After spending most of the year chasing qualifiers, regionals, and eventually the Ranch, it’s nice to be home for some good old fashioned Texas racing. The big stage is always exciting, but local racing remains the backbone of amateur motocross. August 15–16, the AMA Texas State Championship Series got underway across the state, and we made our way to 3 Palms Motocross Park for the opening round of the South Region.
More than 420 entries showed up for the weekend, and with most states already winding down their championship seasons, Texas is just getting rolling. Throw in some brutal August heat, a dialed 3 Palms track, and plenty of battles throughout the weekend, Texas amateur racing is officially back.
We’ve got more in depth race reports coming later this week, but for now, let’s hit some of the quick highlights from Round 1 of the South Texas State Championships series.
50cc
The youngsters were fired up behind the gate this weekend, and across the 50cc classes we saw some great battles. One of the veterans of the group, Jaxon Kopcak, was undefeated in both 50cc Micro 3 (7-8) and the Open class, winning every moto he lined up for. Talk about coming into the season fired up. Kopcak is going to be a tough kid to beat in these classes this year.
Brayden Trevino had himself a good day in Micro 2 (4-6) as well. Trevino was sending the jumps and went a perfect 1-1 not much more you could ask for in the opening round of a series. He was a factor in some of the other classes too, giving chase to Micro E (4-8) Limited winner Braxton Angello in that class.
65cc 10-11
There was plenty of bar banging going on in the 65cc (10-11) class, but out front, Guidry Anzalone was dominant, sweeping both motos for a perfect 1-1 day.
Behind him, Logan Stallons and Kruz Schexaydre traded positions, swapping second and third between the two motos. Sabin Wright and Carson Smith rounded out the top five, finishing fourth and fifth in both motos.
85cc
Enrique Rodriguez came about as close to a perfect weekend as you can get. He nearly won every moto he lined up for, with Jayce Owen being the only rider to spoil the sweep by taking the opening moto win in 85cc (9-13).
Rodriguez still came away with the overall in that class and added wins in Mini Sr. (12-15) and 85cc (10-14) Open. Hopefully we see this kid at a few more rounds this year because he was a fun one to watch.
Straight Back to Work
Fresh off a full week of racing at Loretta Lynn’s, a few familiar faces were already back behind the gate. 125 Jr. National Champion Gauge Brown didn’t miss a beat, sweeping every moto in Schoolboy and 125cc B/C. Brycen Dejonge kept the streak going with a clean sweep of Supermini 13-15, while Kellan Cooper joined the undefeated club, winning every moto in 65cc 7-9 and 65cc 7-11 Open.
George Cosenza Jr. got in on the action as well, sweeping both Schoolboy 2 and 250 B.
Pretty wild when you think about it. These dudes just spent an entire week racing against the best amateurs in the country in Tennessee, came home, and wasted no time getting right back behind the gate.
250 C
Ryder Royal had himself a day. With Lande Bass and Shane Steffens giving chase in 250 C, Royal held strong out front and went 1-1 for the overall.
He nearly added another class win as well, finishing second overall in Schoolboy 2 with 3-2 moto scores. Not a bad way to kick off the series.
The McKiddies
A familiar name was back near the front last weekend, with Texas motocross legend Vernon McKiddie showing he’s still got plenty left in the tank. McKiddie came away with the Vet 40+ overall after battling with David Espinoza and Noah Espinoza.
Meanwhile, the next generation of McKiddie was getting his first taste of the 125. Aiden McKiddie had a strong debut on the bigger machine, finishing third overall in both 125cc B/C and Schoolboy 1.
He wasn’t the only one making the jump, either. Layne Flesche was making his 125 debut as well, and the two newcomers found themselves battling throughout the weekend as they got their first real taste of racing the bigger bikes.
Gabriella Espinoza
Gabriella Espinoza nearly had herself a perfect weekend, winning both the Girls 11-16 and Women 12+ overalls. She went 1-1 in Girls 11-16 and started the Women 12+ class with another moto win before Daniela Saldarriaga grabbed the win in Moto 2. Espinoza’s 1-2 scores were still enough to put her on top overall.
Event Photos
There were plenty of cameras pointed at the track this weekend, and Vernon Sutton of Vernon Sutton Photography was one of the photographers putting in the work. Vernon spent the weekend out in the Texas heat capturing riders all over 3 Palms. If you’re hunting for photos from Round 1 there is a good chance he caught you. CLICK HERE and hit him up to purchase yours.
South Round 1 gave us a little bit of everything: new bikes, familiar faces, close battles, and a whole lot of Texas heat. We barely scratched the surface here, so stay tuned. We’ve got plenty more coming from Round 1.