Weidman wins the Horizon

With two overall grand championships, including the Wiseco 450 Mod Premier class, on a performance of six main event wins, two seconds and three thirds, Matthew Weidman from Westerlo, New York earned the 2006 AMA Dirt Track Horizon Award, given to the amateur racer showing the most promise for a successful pro career.

"The week started off well at the short-track and just got better at the half-mile," said the 15-year-old Weidman, who turns 16 next May.

Others who have won the prestigious award include factory Honda road racing star and current MotoGP points leader Nicky Hayden. Also honored have been Roger Lee Hayden, Tony Meiring, Bryan Smith, Cory McDermitt, Jared Mees, Nicky Cummings, Logan Myers, Ricky Marshall, John Lewis V, and, last year, Stevie Bonsey.

The coveting Horizon Award can lead to sponsorships and other help in pursuing a professional racing career.

The competition for the award was particularly intense this year with the high caliber of racers taking part in the AMA Dirt Track Grand Championships, which were held July 2-9 at the DuQuoin, Illinois, State Fairgrounds.

AMA Dirt Track Manager Ken Saillant said that he could count six riders that had a shot at the award, but that Weidman's performance was just impossible to overlook.

The decision of who would win the Horizon Award went down to the last day of racing. Riders such as Chad Cose, Joseph Hernandez Jr. and James "Rocket" Rispoli were also hopeful as they lined up to compete on DuQuoin's famous Magic Mile. But Weidman's first, second and third in his three classes demonstrated that he had the consistency and versatility to be a future contender.

Vet Senior Award
When it was considered that one of the contenders for the AMA Vet Senior Award was not only winning his class, the Supertrapp Vet 30+ Singles Premier class, but also competing in the intensely competitive 450 Mod Premier class, it was easy to give the honor to Thomas Carriger from Salinas, California.

Carriger was the overall grand champion in the Vet 30+ class and spent a lot of time on the box in all four disciplines, short-track, the half-mile the TT and the mile.