It always amazes me how our senses go on high alert under stressful situations, and how different individuals react. We went racing this past weekend and our little guy was having a great time both on and off the track. The mini track at Gully Mor definitely suited Ayrton’s PW-50 so he was having fun. He had a pretty successful few motos going until the final moto yesterday when ten feet out of the gate the rider next to him accidentally got sideways and took both of them out. Being the smaller of the two kids, Ayrton definitely got the worst of it and hit the ground hard, so hard that his poor Wasp Camera flew off his helmet. To his credit, he got up and eventually remounted to enter the race a lap down with the rest of the field.
Unfortunately, things would get even worse when he crashed hard again with only a few laps left. His PW-50 followed him into the ground and gave him a pretty good jolt again. This second crash resulted in more tears and frustration in a moto gone terribly wrong, but again to his credit he wiped away the tears and pushed his bent bike over the finish line to erase what easily could’ve been a DNF and a really bad ending to a good weekend.
In the end everyone was okay. Other than a few scrapes, twenty minutes later it was like it didn’t happen. However, during the three hour drive home last night I was thinking about just how hard it is sometimes to be a parent of a child who is doing something that is sometimes dangerous. Now, I’m just about six years into this parent thing so I’m relatively new at it, but in that six years Ayrton has played hockey, soccer and for the last year now he’s raced dirt bikes. I’m sure a few people think that because I used to race I naturally wanted my son to do it. On the contrary – it’s actually the opposite. While I love this sport with all of my heart and I have spent 35 years in it, I’ve seen the good and bad of it. If he didn’t want to do it then that would be cool also. As long as you see a smile on your child’s face then that is all that matters. I think it’s safe to say that my son is the perfect example of a kid who loves being at the track, whether he’s riding his BMX, his dirt bike, his strider or simply watching his friends race, he just loves it and almost always seems to be smiling.
Being a parent of a dirt bike racer is a unique experience, to say the least. You spend tons of money to get your son or daughter to the starting line then you wish them good luck and send them on their way. Once you walk away it’s just them, the starting gate, the track and the next 15 or so minutes with their competitors. Most parents don’t have to deal with that kind of separation anxiety until they drop their kids off at College or University. I think the real positive in all of this is the life lessons our kids are learning each weekend at the races. This sport is the toughest in the world. Whether you’re a Vet rider or a 50cc rider, you get out of it exactly what you put into it. The earlier in life that lesson can be learned the better as it’s something our kids will use for the rest of their lives. As Ayrton went to bed last night, I reminded him that sometimes this sport isn’t always fun, but you just have to deal with it, move on and do your best next time.
Another thing that had me thinking me last night was all of the 9/11 specials that are on television this week. In my 40 years, there haven’t been too many days of that significance where you remember exactly where you were and exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. With the devastation and sadness that we saw that day, it sure made us appreciate life and everything around us just a little bit more. As they say, it was one of those days and events that made the world change forever and I honestly can’t believe that it’s been twelve years since it happened.
Before I wrap this up, I want give a few congratulations to a couple of riders. First, to Actionetix boss Craig Stevenson who made his return to racing this weekend in the +40 class. Craig badly injured his shoulder three years ago and the doctors certainly didn’t think he would ever get enough strength back to ride a dirt bike again. With hard work and determination, Craig rehabbed his shoulder and is now able to ride again. As we saw on the weekend, he can race again just as well. Way to go Craig!
I also want to congratulate Nathan Bles for winning the WEC Eastern Enduro Championship at Walton Raceway this past weekend. Nathan had to rely on all of his riding skills and his superior fitness to take the Championship over his more experienced competition. Nice work Nathan! I’m sure he will be pushing for one hour motos next year for the MX2 class at the Nationals.
I hope everyone has a great week. Next weekend in Southwestern Ontario there is a two day race at RJ’s in Barrie. The fall weather has always brought out the best in this track so it should be in great condition. Also, with the MXON just over two weeks away, look for interviews on mxpmag.com with all of our riders in the next few weeks as they‘re preparing hard to represent Canada. Bye for now.
