Caleb Grothues, Callum Norton, Mackenzie Tricker, Luke Reardon, Luke Clout, Jacob Blomfield, Brad West and Hayden Mellross have all secured a place in the prestigious Championship, after progressing through a tough haul of area and regional qualifying events across the United States.

Having made it to the top of a pack of nearly 18,000 aspiring young riders, the eight Aussie's will now join with 1,406 other qualifiers for an epic six days of racing at the Nationals.

Two-times West Australian Junior Motocross Champion Caleb Grothues will test his mettle at the Ranch in the hotly contested 65cc (10-11 yrs) Stock and 65cc (10-11 yrs) Modified classes, after qualifying for both events with blistering second place finishes at the Regionals in Hesperia, California last month.

The 12-year-old KTM pilot will leap from the Loretta Lynn start gate with form on his side, having taken out a dazzling 2nd and 3rd result in the 65cc divisions at the recent Monster Energy Mammoth Motocross in California.

Grothues will follow up his week in Tennessee with a trip to Sevlievo in Bulgaria, where he will don green and gold to represent Australia at the 2012 Junior Motocross World Championship on 26 August.

Fellow Team Australia member and KTM rider Callum Norton will follow the same trajectory, taking on the 85cc (9-11 yrs) Stock and 85cc (9-11 yrs) Modified at the Loretta Lynn Ranch before heading on to the World Championship next month.

11-year old Norton – who holds the Australian 65cc (9-U11 yrs)  and Victorian 65cc A Grade crowns - is a deserving starter for the Amateur Nationals, having cemented his place with standout 3rd and 4th place overall finishes at the qualifiers in Hesperia, California.

Grothues and Norton will be joined at the Ranch by New South Wales star Mackenzie Tricker, who will no doubt face some fierce competition when she steps aboard her Yamaha to contest the Womens 14+ class.

The 16-year old has cut an impressive path to the Ranch, collecting first places finishes at the Area Qualifiers in Rossville and Reddick and a three-moto clean sweep at the Regional Qualifier in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

With a long list of achievements to her name, including a triplet of 2011 Australian Motocross, Dirt Track and Long Track victories and a win at the 2011 ‘Mini Olympics’ American Amateur National Championship in Florida , Tricker is a serious contender for the coveted class crown.

16-year old Queenslander Luke Reardon will have a battle on his hands when he lines up for the fast-paced College B/C (16-24) and 250 B Stock classes.

The KTM rider secured himself a berth at the Tennessee Ranch with a strong progression through the Area and Regional qualifying meets, including a triple podium finish at the South West Region Area Qualifer in Mesquite in March.

New South Welshman Luke Clout will kit up for the 250 B Modified and 450B Stock contests. The path to the Championship has been a clear for the 15-year-old, who picked up a swag of podium results in the Area and Regional qualifiers and recorded a mammoth seven first place finishes.

The young gun Honda rider, who powered to an overall third place finish in the Schoolboy Class at the 2011 Mini Olympics and also picked up the 150cc 14-U16 crown at the 2010 Australian Junior Motocross Championship, looks certain be a formidable challenger in both classes.

Seventeen-year-old  Jacob Blomfield will tackle the fiercely competitive 450 A and Open Pro Sport classes. The Honda rider made his way through to Tennessee with a swag of strong qualifying performances, inlclduing a first place finish in the Open Pro Sport class at the Mid-East Region Area Qualifier in Livingston.

The Queenslander, who has been living in the United States since 2006, should feel right at home at the Ranch, having competed at three previous National Championships in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

The youngest Aussie to make his way to the Loretta Lynn gate this year will be eight-year old Brad West, who will compete in the 51 (7-8) AMA 2 Stock. The Queenslander looks set to bring the challenge to his rivals, having forged a strong path to the Ranch with a fifth placing at the Area Qualifier in Reddick and an eight placing at the Regionals in Ellerbe.

The young KTM pilot has already demonstrated his winning skills this year, collecting a fourth place finish in the 4-8 Open Stock at the 2012 Spring Classic during his first trip to the US in MArch and sweeping up a Queensland Junior Championship crown at Gumvalley in June, and will be looking to maintain momentum with a strong result at the Ranch.

The eighth and final Aussie to feature on the 2012 Amateur National Motocross Championship bill is New South Wales pilot Hayden Mellross, who will contest the Schoolboys 2 (13-16 yrs) Grade and the 450cc B Modified Class.

The current Australian Junior Motocross 65cc (11-U13 yrs) Champion arrives at the Loretta Lynn Ranch after a feisty qualifying run, where he pocketed podium finishes at the Area Qualifiers in Rossville and Mason and at the Regional Qualifiers in Bowling Green and Buchanan to qualify in four separate classes.

With competitors only permitted to contest two classes apiece at the National Championship, Mellross has carefully selected his two preferred events and is confident he will make it to the podium, with a little help from lady luck.

The Loretta Lynn’s will be the pinnacle of a year of hard work for the 16-year old Honda rider, who has been living and training full-time at the renowned Millsapps Training Facility in Cairo, Georgia.

The Amateur National Motocross Championship has a long and rich history, and has been an integral component of the US Motorcycle Sport calendar since its inception in 1975. The Championship has produced a long line of stars, including Travis Pastrana, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath and Kevin Windham.

The 2012 Red Bull Amateur National Motocross Championship gets underway at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Tennessee this Sunday 29 July and runs through to Saturday 4 August.

For the latest news and information from the event, visit www.mxsports.com.