Kevin Walker makes history at AMA MX nationals

With on-track encouragement from two-time World MX Champion and fellow racer Trampas Parker, Kevin Walker won the Vet 35 Plus championship Friday, giving him more championship wins in the AMA Air Nautiques Amateur Motocross National Championships than any other racer.

With his 12th championship, Walker surpassed James Stewart and Mike Alessi, who were tied on the all-time win list with 11 titles apiece, all of them won as youth riders before turning pro.

Walker, of Gray, Tennessee, notched his 12 championships through years of persistence and often-devastating displays of speed in the veteran classes. But his record-setting victory wasn't assured, as he took off on the first lap of the Vet 35 Plus race and almost met with disaster.

Walker got the holeshot with Parker, of Mansfield, Louisiana, Vince Devane of Plant City, Florida, and John Grewe of Cedar Springs, Michigan, in tow.

But then Walker launched off the Loretta Lynn's tabletop and landed on a slick spot on the track that whipped his bike around and forced him off the track. He recovered but was forced to run wide going through the right hander that follows the tabletop.

Parker, who will be inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame this fall, stayed right with Walker through the first four laps of the race, shouting advice.

"Every corner, Trampas was talking to me to encourage me," Walker said later. "I knew I was messing up. I thought I was a character, but he's a character."

Parker said he was yelling at Walker to calm down.

"I was trying to get him to relax," Parker said. "I knew he was uptight. On the starting line I said just relax and ride. You've been the fastest rider all week. You're going to win."

The tabletop incident gave Walker a start, so he decided to run the rest of the race taking wide lines around the track.

"I took wide lines because I was afraid of getting caught in the ruts," he said. "It was slower but safer."

The strategy paid off, giving him his 12th championship.

An elated Walker said after the race that it was good to get the 12th championship. "It's a relief to get that monkey off my back," he said.

But he said there was something more important involved.

"I might have won 12 titles, but all the money being raised for Emma is worth more," he said.

Emma is Emma Foley, 4-year-old daughter of nine-time AMA Air Nautiques Amateur Motocross champion Kevin Foley. Emma suffers from Rett Syndrome, which is a rare genetic neuro-developmental disease. People pledged money for each lap Walker completes at the Loretta Lynn's championships in a program called Race 4 Rett.

The program began in 2006 when family, friends and others pledged cash for each lap Foley completed at Loretta Lynn's, raising more than $30,000 for Rett Syndrome awareness and research. Foley wasn't able to race this year, so Walker picked up the cause.

All proceeds go to the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, which is working towards a cure for the disease.

Now that Walker is in the history books, will he race again next year?

"I'm 37, and that's a little old for this class," Walker said.

Then he smiled. "I'll be back."