A 16-year-old motorcycle racer from Kempton will take on some of the best amateur Hare Scramble racing competitors in the nation March 23 and March 24 at the AMA East Hare Scrambles Championship Series, in Evansville MX Park, near Berwick.

Evan Leibensperger, an 11th-grade student at Northwestern Lehigh High School, wants to return home from the multi-day event with a coveted American Motorcyclist Association National No. 1 plate.

Leibensperger will compete in the 450 open B classs, which is for racers who are 15 years and older, riding motorcycles with 450cc engines.

"I have been working hard this past year," Leibensperger said. "I love to race motorcycles, and winning a national championship race the first race of the season would be great to win. But that is also the dream of everyone else on the track, so I will have to ride my best to win."

Leibensperger attends Lehigh Career and Technical Institute for precision tools.

In addition to Hare Scramble racing, he likes to snowboard, ski, hunt and fish.

Leibensperger's sponsors include: M&M Transmission, Germansville; Albrights Mill, Kempton; Bruce and Janet Plasha and family; Boyeson Engeneering, Krumsville; Renthal; Blackmans Cycle; AXO America; Amsoil; Leatt USA; Berma; MGX Graphics and Osiris Shoes.

The AMA East Hare Scramble Series crowns national champions from among the country's best Hare scramble racers.

The top riders compete for the AMA Horizon Award, which honors the amateur racer poised for success on the professional level.

"Racers will travel from all over the country to compete against the best, and they all will be racing at the top of their game," said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. "The commitment to succeed at this level is enormous. Not only does it take practice, guts and money, but these racers must be among the top athletes in the sport. Their mental and physical fortitude is second to none."

The Hare Scramble races are held at the various locations.

For exact time and ticket information, call 1-800-262-5646.

AMA Racing Grand Championship events and National Championship Series feature amateur motorcycle racers in a number of disciplines.

There are events that feature motocross, dirt-track, woods racing, desert racing, hill climb, drag racing, and road track racing.

AMA Racing sanctions series designed for both modern and vintage motorcycles.

AMA Racing amateur competition features a wide range of classes.

There are classes available for kids as well as veteran racers well into their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

Classes also are broken down by skill and motorcycle size, which provides a level field of competition for all riders.

AMA Racing is the amateur-racing department of the American Motorcyclist Association.

The AMA has been the country's leading advocate of the motorcycling lifestyle since 1924.

Funded primarily by the dues of individual members, the AMA also protects the rights of competition, recreational motorcyclists who ride both on-highway and off-highway and is a significant support of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio.

More information can be found at ama-cycle.org.