Sam Drane claims Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award
Australian teenager sweeps four national class championships during a dominant week at Du Quoin
Australian Sam Drane has capped a formidable week at the 2026 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship by receiving the prestigious Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award.
The young racer from Forbes, New South Wales, emerged as overall champion in four separate categories during five days of competition at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois.
Drane claimed the:
- 250cc Open Singles championship;
- 450cc Production – Road to the Pros championship;
- 450cc Production/Open Singles–Twins championship; and
- 505cc championship.
It was a comprehensive demonstration of Drane’s ability to adapt across the different machinery and track disciplines encountered during the Grand Championship.
He also had to overcome mechanical problems during the second Half-Mile session, making the breadth of his results all the more impressive.
A significant pointer towards the professional ranks
The Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award is the most prestigious individual honour presented at the AMA’s amateur flat-track showcase and recognises the rider considered best prepared to succeed at the professional level.
Nicky Hayden received the inaugural Horizon Award in 1997, before embarking on a career that would take him from the American dirt tracks to an AMA Superbike Championship, victory in the Daytona 200 and, ultimately, the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. The award was renamed in Hayden’s honour in 2017.
Its roll of honour includes riders such as Jared Mees, Roger Lee Hayden, Briar Bauman, Kody Kopp, Chase Saathoff and Dallas Daniels, underlining the significance of Drane’s selection.
Ken Saillant – AMA Track Racing Manager
“Sam is a remarkable talent on the racetrack, showing outstanding versatility across all disciplines of flat track racing.
“I look forward to following his pursuits at the professional level of racing, as he has showcased the necessary demeanour and professionalism to excel as a pro.”
Drane’s American record continues to grow
Drane’s success at Du Quoin is the latest chapter in an American campaign that MCNews readers have watched develop across both flat track and road racing.
At the 2024 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship, Drane secured the 250cc Production and 250cc Modified titles while also finishing third overall in the Open Singles 250/450 championship.
He returned in 2025 to win three of the four championships he contested at Du Quoin, taking the 450cc Production, 450cc Modified and 250/450cc Open Singles crowns.
Drane has since begun proving that same pace against riders travelling along the pathway towards professional American Flat Track competition.
During Daytona Bike Week in March, Drane won the first Main Event of the new AFT ProSport 450 era, passing Ryder Bitz-Hay to take victory for Estenson Racing.
After missing the following three rounds, Drane returned to the category at the Nashville Short Track in June and immediately won again, prevailing after an entertaining series of exchanges with Jesse Costan-Wood.
His talents are not confined to the dirt.
Drane claimed his first MotoAmerica victory in the Talent Cup at Road America in 2025, edging fellow Australian Bodie Paige and Alessandro Di Mario in a three-rider drafting battle in which only 0.040 seconds covered the podium.
He went on to finish third in the 2025 Talent Cup standings after collecting nine podiums during his rookie season.
Drane then started his 2026 campaign with another striking demonstration of his versatility. Shortly after his ProSport victory at the Daytona Flat Track, the Australian stepped up to MotoAmerica Twins Cup machinery and won the second race at Daytona International Speedway by just 0.010 seconds.
The parallels should not be overstated, but there is a certain symmetry in a rider successfully combining flat track and road racing being presented with an award bearing Hayden’s name. That broad riding education was central to Hayden’s own development, and Drane is building an increasingly impressive record on both surfaces.
Sam Drane
“The Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award means a lot to me.
“This was definitely a lot more difficult compared to last year, but it’s definitely been one of the best I’ve had. I can’t thank the team enough and everybody that helped me.”
Another Australian championship at Du Quoin
Drane was not the only Australian to leave the 2026 Grand Championship with a national title.
Lucy Heaton-New claimed the Supermini championship for riders aged 12 to 15, adding another Australian name to the list of class winners at Du Quoin.
American Paige Keck received the Bill Werner AMA Fast Brain Award, which recognises achievement both on the racetrack and in the classroom. Keck became the third consecutive woman to receive the award and earned a scholarship towards her future collegiate studies.
Jayden Nickens was named the AMA Youth Racer of the Year, while Dallas Mayer received the AMA Vet/Senior Racer of the Year honour.
