From a press release issued by 1-888-FASTLAP:

STOKES NOMINATED FOR AMA SPORTS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

MARIETTA, Ga.- 1-888-FASTLAP racer Brian Stokes hopes to add the AMA Sports Athlete of the Year award to his list of accomplishments in only his first year of professional road racing, after being announced as one of the six nominees for the prestigious award.

Stokes, who races a Suzuki GSX-R750 in the AMA Pro Racing Genuine Suzuki Accessories Superstock Series, has been selected as the road racing nominee for AMA Sports Athlete of the Year.

AMA Sports is the world’s largest motorsports-sanctioning body, sanctioning over 4000 amateur and pro-am events every year in over 12 different forms of motorcycle and ATV racing.

The AMA Sports Athlete of the Year award, which is new this year and will become an annual tradition, is given to a racer that has outstanding accomplishments in AMA Sports events. Six nominees are chosen from among the hundreds of racers who participate each year in AMA Sports events.

“It’s a big surprise,” said Stokes of his nomination. “It’s a huge honor to be considered for this. The list of riders that were nominated along with me is impressive; I’m in really good company.”

Stokes won the AMA Road Race Horizon Award earlier this year after taking two victories during the AMA Sports National Championships at Mid-Ohio. He considers the accomplishment to be the best of his racing career, and Stokes feels that being named the AMA Sports Athlete of the Year will be just as significant.

“I raced motocross for ten years, so I know how difficult it is to be involved in some of the other nominees’ sports,” commented Stokes. “Just being mentioned among the best in motorcycle racing as a whole would be great, and a good way to end the season. Winning this would be good motivation for me in my quest to win an AMA National championship next year.”

The AMA Sports Athlete of the Year will be named during the AMA Sports Awards Banquet on Friday, November 21, in Las Vegas, Nev.