In what was forecasted to be a rainy day in North Central Florida, chilly conditions and a nearly picture-perfect course are what greeted eager racers on the third weekend of March. Gatorback would serve as the season opener for all amateur classes, but for the professionals it was Round 2 following the season opening Daytona ATV Supercross just a week and a half prior. Entering Daytona, many wondered if now fourth-year pro Bryce Ford would be able to maintain his momentum following a season-ending podium last season, helping Team USA win the Quadcross of Nations in the Czech Republic last fall, and the inaugural Huevos Pro Invitational win as well – but preserve the wind in his sails is exactly what he did at the opener. Bryce’s strong effort earned him a spot in Daytona’s victory lane as the third-place podium finisher. So, with this momentum not just maintained, but now built upon, what would that mean as for the 20-year-old’s second act of 2023? 

In an interview with the Digging Deep ATVMX Podcast following his impressive podium finish at Daytona, Bryce Ford said “I really want to win one of these [pro races]”. Well, spoiler alert, he wouldn’t have to wait much longer before achieving this lifelong goal. The Gatorback track seemed to suit #4’s style almost instantly, as he looked comfy right away at Friday’s Press Day access to the racetrack. A fourth fastest qualifying time is what Bryce showed in qualifying, but (per Raisin Cain Racing) he saved his best for the motos as he would go on to log the fastest lap time of the weekend as a crazy day unfolded (1:56:196). It hadn’t been since his dominant season in the Pro-Am class that we saw THIS version of Bryce Ford! 

On Saturday, March 18, 2023, professional ATV motocross would see a brand-new overall winner for the first time in nearly ten years (Thomas Brown, Loretta Lynn’s – August 10, 2013). By day’s end, it would also be the first time that a rider not named Joel Hetrick or Chad Wienen would hold the red plate signifying them as the current series points leader since John Natalie won the inaugural Daytona ATV Supercross in March of 2015. Twelve years ago, almost to the day, a very young Bryce Ford won his first youth racing overall victory at an ATV National event. On this day in 2023, he would achieve his lifelong goal of doing just that against the very best ATV racers on the planet in the AMA ATV Pro Class. 

It was a day of firsts for Bryce Ford, who ripped out to a great start in Pro Moto 1 at Gatorback. Behind him, the two former champions were busy getting tangled up with one another in the first turn. With that duo spotting the field a bunch of valuable time early, it quickly became apparent that a first-time winner may be in store as the series returned to Gatorback. Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, Bryce Ford shadowed Jeffrey Rastrelli for the first eight laps of the opening moto before making his move. The #4 rider used a split lane corner to make the move on Rastrelli, who also had his sights set on a first career Pro Class win. Jeffrey didn’t go down without a fight, pressuring the youngster on the final lap, but he was too much. Bryce Ford was the first to cross the finish line, clinching the first moto victory of his professional career! 

Having now achieved his first career moto win, the focus quickly shifted to the potential of adding Bryce Ford’s name to the record books if he could complete the process and achieve his first career overall victory. It would take another good start to keep out of harm’s way at the front of the pack, and that’s exactly what was executed by the Ford Brothers Racing rider. It didn’t take long for this race to look like a mirror image of the day’s opening moto, with the only exception being Joel Hetrick riding around out front – but with a seventh-place finish in the first moto, it was unlikely that the three-time series champ would add another overall victory to his resume today. Instead, the battle for the overall win would come down to two riders fighting for their first-ever event wins. Bryce Ford found himself in third place, again shadowing Jeffrey Rastrelli for most of the moto. It wasn’t necessary for Bryce to make the pass on the twelfth-year pro, but on Lap 8 he did it anyway, using the same exact corner to make the move on Rastrelli. Much like the first moto, Jeffrey would continue to pressure Bryce for the position, but in the end it was Bryce Ford clinching his first career AMA ATV Pro Class overall win with 1-2 finishes on the day! This was the first time a rider not named Joel Hetrick or Chad Wienen won an overall at an ATV National since Thomas Brown did it at Underground in April of 2019. Just like that, a lifelong goal was achieved. Bryce Ford is your new series points leader in professional ATV motocross!