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Yamaha Motor Canada’s Wednesday Amateur Profile: Seth Hughes

Ontario rider Seth Hughes is another fast mini rider who has his sights set on future stardom. Little by little Seth has improved each year by working hard and giving his racing 100% effort. After getting his feet wet this past year racing in the older 85cc 12-16 age class, Seth is looking forward to having a great season in 2015. Here is what Seth had to say about his racing career so far.

MXP: Hey Seth, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Can you tell us how old you are and where you call home?

SH: Hey Chris, thanks for thinking of me. Right now I’m 13 years old and I live in Kitchener, Ontario.

How long have you lived in Kitchener?

I’ve lived here for eight years and Cambridge before that (only 15 minutes from where we live now).

What class do you ride and how long have you been riding?

This past season I rode the 85cc 12-16 and Super Mini classes. I started riding when I was four years-old.

Wow, you’ve been at it a while. How did your 2014 racing season go?

The 2014 season was up and down, I struggled a little being my first year in the older age group. I didn’t have a very good race at the Parts Canada TransCan and then I had a high speed crash at the MMRS National. I guess my highlights would be my top five finishes at the Moto Park Cup at and getting the holeshot in the Super Mini class on my stock 85. Also, qualifying at an area qualifier for Loretta’s and finishing just outside the top ten at the regional.

That sounds like a pretty good season of racing at some pretty high profile events. Looking back, what are some of your past racing highlights?

Some of my past racing highlights would be wining the Provincial Series with CMX in the 85cc 7-11 class and winning the CMX vs MMRS 85cc shootout series. I also had a few podium finishes at Baja Acres, Area 51 and Hogback Hill, so that was pretty cool.

It sounds as though you’ve raced on a lot of good tracks so this next question might be a tough one. What is your favourite track?

That is a tough question as I have so many favourite tracks. In the USA I really like Monster Mountain, County Line, and Riverside. In Ontario it would be Moto Park.

These days the tracks have a lot of cool obstacles. What parts of the track do you like the most?

My favourite part of the track would probably be the jumps. I’ve hit some big ones like the pro finish at Gopher Dunes, the stairway to heaven at Monster Mountain, and the huge jump at MTF. Those jumps are all fun and pretty safe. If I had to pick my absolute favourite then I would say the jump at Monster Mountain.

I think it’s great that so many of our young riders love to jump; you’re all definitely going to be good supercross riders as you get older. Let’s get into the racing part of this sport. Before the start, do you like things calm or rocking?

I like to try to keep things calm before the moto, listen to music and focus on the upcoming moto.

What are you usually thinking about while the thirty second board is up?

I usually try visualizing a good start and then pulling away from the pack when the 30 second board is up. I guess I just like to keep my thoughts really positive.

Would you rather holeshot and win or come from behind and win?

I would rather come from behind and win especially in the first moto, that way I know for the second moto that regardless of what type of start I get, I can still win. Also, I think the fans love those come from behind rides so that’s cool.

For sure, sometimes it’s fun to just ride away and win, but it’s also fun to have to pass a bunch of riders to do it. Do your friends at school know that you race?

Only my close friends at school know I ride, so many kids don’t understand the sport. Think it’s easy and you just sit down, steer and turn the throttle. They don’t understand the skill and hard work it takes to be good at our sport.

That’s how it was in my school, of course that was a long time ago. What is your favourite subject in school?

My favourite subject at school would for sure be gym class. (haha)

Well, I haven’t heard that one before, I should just say that you like Math. What type of things do you like to do other than ride dirt bikes?

My favourite thing to do other than ride my dirt bike is probably riding my bicycle. I guess I just love two wheels!

Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. Okay, final question Seth. Who would you like to thank for supporting your racing effort?

First off, I would like to thank my Mom and Dad, they make this all possible for me, and also my little brother Ezra. A huge thanks to Todd and Linda at Zdeno Cycle in Kitchener. They hook us up with all our parts and gear. Also a very big thanks to Leland and Anna Jameson for the endless laps they let me put on their track! Last but not least I would like to thank you guys at MXP for giving us kids the opportunity to let people know who we are and a little bit about us young racers. Thanks and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Chris Pomeroy: 1989 Rookie-of-the-year and former nationally ranked pro racer who turned into a dirt oriented scribe
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