IN 2016 there was just one weekend between the end of Supercross and the start of the Nationals. How’d we spend that time off? At the track, hosting the 2016 TWMX Trans-Am, presented by MTA Distributing, that’s how! As soon as the checkered flag flew on our first major amateur National championship event in 2015, we converged in our palatial conference room and drafted up a few more ideas that we knew would make the Trans-Am a must-race occasion on the calendar.

We knew we had to keep the things that made the original race a success: three motos per class spread over two days at one of the best tracks on the West Coast, creative awards that wouldn’t just collect dust in the garage, post-race activities in the pit area, plus innovative and free digital coverage on our website for every racer to take as their own. And all of that had to be done without putting our participants in the financial red, something our editor-in-chief, Donn Maeda, once experienced firsthand. “In 2007, I raced the amateur National of the year. While it was an experience of a lifetime and the drama of the qualifying process gave me constant goals to strive for, man, was it expensive! When all was said and done, I had spent well over $5,000 in entry fees and travel expenses, and that’s not counting the free test bikes, parts, and riding gear that my position affords,” he reflects. “When it came time to design the TWMX Trans-Am last year, the main thing I felt was important was to create a top-notch event that delivered a premium experience at an affordable price.”