For nearly 50 years Southern California's FMF Racing, one of the most iconic names in the industry, has  poured all its resources into developing the finest exhausts available in the motorcycle marketplace. Throughout its tenure as a partner of the world's most prestigious off-road motorcycle racing championship, FMF has sought to leverage its support of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship by bringing well-deserved attention to the underdog racers who fight tooth and nail each weekend as a privateer. As a result, the FMF Privateer Power Award has become an embodiment of what the brand stands for, and what these lesser-known racers epitomize every time the gate drops.

Each week, FMF and the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will recognize the rider that deserves to be celebrated for his efforts at every stop of the 12-round season. Each selected rider will be recognized for his ability to defy the odds and capture head-turning results, showing no intimidation as he battles alongside some of the sport's biggest names in what is considered to be the deepest field of talent ever assembled in series history.

Each recipient of the FMF Privateer Power Award will be given special recognition as part of the riders meeting at the following national and is awarded with a custom-designed trophy.

Despite all its beauty, Washougal MX Park can be an absolute monster of a racetrack. With its deceptively slick racing surface and dramatic shifts of light as riders duck in and out of the shadows, it's one of the most challenging stops in American motocross. Success at the Washougal is hard to come by, and it's why Derek Kelley's performance at the MotoSport.com Washougal National was so impressive.

Kelley joined the pro ranks in 2019 and has shown consistent improvement with each season. Last year the hard work paid off with a pair of finishes inside the top 20 and since the start of the new season Kelley has kept the momentum rolling with a respectable 2021 campaign. Entering Washougal he had already equaled his two top-20 efforts from the previous season and proceeded to take things a step further with the best outing of his young career. 

Kelley was a fixture inside the top 15 all afternoon at Washougal, taking full advantage of good starts. He wrapped up his trip to the Pacific Northwest with a pair of 14th-place finishes for a career-best 14th overall. An effort of that caliber makes Kelley an easy choice to be the recipient of the FMF Privateer Power Award for Washougal.

Washougal:
#73 Derek Kelley / Riverside, California / GASGAS
250 Class: 14th overall (14-14)

2021 FMF Privateer Power Award Recipients

Fox Raceway I:
#72 Coty Schock / Dover, Delaware / Honda
450 Class: 15th overall (16-15)

Thunder Valley:
#43 Fredrik Noren / Sweden / KTM
450 Class: 15th overall (15-14)

High Point:
#220 Ramy Alves / Coconut Creek, Florida / GASGAS
250 Class: 16th overall (16-15)

RedBud:
#72 Coty Schock / Dover, Delaware / Honda
450 Class: 11th overall (13-12)

The Wick 338:
#376 Chris Canning / Coventry, Connecticut / KTM
450 Class: 14th overall (14-14)

Spring Creek:
#97 Ben LaMay / Anchorage, Alaska / KTM
450 Class: 16th overall (15-15)