all week long against some top-level talent! Way to go Kris! We have high expectations for him on his number 5 KTM in 2007 as he will soon be moving up to the 85cc bike full time.
Last but not least, in the Big Bike Class, Jared Hicks from southern Alabama really picked up his speed and consistency this year. Even though we was already a talented B Class rider and quite fast, we helped him improve his cornering, starts, and overall speed and strategy on the track. He raced most of 2006 on the 2-stroke KX125 against the more powerful 250F 4-strokes and he came through with flying colors in almost every race he entered. Winning many races in the Southern Classic Championship, and Gulf Coast MX Series and placing in the top 5 at many national events all over the southern U.S. Jared is now riding a KX250F so he has even more power underneath him to put it to those other thumpers for 2007. Be on the look out in the B class and soon the A class for the green number 17!
Be on the lookout for photos of those riders on my website. They will be up soon. Check out or race photo gallery often as we are constantly adding new photos to it. http://www.geocities.com/number1mxclass