Bell County is home to a budding motocross star. Six-year-old Christopher Williams, of Pineville, has qualified to run in the largest amateur motocross race in the world.
The 31st Annual Red Bull AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships will be held from July 29 through Aug. 4 at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Williams is one of 42 children from across the country that will be running in the AMA 4-6 year old, 51cc stock class during the event.
“The Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” said event director Tim Cotter. “Most of America’s top professional motocrossers, including James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana and Jeremy McGrath, have won AMA Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s.”
Christopher picked up the sport along with his older brother, Alexander, when they were three and five, respectively. The brothers are both passionate about racing and ride nearly every weekend.
“Chris started watching motocross and supercross on TV when was two and just really had an interest in it,” said his father, James Williams. “His brother was starting to ride and he just got into it.”
Chris is talented and determined to be a top rider, striving to ride one day with top professionals including his coaches Matt Vonlinger and Luke Vonlinger with VMBX Schools.
He is sponsored by Fly Racing, VBMX Schools, and rides Cobra motorcycles for Barefoot Racing in New York. Chris won a championship in the FMF Indoor Winter Arenacross series which travels through North Carolina, Tennessee and includes a stop at the Arena in Corbin.
The top finishers in area and regional qualifiers earn a birth into the National Championship race at Loretta Lynn’s. Christopher qualified at the Mideast area qualifier at Daniel Boone Motocross in London on March 10. From there he rode at the Mideast Regional in Bowling Green on June 9. He also qualified at the area qualifier for the Southeast Region at Muddy Creek in Kingsport, Tenn., on April 28. After the Muddy Creek area qualifier, he rode at the Southeast Regional Championship at Windy Hills MX outside of Rockingham, N.C., on June 16 where he qualified to go to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
Chris is the son of James and Larra Williams of Pineville.
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