Sam Drain claims Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon award
Australian teenager wins four national class championships during a dominant week in Du Quoin
Australian Sam Drain has capped off a fantastic week at the 2026 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship by receiving the prestigious Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award.
Forbes, a young racer from New South Wales, emerged as overall champion in four different categories during five days of competition at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois.
Drain claimed:
- 250cc Open Single Championship;
- 450cc Production – Road to the Pros Championship;
- 450cc Production/Open Singles-Twins Championship; And
- 505cc championship.
It was a comprehensive demonstration of Drain’s ability to adapt to 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.
An important indicator towards professional rank
The Nicky Hayden AMA Flat Track Horizon Award is the most prestigious individual honor given at the AMA’s amateur flat-track showcase and recognizes the rider best prepared to succeed at the professional level.
Nicky Hayden received his first Horizon Award in 1997 before launching a career that took him from American dirt tracks to the AMA Superbike Championship, wins at the Daytona 200 and ultimately the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. The award was renamed in honor of Hayden in 2017.
Its honor roll includes riders like Jared Mees, Roger Lee Hayden, Brier Baumann, Cody Kopp, Chase Saathoff and Dallas Daniels, underscoring the importance of Drain’s selection.
Ken Celant – AMA Track Racing Manager
“Sam is a remarkable talent on the racetrack, showing excellent versatility in all disciplines of flat track racing.
“I look forward to following his activities at the professional level of racing, as he has demonstrated the conduct and professionalism required to excel as a professional.”
American record of drain continues to increase
Drain’s success at Du Quoin is the latest chapter in an American campaign that MCNews readers have watched develop in both flat track and road racing.
At the 2024 AMA Flat Track Grand Championship, Drain captured the 250cc Production and 250cc Modified titles, while finishing third overall in the Open Singles 250/450 Championship.
He returned in 2025 and won three of the four championships contested at Du Quoin, taking the 450cc Production, 450cc Modified and 250/450cc Open Singles crowns.
Drain has since begun to prove the same speed against riders traveling to professional American flat track competition.
During Daytona Bike Week in March, Drain won the first main event of the new AFT ProSport 450 era, leading Estenson Racing to victory over rider Bitz-Hay.
After missing the following three rounds, Drain returned to the category at the Nashville Short Track in June and promptly won after an entertaining series of exchanges with Jessie Coston-Wood.
His talent is not limited to clay only.
Drain claimed his first MotoAmerica victory in the Talent Cup at Road America in 2025, pipping fellow Australians Bodie Paige and Alessandro Di Mario in a three-rider drafting battle that covered the podium by just 0.040 seconds.
He finished third in the 2025 Talent Cup standings after collecting nine podiums during his rookie season.
Drain then began his 2026 campaign with another great display of his versatility. Shortly after his ProSport victory at 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 who successfully combines flat track and road racing being presented with an award bearing Hayden’s name. That extensive riding education was central to Hayden’s own development, and Drain is building an increasingly impressive record on both surfaces.
Sam Drain
“The Nicky Hayden AMA Horizon Award means a lot to me.
“It was definitely a lot more difficult than last year, but it’s definitely been one of the best I’ve ever had. I can’t thank the team enough and all the people who helped me.”
Another Australian Championship in Du Quoin
Drain was not the only Australian to leave the 2026 Grand Championships 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 Page Cake received the Bill Werner AMA Fast Brain Award, which recognizes achievement both on the racetrack and in the classroom. Keck became the third woman in a row to receive the award and earned a scholarship for her future collegiate studies.
Jayden Nickens was named AMA Youth Racer of the Year, while Dallas Meyer received AMA Vet/Senior Racer of the Year honors.
