Colorado has had a busy last few weeks. It all started three weekends ago when the Sweney’s hosted a two-day, action-packed Area Qualifier at their famed facility. Then, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross series made its way to scenic Thunder Valley for some wicked Pro Moto action. And, Colorado’s three week reign of carnage was capped at the same location as the National, when Thunder Valley welcomed the South Central Regional qualifier for the classic Loretta Lynn’s Amateur National. One thing can be said for all three weekends, our boys and girls didn’t fail to impress. Colorado had some absolute great performances from our locals at the Area Qualifier. That was then followed by some impressive performances by our guys out at the national. And, finally, Colorado named a whole mess of kids to the Loretta’s national this past weekend. We were talking about how it used to be like 2 kids who would make Loretta’s from Colorado, and this year there were several on the big bikes alone. Dudes like Tanner Wineland, Kaleb Taylor, Cody Gray, Trae Dilley, Cade Scripter(honarary Coloradan), Ryan Velasquez and Chace Reinhard all showed up to do work, and work they mother freakin’ did.
Know how a couple of weeks ago we were talking about the lack of out-of-staters in the pro class at the Area Qualifier? Yeah, that was definitely not the case this past weekend. Dudes like Dustin Winter, Richard Jackson and Blake Neiheiser were giving our local boys all sorts of trouble. That is definitely not to say that our guys didn’t hold their own, though. Tanner Wineland and Kaleb Taylor were battling at the front all weekend, and showed that Colorado means business when it comes to twistin’ grips. Tanner and Kaleb struggled a wee bit in the first two motos of Open Pro Sport, as they alternated 7th & 8th place finishes. But, they came on strong in the 3rd moto and swooped up a 3rd & 4th respectively. Tanner was far more consistent in the College Boy class, however, and managed to go 2-1-2 in the three moto format for first overall and a nice Admit One ticket to go with it. Kaleb had strong performances in his 250 A class, with 5-2-3 moto finishes, punching his ticket to the big show with a 3rd overall. A couple other notable performances from our local A shredders, were from Cody Gray & Tyler Monks. Cody raced in as many classes as Loretta’s allows. He managed to grab a 1st, 4th and 5th overall in 250 A/B All-Star, College Boy and 250 A, respectively: all of which were good enough for an Admit One ticket. Tyler Monks was also able to sneak his way into the 250 A show at Loretta’s with a 6th overall.
B’s:
Stud of the weekend for our local B shrippers(damn right I just combined shredder and ripper) was Trae Dilley. Trae was out to prove a point on the weekend, and grabbed 3 tickets in 250 B, 250 B Limited and 450 B limited classes with 6-4-4 overall finishes in each of those classes, we got a chance to catch up with him and here’s what went down:
EM: So you made it in 3 different classes, is this your first time qualifying for Loretta’s?
TD: Yeah this was my first year qualifying to Loretta’s! I came into this weekend with only one goal and that was to punch one ticket, and somehow ended up with three!
EM: What do you think was different this year? And how were you able to be so consistent?
TD: The difference from the past years was that I kept telling myself while I was on the gate that this takes grit and I know I have it. It just pushed me more because i was tired of not having a ticket in my hand at the end of the weekend. I knew that the three moto format is all about being consistent. My brother told me that there’s a point where you have to ride reserved and then there’s a point where you have to hang it out on the line. The combination of both is what makes the three moto formats so tricky.
EM: Word, so are you trying to carry that same mentality into Loretta’s?
TD: Of course. I want to go to Loretta’s and try my hardest but mainly just to have fun. I’m not the kid that’s going to Loretta’s looking for sponsorships. I’m the kid just living the life before I head off to college.
The C class at Loretta’s is so much different than anywhere else, these kids are pretty much B-level riders who managed to stay in the C-class long enough to wreak havoc at Loretta’s. Long story short, these dudes rip. Which is why the performance that Chace Reinhard put on is even more impressive. He won 8 out of a possible 9 motos, and was leading in the only moto he didn’t win until he fell. It was just a dominating performance by one of Colorado’s up-and-coming rippers. We got a chance to to talk to him a bit about his weekend and this is what he said:
EM: So dude, you pretty much dominated in your classes, is this your first trip to Loretta’s?
CR: Yes, this will be my first time making it to Loretta’s. We tried last year but was not able to put together a solid weekend.
EM: What do you think made the difference this year?
CR: I feel my family and I put in a lot more laps this year. Getting comfortable on the bike and just enjoying the the whole experience without putting too much pressure on myself really helped out.
EM: Awesome dood, how do you feel about your chances to take a title at Loretta’s?
CR: It would be a dream come true if that was to happen and I feel it’s possible. It will take a lot of dedication but I am willing to put in the hard work for a good showing out at the ranch.
EM: Word dude, well if you ride how you rode at the Hood, we don’t see any reason you can’t.
Seriously, though, this kid was on a mission over the weekend and certainly has potential to bring a Loretta’s title back to the homeland. Tate Robertson, another Colorado product, had a nice weekend himself, and was able to secure a few entries to the Promised Land. Another common face around CO, Cade Scripter, who’s not actually a local boy, but might as well be because of how often he is out here, was able to snag one ticket as well.
Well, damn, what a weekend it was for our guys at the Regional. Just two short weekends after the Colorado boys wrecked shit out at the area qualifier at SCP, they showed once again that our rippers are a force on two wheels. Tanner Wineland, Kaleb Taylor and Coddy Gray did some real work in the pro classes. Trae Dilley, Ryan Velasquez and Jake Bork represented quite well in the B classes. And the likes of Chace Reinhard, Tate Robertson and Cade Scripter made sure those out-of-towners were more than aware of what Colorado (& Nebraska) has to offer in the shred-department. All of us here at Elevated couldn’t be more proud of the stellar performances put on by our guys out ‘The Hood’. Can’t wait to see the damage they do at ‘The Ranch’ down in Tennessee later this Summer.
