FMF Privateer Power Award: Budds Creek National

Friday, August 23, 2019 | 8:00 AM

As one of motocross' most storied brands, it's fitting that Southern California's FMF Racing chooses to leverage its partnership and support of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship by touting the athletes who epitomize the brand's core values and, like the legendary exhaust manufacturer, continue to give it their all and strive to be the best, no matter the circumstance. With 45 years of existence, FMF's commitment to the sport is unrivaled, and its longstanding FMF Privateer Power Award has become one of the most coveted accolades amongst the riders who serve as the lifeblood of American motocross.

Each week, FMF and the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship ask the sport's loyal fan base to make their voices heard with a vote for who they think should be celebrated for his efforts at each and every stop of the 12-round season. Each selected rider will be recognized for his ability to overcome the odds in pursuit of his racing dream, and the unwavering determination to go bar-to-bar alongside the most talented racers on the planet.

Veteran Kyle Cunningham has only made four starts in 2019, making his season debut at RedBud. Despite the late start to the summer, the Honda rider has enjoyed solid rides and has been in the thick of the battle for the top 10 in the 450 Class at every race. The wealth of experience Cunningham has gained during all his years of battling the world's best has proven to be invaluable, and at Budds Creek he enjoyed his best outing of the season.

Cunningham just narrowly missed out on grabbing a pair of top-10 finishes in each moto, but he successfully withstood the heat and humidity to finish 11th in Moto 1 and back that up with a season-best eighth in Moto 2. Those scores gave landed him in the top 10 in the overall classification, and the motocross community recognized that stellar effort by selecting Cunningham as this week's recipient of the FMF Privateer Power Award.