I did start a lot later than I always wanted to. I can remember at age 5 asking my dad for a motorcycle, he said that when I was 7 he would buy me one... at age 16 I got my first bike, it was a 79 Yamaha IT 250. I didn't have any friends that rode bikes so I pretty much just cruised around some backwoods of Texas. The closest I ever got to climb a big hill there was built by a front-loader:) .
I always dreamed of racing but never had the bike, parent intrest, friends, or the money to do it. After moving here to Idaho I rebuilt an old 79 chevrolet 4x4, painted it and dressed it up real sharp. My dad was proud of the work I had done on it, and so was I considering that I bought it for $500. I drove the truck for a year and blew 2 engines in it while I had it:p I remember the day I sold it, my dad was so mad at me I had to hide out for a while cause I took the money and bought me a 96 XR600. He didn't say much because I was my own man by then.
Previously I had owned some used bikes like an 79 DR370, 84 XR500, but I had never had a new bike. Finally I did. I ride the mountains, woods, dunes and a ton of other country around here but I still always wanted to race MX.
When the Yamaha 400 came out, and all the Mags said you could take one out of the woods and ride it competitively on the track I had to have one. I took the XR and left with a WR 400. I gained an so much speed I couldn't believe it, the bike was faster than my 600 yet lighter and had the best suspension I ever had.
A friend talked me into going to the races one day and then talked me into racing... He kept saying "your good on a bike man" , " I know you'll do good". I had never been on a MX track my whole life before that day, had never jumped a double jump, had never jumped a bike more than 20 ft or so ever (on purpose). Well I went for it in practice and was just going to match pace with someone and man did I ever blow it... I dove into the inside rut of a berm underneath a coulple guys that went to the outside and I did not get enough drive up the jump, and a guy behind me did and he landed right on me. That was almost enough to get my to say enough, but not quite. I ended up crashing again (bad) on the first lap and that was it practice was over:( With my back all tore up from being landed on and not being able to get enough air to breathe I was still determined to race.
Moto 1
"Hole shot" I led the race for a 1/4 lap and that was it, I was hooked on MX. I finished the race without going down and ended up in 6th out of 15. I didn't race the second moto, I had nothing left, my family wanted me to go to the hospital and get my back checked out, but I would not go. I did have a concusion and was forced not to race by my friends and family there.
Since then, 7 races, 6 trophies. ( 1 win ):)