With the success and newsworthy moments by female athletes this year at the AMA Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s, it’s safe to refer to this year as the year of the female. Not only was there some great racing and battles, but a number of athletes in the girls’ and women’s classes broke down barriers and accomplished things never done before.
Yumena Berning
This young girl has been competing at a high level in motocross for a few years now, and this year at Loretta’s was the year she put things together. This would be her fifth year at the ranch and would be her second year racing in the 65cc (7-9) class, in which she placed twentieth in limited and thirty-fourth in the mod class last year. It was a strong showing competing against the fastest boys in that age group. This year would be different as Yumena would shock the motocross community and become the first female to podium in a moto in the boys’ class at Loretta’s. She finished in second place in Moto 1 of the 65cc (7-9) limited class, and the week only got better from there. She followed up with another second place in Moto 3, and a 2-5-2 finishes for the week gave her second overall in that class.
In her other class, 65cc (7-9), the mod class, she placed fourth in each of the three motos, which earned her third place overall for another overall podium. That made for two moto podiums and overall podiums in both of her classes, which will cement her in history for her performance last week.
Raycin Kyler
It would only take till the second motos for Raycin to begin to cement her place in Loretta’s history also. In the second moto of 65cc (10-11) limited class, Raycin finished in second place and grabbed her first podium of the week and first by a girl in that class also. She would continue a strong showing in that class with another second place in Moto three, and that consistency would pay off by the end of the week. her 4-2-2 finishes were enough to earn her the overall win for the limited class, making her the first female to take an overall win in a boys’ class at the AMA Nationals. She also raced the mod class and had 10-7-14 finishes for ninth overall. Raycin has had the spotlight on her most of this season as she had great results at the qualifier and regional phases of the run-up to the ranch. She was also selected as part of the team to represent the USA in the Youth Motocross of Nations that took place this summer in Europe before the Nationals.
Hannah Jamison
Hannah was another one of the young ladies who was getting a lot of attention and buzz heading into the Nationals this year. She was tearing up the competition in the qualifier and regional rounds and caught the eyes of the internet. She finished second overall last year in the girls’ class and was considered one of the front-runners for the title this year. Her consistent finishes of 1-2-1 gave her the overall win and her first-ever title in the girls’ class. She also competed in the Mini Sr. 2 (13-15) class and had DNF-13-10 for twenty-first overall in a very tough class that the fastest boys split their time between this class and Supermini.
Lachlan Turner
Don’t let that soft spoken voice of Lachlan “LaLa” fool you, as this young lady is a fierce competitor and maybe the highest compliment is that you can say she rides like a guy with that level of aggression. She would compete in the Womens and 250B Limited classes at the ranch, with her being one of the title favorites for the womens class. Last year she won the girls class and finished just off the podium in fourth for the womens class. This year, she was only racing the big bike and has gained a lot more valuable experience and would not be denied. She would have a perfect 1-1-1 sweep of the womens class, earning her the 2025 title. With finishes of 29-16-9 in the B class with the boys she got better each moto with a top 10 finish in a highly competitive class in moto three.
Mayla Herrick
This would be Mayla’s fifth year at the ranch, and having won the girls’ class title back in 2023, she was a favorite to repeat this year. Last year, she battled LaLa for the title in the girls’ class, but a hard crash in the Ten Commandments would end her title hopes, and she ended up with a fourteenth overall as a result. This would not sit well with such a competitive young lady who spent the year working hard and looking to reclaim her title, all while also moving up to a bigger bike to also race in the women’s class for the first season also. The crash demon would spoil her chances again this year in the girls’ class with 2-1-39 finishes; another crash in the third moto would put her as twelfth overall. She had a far better outcome in the women’s class with 4-4-2 results that landed her in third overall and on the podium for her first year in the class and on a 250cc big bike. She proved that she will be a force to reckon with for years to come in the women’s class.
Kyleigh Stalings
While she would face some stiff competition, she was the two-time defending champion in the womens class and one in the girls class, making her a favorite in the race for the title this year again. She has also been racing the WMX series on Pro Motocross weekends against most of her competition this week at the ranch. Her consistent 2-2-3 moto results would land her in second place overall at the end of the week. While she did not have an answer for LaLa’s raw speed, she did have some great races and grabbed a couple of holeshots.
