LENART EARNS NMA CHAMPIONSHIP DESPITE SCRATCHING LAST THREE EVENTS
By Aaron Kresge
It was a near thing, but rookie Owen Lenart secured the NMA Piston Prime Championship when Tyler Biggs finished second in the final heat of the season at Budds Creek Raceway in Mechanicsville, MD. Biggs needed a win in that heat to take the championship from Lenart, who withdrew from the competition with just three weeks to go after dominating the series. Alex Herrera, another NMA rookie, beat out Biggs by making a dramatic pass in the penultimate corner, thereby denying Biggs his second consecutive championship. Nick Womack, predicted by many to be a contender for this year’s championship, came in a disappointing sixth and has expressed some doubt as to his future on the NMA circuit. Lenart was not available for comment.
Lenart’s decision not to contest at Blountville, Jacksonville, and Mechanicsville has puzzled many NMA insiders. Some speculate that he was uncomfortable with the limelight brought on by his sudden launch into fame outside motocross circles when several pictures of him went viral on Twitter—and later on Instagram and Facebook—under the hashtag #hotcrossbuns. Those close to him, including his mechanic and best friend, Darnell Lewis, deny this is the case but can offer no explanation except to say that Lenart simply needed a break after nearly seven continuous years of racing at nearly every level of motocross.
At a press conference following the race at Budds Creek, Biggs called Lenart "the most daring and most technically skilled motocross rider I've ever seen" and said he felt Lenart's win was fair despite his three-week absence. "No one else had a chance to win it as long as Owen was on the track. Whatever his reasons for choosing not to run, he deserves the championship." Biggs, who will turn thirty in September, also hinted that he has big plans for the future, but that those plans don’t include winning another championship. What that means remains to be seen…