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Battle lines are drawn for the prestigious AMA Horizon Award

The Texas contingent's fleet of hardware.

July 22, 2002 - The AMA Road Race Grand Championships got under way today with a strong contingent of Texas road racers prepared to make an assault on the top prize in club road racing: the Horizon Award, given to a club level road-racer who shows the most promise for a successful professional career.

The Texas contingent of eight riders brought 15 bikes to contest the road races with the hope of one of them taking home the top honor.

But 28-year-old Opie Caylor of Marietta, Georgia, who signed up to run in six races, wants to spoil the Texans' hopes and take home the award for his own.

"I've raced with these guys a lot," Caylor says of the Texans. "Every one of these guys is tough. But I've come here for the Horizon Award."

The two-day AMA Grand Championships began under sunny skies and blistering heat at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Club road racers from around the nation arrived to test themselves on the technical 2.4-mile,15-turn track, as well as to face the best club road racers in the country on neutral ground.

The major battles will take place tomorrow, when those competing for the prestigious Horizon Award face off in the eight "premier" sprint races that will determine the winner.

One of those competing will be Adam Coco, a 20-year-old from Garland, Texas, who knows he will be facing the best of the best club racers on an unfamiliar track.

"I've come to try to win the Horizon Award," Coco says. "It would look good on the resume. I want to get support for AMA Pro racing next year. But they're (the competition) here to do the same thing I am."

Even so, Coco tries not to think about the competition.

"I'm trying to stay focused on myself," he says. "I respect them but I'm not trying to make any best friends."

Kevin Pate, a 27-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, is entered in five of the premier races in his bid to earn the Horizon Award. He says he would love to win the award because of the attention it attracts.

But even if he doesn't win, Pate says it's great to travel with his friends to Mid-Ohio and other races.

"It's great to have everyone here," he says as he looks around the Texas contingent's pits. "We're on the road so much that it's like a big family. The atmosphere is just great."

Troy Green, 28, of Dallas, says he just wants to go out and "have fun racing with some fast guys." He admits winning the Horizon Award would be a boost to his career "and great for my sponsors."

Ty Howard, a 24-year-old member of the Texas contingent from Fort Worth, prepared as best he could to make his assault on the Mid-Ohio track. He says he watched all the videos he could of races at the track, as well as walking the track last night.

And he's excited.

"The track is really neat," Howard says. "Some people said the track was rough. but compared to some of the tracks at home, it's like glass."

So what will it take to win races at Mid-Ohio?

You have to get a good start, Howard says. There are really only three good places to pass on the technical track.

"If someone gets away early, you're done," Howard says. "If I can get past guys on the first straight, I'll be OK."

Caylor agrees.

"Hopefully I'll start at the front," he says. "You don't want to go 110 percent from the beginning. You want to be close at the end and set up the pass. It's a technical track, and there are only a few places to pass."

"The competition is going to be tough. it's going to be tight," Caylor says. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

© 2002, American Motorcyclist Association