PICKERINGTON, Ohio The fourth annual AMA Sports Awards Banquet will be held Nov. 17, 2006, at The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Nearly 400 national champions in more than a dozen forms of motorcycle and ATV competition will be honored for their achievements in 2006. The 2006 Awards of Excellence also will be presented to the year’s top riders, promoters and members of the media. The banquet will take place at a new venue in 2006, The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, which will be the center of activity during the AMA Las Vegas Invasion weekend. Other weekend events include the AMA Pro Racing Championship Awards Banquet, also at the Rio, and the Maxxis EnduroCross at The Orleans Arena. The AMA Sports evening includes a reception at 6:30 p.m., dinner beginning at 7:30 p.m., and the awards presentations starting at 8:30 p.m. SPEED TV host Greg White and MX Sports’ Tim Cotter will share the master of ceremonies honors at this year’s banquet. In addition, a number of the 2006 AMA Sports Awards will be presented to the stars of tomorrow by today’s motorcycle-racing superstars. Reserve your seat or table at the banquet by registering online or by downloading a mail-in registration form. For additional information, contact Sue Mason at (614) 856-1900, extension 1244, or [email protected]. Nominees for major 2006 AMA Sports Awards: AMA Sports Athlete of the Year Geoff Aaron, Bailey, Colo. – Observed Trials Cory Burleson, Harrison, Ark. – Road Racing Greg Hancock, Costa Mesa, Calif. – Speedway Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore. – Motocross Juha Salminen, Finland – GNCC AMA Sports Veteran/Senior Rider of the Year Thomas Carringer, Salinas, Calif. – Dirt Track Charlie Coleman, Courtland, N.Y. – Road Racing Jimmy Evans, Riverside, Calif. – Motocross AMA Sports Female Rider of the Year Louise Forsley, Bernardston, Mass. – Observed Trials Tarah Geiger, Vero Beach, Fla. – Motocross Shayna Texter, Willow Street, Pa. – Dirt Track AMA Sports Youth Rider of the Year Walker Fowler, Rogers, Ohio – GNCC ATV and Bike Hayden Gillim, Owensboro, Ky. – Dirt Track / Road Racing Josiah Mizell, Cleveland, Texas – Observed Trials Jessy Nelson, Templeton, Calif. – Motocross ATVA Athlete of the Year Bill Ballance, Bowling Green, Ky. – GNCC Joe Byrd, Union City, Tenn. – Motocross Tim Farr, Massillon, Ohio – Dirt Track Wayne Matlock, Lakeside, Calif. – Hare & Hound Frank Wilson, Delbarton, W.V. – Hillclimb ATVA Amateur Rider of the Year Tyler Lenig, Shamokin, Pa. – GNCC Mitch Reynolds, Greenbrier, Ark. – Dirt Track / Motocross Josh Upperman, Louisville, Ohio – Motocross ATVA Veteran/Senior Rider of the Year Ken Marcou, Millston, Wis. – Dirt Track Dave Simmons, Painesville, Ohio – GNCC Tommy Tantillo, Manorville, N.Y. – Motocross ATVA Female Rider of the Year Angela Butler, Laveen, Ariz. – Motocross Traci Cecco, Shamokin, Penn. – GNCC Candace Lee, Four Oaks, N.C. – Dirt Track ATVA Youth Rider of the Year Walker Fowler, Rogers, Ohio – GNCC Richard Lindsey, Atco, N.J. – Motocross Kendall Webb, Branson, Mo. – Dirt Track / Motocross ATVA Organizer of the Year Pine Lake, Ashtabula, Ohio Racer Productions, Morgantown, W.V. Victory Sports, Blountville, Tenn. AMA Sports Broadcast Journalist of the Year Xtreme Speedway Action – Mark Williams Rodney Tomlin Jason Weigandt AMA Sports Photojournalist of the Year Harold Martin Shan Moore Tony Scavo AMA Sports Print Media Journalist of the Year Steve Berkner DeWanna Comer Charlie Williams AMA Sports Website of the Year www.atvriders.com www.flattrack.com www.sponsorhouse.com AMA Sports Motocross Organizer of the Year Millcreek Motocross / Bama Cycle Park, Pell City, Ala. Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J. Red Bud, Buchanan, Mich. AMA Sports Off-Road Organizer of the Year Cycle City Promotions, Stillwater, Okla. Racer Productions, Morgantown, W.V. Trials Training Center, Sequatchie, Tenn. AMA Sports Track Racing Organizer of the Year Indianhead Cycle Club, Red Wing, Minn. Sideways Promotions, Westminster, Mass. USA Speedway, Mt. Vernon, Ohio About AMA Sports AMA Sports is the amateur and pro-am competition arm of AMA Racing. AMA Sports sanctions over 4,000 events in 24 different disciplines each year and supports over 80 thousand active members. For more information about AMA Sports, visit ~www.amadirecklink.com/amrace/amasports.asp~.