MY Start
I know what you're thinking... "another kid that likes dirtbikes". Well, you're RIGHT! But there's so much more...
Background: I'm 9 years old...
I have a big sister, who thinks she's my boss, and the coolest dog ever, Ziggy. My parents are pretty cool too... My dad spent most of his life in the motorcycle industry; first racing with the likes of Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael, and later turning wrenches for many professional racers and race teams. My mom had a good career, and was even known to throw her leg over a bike from time to time. They both knew the industry was very demanding and didn't have much room for anything besides the best. They exposed me to all kinds of sports, arts, and other activities, and never encouraged one thing over another...
I spent some time on the ice rink passing a puck around, on the soccer field running drills, and even picked up a lacrosse stick with ease... but, NOTHING compared to the feeling I got when I sat on that bike for the first time.
The day EVERYTHING changed.
May 26, 2013...
It was my first real glimpse of that beautiful two-wheeled machine...
Just days before my 2nd birthday, I found this gem
in my Pop-Pop's basement workshop...
This is what dreams are made off...
July 12, 2014...
The air was thick, much like the tension on the track. It was a steamy 90 degree day at Budds Creek. My first "real" experience at a Pro Motocross race.
That day I watched Dungey and Roczen battle it out in the 450 class... And cheered on, one of my favorite riders of all time, Cooper Webb as he showed pure grit and determination as he came from the back to finish in 5th.
As soon as my dad strapped me in to my car seat and the A/C cooled
me down that evening, I drifted off to sleep and dreamt of
fresh dirt and the growl of those incredible bikes.
“GO BIG OR GO HOME”
January 17, 2016...
What better way to shake off any racing jitters than to kick-off your racing career with an Arenacross race at age 4! This was my first ever race... and while I was pretty nervous, it did help set the tone for all future races. After that, not much was intimidating.
PS - Big thanks to my buddy, Chris Blose, for getting me pumped for this race and hanging with me afterwards.