AMA Congratulates 2023 AMA Motorcyclist of the Yr Jett Lawrence
Additionally honors 2023 AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Jesse Thomas
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Affiliation presents its congratulations to 2023 AMA Motorcyclist of the Yr Jett Lawrence, in addition to the 2023 AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the late Jesse Thomas.
“Many riders made nice contributions to our sport this 12 months and past, however Jett Lawrence and Jesse Thomas set themselves aside with their excellent achievements and dedication to motorcycling,” AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman mentioned. “Jett had an unbelievable run in AMA Supercross and Motocross this 12 months, claiming a number of championships, making him worthy of the AMA Motorcyclist of the Yr distinction. Jesse’s unrelenting love for our sport and his lifelong work to develop motorcycling in Kentucky left little question that he was deserving of the AMA Dud Perkins Award.”
Lawrence was a dominant presence on the observe all through the 2023 season, racing his strategy to the AMA Supercross 250 West, AMA Professional Motocross 450 and SuperMotocross 450 championships. Though Lawrence’s resume in 2023 is spectacular by itself, the style wherein he competed propelled him above the remainder.
Throughout his chase for the 450 Professional Motocross title, Lawrence turned the one in-class rookie to document an ideal moto-win season, ending 22-0 for the sequence.
For Lawrence, his standout 2023 season was the fruits of an extended, arduous journey to succeed in the best ranges of bike racing. A local of Australia, Lawrence and his household — together with his brother Hunter, who additionally races professionally — moved to Europe in the course of the brothers’ teenage years, the place they endured financial hardship within the pursuit of racing success.
The Lawrences in the end proved their racing prowess, shifting to america in 2018 and incomes their AMA Professional licenses in 2019 when Jett was solely 16 years previous. From there, Jett raced his strategy to various championships — together with a pair of AMA Professional Motocross 250 Championships in 2021 and 2022 — finishing his final aim of racing on the higher echelon of the game.
“What Jett Lawrence achieved this 12 months was extraordinary,” mentioned AMA Board of Administrators Chairman Russ Ehnes. “The mix of his AMA Supercross and Professional Motocross wins, in addition to his good rookie season, was worthy of recognition, which is why we chosen him because the 2023 AMA Motorcyclist of the Yr. We’re proud to have Jett and his brother Hunter as AMA members, and the Lawrence household’s story — transitioning from Australia to Europe to america in quest of attaining Jett and Hunter’s racing desires — is actually compelling.”
Thomas’ lifelong dedication to the game of motorcycling made him the right candidate for the AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award, which is offered yearly to a person who offers the best degree of service to the AMA in any space of exercise.
“He did a variety of actually good work and impacted a variety of households,” Thomas’ grandson, Chase, mentioned. “It’s actually cool that [the AMA] went again and honored him as a result of he did so much for the driving on this space.”
Thomas established the West Kentucky Path Riders AMA membership in 1970, thus starting a future as a race promoter for a number of AMA Nationwide Enduros and Hare Scrambles. In 1987, Thomas based the KT Riders AMA Membership, which presently promotes the longest working AMA Twin Sport sequence within the nation within the LBL 200, which takes place within the Land Between the Lakes Nationwide Recreation Space in Tennessee.
For his tireless efforts as a promoter, Thomas and his household obtained the AMA Leisure Using Organizer of the Yr in 2019. Regardless of his passing on Sept. 29, Thomas’ impression is felt all through his household as his son, Bob, and his grandsons, Chase and Dustin, have continued his work with KT Riders, now often called Thomas Brothers Promotions.
Past the world of selling, Thomas additionally raced flat observe within the late ’50s and owned a profitable motorbike dealership in Cadiz, Ky. Thomas was additionally a fixture in his group, serving to open a number of county recycling websites, whereas serving on boards for the Trigg County Hospital, Trigg County Recreation Middle, the Tennessee Valley Advisory and the U.S. Forestry Service Advisory.
In regards to the American Motorcyclist Affiliation
Based in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based affiliation whose mission is to advertise the motorbike life-style and defend the way forward for motorcycling. Because the world’s largest motorcycling rights and occasion sanctioning group, the AMA advocates for riders’ pursuits in any respect ranges of presidency and sanctions hundreds of competitors and leisure occasions yearly. Moreover providing members money-saving reductions on services, the AMA additionally publishes American Motorcyclist, a lately revitalized and month-to-month full-color journal (and digital model of similar) that covers present occasions and motorbike historical past with good images and compelling writing. American Motorcyclist can also be North America’s largest-circulation journal. By means of the AMA Bike Corridor of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For extra info, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
Not a member? Be a part of the AMA right now: AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
