For the last 20 years the AMA has honored up-and-coming riders with the Rookie of the Year Award. However, winning the crown isn't a guarantee of future success, nor does it carry with it any monetary award. In fact, unlike most other AMA titles which are based on simple points counting, the Rookie of the Year award is rife with controversy, mystery and the arbitrariness of unknown criteria. The selection process is so convoluted that not even the riders know if they are considered rookies or not.
That said, here are the men who have earned the Rookie of the Year award.
AMA ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
For the last 13 years the AMA has named only one Rookie of the Year, before that (1979-1985) a rider from each displacement class was named. Since the AMA stopped naming separate 125, 250 and 500 Rookie awards, the individual winner has come from the 125 class with just one exception-Jeff Stanton in 1987.
Year... Rookie
2001... Bobby Bonds
2000... Travis Pastrana
1999... Ernesto Fonseca
1998... Nick Wey
1997... Brock Sellards
1996... Ricky Carmichael
1995... Paul Currie
1994... Kevin Windham
1993... Robbie Reynard
1992... Tim Ferry
1991... Butch Smith
1990... Buddy Antunez
1989... Damon Bradshaw
1988... Donny Schmit
1987... Jeff Stanton
1986... Larry Brooks
1985... Billy Frank (125)
Scooter Stafford (250)
Kevin Foley (500)
1984... Guy Cooper (125)
Keith Bowen (250)
Ron Dunfee (500)
1983... Ron Lechien (125)
Billy Liles (250)
Tim Locey (500)
1982... George Holland (125)
Jim Tartantino (250)
John Finkeldey (500)
1981... Rick Johnson (125)
Andy Stacy (250)
Kenny Keylon (500)
1980... Scott Burnworth (125)
Mike Loeffler (250)
Alan King (500)
1979... Larry Wosick (125)
Donnie Cantaloupi (250)
Goat Breker (500)
ROOKIES WHO BECAME CHAMPS
Seven of the 34 AMA Rookies of the Year have gone on to win World, National or Supercross Championships. In fact, between the seven riders, they have earned 21 titles. Jeff Stanton (6) and Ricky Johnson (7) contributed 13 Championships, while Donny Schmit was the only Rookie of the Year to ever win a World Championship (Donny won three).
Rider Title
Travis Pastrana...125 National
Ricky Carmichael...125 National
Donny Schmit...125/250 World
Jeff Stanton...250/SX
Guy Cooper...125 National
Ron Lechien...125 National
George Holland...125 National
Rick Johnson...250/500/SX
ROOKIES WHO GOT
FACTORY RIDES
What are your odds of getting a full-boat factory ride after winning the AMA Rookie of the Year title? Fifty-five percent of the honorees made the step up to the big time. Here is the list.
Rookie Team
Travis Pastrana.........Suz
Ricky Carmichael........Kaw
Kevin Windham...........Yam/Hon
Robbie Reynard..........Kaw/Suz
Tim Ferry...............Suz
Damon Bradshaw..........Yam
Donny Schmit............Suz/Yam
Jeff Stanton............Yam/Hon
Guy Cooper..............Hon/Suz
Keith Bowen.............Yam/KTM
Ron Lechien.............Yam/Hon/Kaw
Billy Liles.............Kaw
George Holland..........Suz/Hon
Rick Johnson............Yam/Hon
Kenny Keylon............Hon
Scott Burnworth.........Yam/Suz
Alan King...............Suz
Larry Wosick............Kaw
Donnie Cantaloupi.......Yam
Goat Breker.............Kaw
THE LEAST-KNOWN ROOKIES
Not every Rookie of the Year pans out as a great star of the sport, . For all their potential, they get derailed by injury, finances or bad breaks. Riders like John Finkeldey, Jim Tarantino, Kevin Foley and Scooter Stafford may not be household names, but they achieved considerably more success than the least-known AMA Rookies of the Year.
Rookie..........Year
Butch Smith.....1991
Ron Dunfee......1984
Tim Locey.......1983
Mike Loeffler...1980
ROOKIES WHOSE NAMES
WERE MISSPELLED
Being named the AMA Rookie of the Year may seem impressive, but it loses most of its appeal when the AMA misspells your name in the record book. Believe it or not, out of the 34 riders to receive the honor, the AMA got the names wrong on two of them. That's not the best way to go down in history.
Correct way.....AMA way
Tim Locey.......Tom Locey
Jim Tarantino...Tim Tarantino
ROOKIES WHO BECAME
TEAM MANAGERS
Team managers make decisions about who to hire-and it's very likely that the AMA Rookie of the Year makes their short list of potential candidates. Surprisingly, over the last 20 years, only two AMA Rookies of the Year have made it to team management.
Rookie..........Team
Larry Brooks....Chaparral
Jeff Stanton....Honda
ROOKIE WHO RODE
THE LEAST RACES
In 1996 the AMA named Ricky Carmichael the Rookie of the Year even though he only rode one race. Not surprisingly, the naming of Carmichael angered not only other rookie riders who had raced the complete National and Supercross series, but also Carmichael. Ricky didn't feel that his 16-6 finish at one race (Delmont) constituted a complete rookie season. He felt that 1997 should, in actuality, be his official rookie season. When Ricky won the 125 National Championship the next year, he lamented the fact that he had been denied the honor of winning the Rookie of the Year award at the same time as the National Championship.
Who should have been the 1996 AMA Rookie of the Year? The top candidates were Australian Kim Ashkenazi, Californian Casey Lytle and Kansan Robbie Skaggs.
ROOKIES WHO MOVED
TO SOUTH AFRICA
We don't know what the connection is, but two AMA Rookies of the Year became South African National Champions a few years afterwards. Jim Tarantino, who rose to fame as the King of Saddleback, and Larry Wosick, who finished sixth in the 1980 250 Nationals, both dominated South African motocross throughout the '80s.
