For Warren 12-year-old Griffin Dezan, this summer featured lining up against the nation's best young motocross riders at some call the Super Bowl of amateur motocross.
Dezan recently competed in the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, after surviving a qualifying process that began with more than 30,000 riders nationwide. Only 42 riders earned a starting spot in each championship class. Dezan qualified in the 85cc (10-12) Limited division, one of the premier youth classes at the national event.
For Dezan, the journey began when he was a toddler.
YEAR-ROUND
His parents, Jeremiah Dezan and Kelly Steadman of Warren, said he was riding a mini bike with training wheels as a toddler. During Vermont winters, custom-built Timbersled conversions allowed him to continue riding through the snow, keeping him on two wheels year-round.
Since then, Dezan has climbed through nearly every youth bike class, collecting trophies along the way.
Preparing for last week’s Loretta Lynn's required months of travel and training. Dezan and his family attended races and practice sessions in Texas, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and other states. Much of this year was spent training at the Georgia Practice Facility, where he worked with professional motocross instructors Shea Bentley and Jordan Renfro.
THREE MOTOS
The championship itself represents the pinnacle of amateur motocross. Many of the sport's biggest stars — including Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb — raced at Loretta Lynn's before launching professional careers.
Although Griffin typically races with No. 777, national championship riders are assigned event numbers. At Loretta Lynn's, he competed as No. 70 in three motos held during the week-long championship.
