Tight racing marks the beginning of Amateur Motocross Championships

Austin Stroupe took advantage of a miscue by Trey Canard to win the hotly contested MX Lites A-Pro Sport battle in the opening day of racing Tuesday in the Air Nautiques AMA Amateur national Motocross Championships being held this week at Loretta Lynn's in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

In another tight race, Jim Evans of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, edged out Kevin Walker of Gray, Tennessee for the win in the Junior 25 Plus race.

"I ripped a good holeshot and tried to settle in but James ain't settlin'," Walker said after the race. "He was tough. He was doing corners better than I was."

Hundreds of the best amateur motocross racers from across the nation have converged on Loretta Lynn's with dreams of winning national No. 1 plates and earning the coveted AMA Horizon Award, which will be given to the amateur racer who shows the most promise for a successful professional career.

The race of the day that attracted the most attention was the MX Lites A-Pro Sport contest. Stroupe of Lincolnton, North Carolina, Canard of Elk City, Oklahoma, and Nico Izzi of St. Clair, Michigan, battled for the win from the start to the checkered flag.

At the start, Izzi jumped out in front with Stroupe and Canard in tow. The trio battled for several laps just a couple bike-lengths apart until Canard took the lead and started to open a gap.

Canard was out in front of Izzi by about six bike lengths, and Stroupe was another our lengths back, when Canard's front end washed out in a turn.

Stroupe got by Izzi for the win and Canard was able to get his bike started and charge to the finish for third place.

"It's going to be a tough five motos," Stroupe said after the race, referring to the number of times that Stroupe, Izzi and Canard will face off again before the championships end Saturday.

In other races:

Justin Wilson of Camden, South Carolina, won the MX Lites C Modified race, with Josh Lajiness of Deer Park, Washington, taking second and Nick Forrest of Cairo, Georgia, finishing third.

Les Smith of York, South Carolina, won MX Lites B Modified, followed y Vince Friese of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Ben Lamay of Anchorage, Alaska.

P.J. Larsen of Awendan, South Carolina, bested the field in the Motocross A race, with Wil Hahn of Decatur, Texas, earning second and Ben Evans of Boise, Idaho, finishing third.

In the Vet 35 Plus race, Kevin Walker of Gray, Tennessee took the top spot, followed by Keith Johnson of Carver, Massachusetts, and hen John Grewe of Cedar Springs, Michigan.

In 85 (12-13) Stock, Jason Anderson of Edgewood, New Mexico, earned first place, followed by Jacob Hayes of Jamestown, North Carolina, and Brandon Mays of Lancaster, New York.

Justin Weeks of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the Motocross B Stock race, with Vince Riese of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, taking second and Kyle Corman of Decatur, Illinois, earning third.

In Motocross A-Pro Sport, Tyler Wharton of Pilot Point, Texas, took first, Kyle Keylon of Brooksville, Florida earned second and Ben Evans of Boise, Idaho, was third.

"I got a pretty good start," Wharton said, "but it was crazy out there bumping into everyone. I got passed and he had bike trouble or something because I passed him back."

In 65 (7-11) Modified, Jesse Masterpool of 8 Parks, Nevada, took the win, followed by Cody Fouts of York, South Carolina, and Bailey Bruner of Phoenix.

In Girls (9-13), Chiara Fontanesi, of Parma, Italy, bested American rivals Jennifer Burton of Gonzales, California, who finished second, and Rebecca Sheets of Cincinnati, Ohio, who placed third.

Blake Wharton of Pilot Point, Texas, won the Schoolboy (12-15) race, followed by Tye Simmonds of Abingdon, Virginia, and Ty Worthington of Pittsburg, Kansas.

Kip Bigelow of Shelby, Michigan, won the Senior 45 Plus race. Matt Tedder of Surfside, California, finished second and Timothy Egers of Casselberry, Florida, was third.

In Motocross C, Travis Foos of Malibu, California, came out on top, with Garrick Noble of Riverside, California, finishing second and John Rodriguez of Waddell, Arizona, placing third.

Eli Tomac of Cortez, Colorado was super in the Super Mini (12-15) race, taking the top spot. Ian Trettel of Graham, North Carolina, placed second and Blake Baggett of Grand Terrace, California, was third.

Les Smith of York, South Carolina, won the Motocross B Modified race, followed by Kyle Corman of Decatur, Illinois, and then Hunter Hewit of Pilot Point, Texas.

In the 85 (7-11) Modified battle, Matthew Bisceglia of Weatherford, Texas, came out on top. Adam Cianciarulo of Point Orange, Florida, finished second and Tyler Mcswain of Shelby, North Carolina, earned the third-place medal.

Kevin Cozadd of Attalla, Alabama, took top honors in the Vet B-C Plus race, followed by Allan Assaf of Jacksonville, Florida, and then Toby Kimbro of Murray, Kentucky.

In 51 (4-6) AMA 1 Stock, Jordan Bailey of Orlando, Florida, bested the competition, followed by Gavin Hultman of Apache Junction, Arizona, and Brock Hanson of Peebles, Ohio.

Adam Bestafka of Hudson, Florida, won the 51 (4-6) Stock Shaft Drive race, with Seth Hammaker of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, taking second and Tyler Lang of Port Richey, Florida, earning third.

And in 51 (7-8) AMA 2 Stock, Mark Worth of Queen Creek, Arizona, earned the first-place medal. Carter Stephenson of Rolla, Missouri, finished second, and Tyler Pantley of Brooksville, Florida, was third.