2018 AMA Ice Racers of the Year Announced

Dominic Huey receives Youth award; Bryan Bigelow nets Vet Senior honor

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Kyle Martinez of Marlette, Mich., was named the 2018 AMA Ice Racer of the Year for his performance in the 2018 AMA Ice Race Grand Championship, held Feb. 2-4 in Cadillac, Mich.

Dominic Huey, of Howell, Mich., is the 2018 AMA Youth Ice Racer of the Year. And Bryan Bigelow, of Omer, Mich., is the 2018 AMA Vet Senior Ice Racer of the Year.

Martinez, 17, won the 451 Open class.

“I was speechless when I realized I won the award. It was a great surprise,” Martinez said. “I’ve been riding ice since I was 3 years old. The first time I rode on ice was on a ’70s Honda 50 with a sidecar that my uncle and grandpa made for me to ride. I couldn’t even touch the pegs. There were blocks on the sidecar, so I could touch.”

Huey, 9, won the 65 MOD GP (7-11), 65 MOD Oval (7-11) and 85 MOD Oval (9-13) classes.

“It was quite surprising to win the award,” said Huey, who has been ice racing for three years. “I didn’t really know how much it meant. But it made me feel good for myself.”

Bigelow, 37, won the 30+ GP and 30+ Oval championships.

“I wasn’t even thinking I was eligible for an award like this,” he said. “I was very surprised and proud, to say the least. It was most special, because it was presented to me from my old friend [AMA Track Racing Manager] Ken Saillant. Ken and I go way back to the early ’90s, racing in Indiana. It is very cool that our friendship has come full circle.

“I have been racing on the ice for 31 years,” Bigelow said. “It is where I first learned to ride a motorcycle. And in northern Michigan, what else is there to do?”