Motocross Off-Road National Championship
BIG SKY XC
BIG SKY – The American Motorcycle Association is hosting its first ever off-road national championships at Big Sky Resort this year, Aug. 24-25. Previously known as the Big Sky XC, the AMA/KENDA Big Sky Off-Road National Championships Presented by Klim will showcase competitors from across the country and continent, ranging from 4-year-olds to X Games athletes.
The feature event starts at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Professional and expert racers, including GNCC FMF/KTM riders Charlie Mullins and Grant Baylor, will compete on a grueling endurance race on one of the country’s most talked-about courses designed by Big Sky locals Jamey Kabisch and Joe Miller.
“Pro and expert racers will experience a range of challenges during the three-plus hour event”, Kabisch said. “It’s rocky and narrow in spots, steep and technical in others, with a mix of high speed access roads to add variety.”
The riders must be mentally prepared, Miller says. “Most of the top professionals come into the race with years of experience and know what to expect from a course like the one in Big Sky. Every race day, they try to have a consistent regimen from the morning to the starting line to keep a constant on such a crazy day.”
Racers in the pro division will compete for a share of the $10,000 cash purse and national attention. The event has typically drawn about 350 racers, but that number could fluctuate as a result of the new prestige that the championship carries, Miller said.
Miller called it an event for “active spectators,” encouraging people to hike to key points on the course to watch the racers pass. If hiking is not your cup of tea, the Swift Current Ski Lift will be open for an overhead view of the race.
Additional race information is available at bigskyxc.com.
