Dirt Bike Bonanza
So here’s a link to my published story on two Madison Central kids and their dreams of dirt bike success.
And here’s the unedited version.
By Martin Kester
mkester@mcherald.com
Earthworms are known to emerge from their dirt homes to the surface after a rainstorm. Those same conditions, however, draw motocross riders from their homes to the dirt.
“We’re out after any rain storm,” said Johnny Moore, a senior at Madison Central. He practices with junior Mason Hume at a course built on the property of the latter’s grandfather. “It makes the track better.”
Officials at the 13th annual Branson (Mo.) USA National Motocross Championships likely dampened the track before the self-proclaimed “Grand Finale of Amateur thru Pro Competition” got underway on Thursday.
Hume and Moore, who routinely compete in motocross events throughout the year, traveled north for Branson after winning races at the Mississippi State Championships at Golden Pine Raceway in Prentiss last weekend.
“Last year I was ranked sixth in my class, but I got hurt and couldn’t make it back to nationals,” Moore said. “I won two titles at Branson last year, so I’m hoping to go back and clean sweep everything.”
Moore finished first in the 250 cc Intermediate (B class) Stock and the 250 cc Non-Professional Open, one of four races Hume will compete in this year.
“We used to just race trails and have fun,” said Hume, who started riding when he was 4. “When my dad got Got Gear, that’s when we really started racing a lot more.
“The trails were getting kind of boring and the jumps make racing a lot more fun.”
Scott Hume, who saved money from cutting grass when he was seven for his first mini-bike, created the jumps on the practice course to mimic those from various tracks they’ve raced.
“As we’ve traveled throughout the country, we’ve had different sections of different tracks these guys have had a hard time mastering,” said Scott Hume, owner of Got Gear and the main sponsor for both riders. “We’re constantly changing it and if they master it, I’ll build it bigger so when we do go to national events we’ll be competitive.”
Tommy Moore, Johnny’s father, grew up in Canton and competed on and with dirt bikes since he was eight years old. Now the service manager at Got Gear, he moved within a mile of the Hume’s course so his son could get better.
“To make it on the national level, you have to ride two, three times a week,” Tommy Moore said. “I never practiced on anything like this.”
“We built it back (last) September and it’s helped out a lot,” Johnny Moore said. “If it wasn’t for out here, I wouldn’t be as fast as I could be.”
It’s the high speeds and higher jumps that test the spirit of mothers like Shannon Hume.
“I like it because he enjoys doing it and he’s good at it,” Shannon Hume said, “but it’s still nerve-wracking to go to the races and watch them do it.
“You just cross your fingers they’ll be safe for the entire race.”
That safety is only an illusion as each rider has missed events due to broken bones; yet show no fear getting back on the bike.
“I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been hurt and every time, I come back stronger,” said Johnny Moore, who’s cracked five bones in 14 years.
Mason hadn’t suffered any ailments until last year when he fractured his leg and broke his collarbone, two bones in his hand and his ankle in three places.
“I wasn’t big enough to handle it,” he said about moving from an 85 cc to a 250 cc. “That was part of the reason.”
The main part is the allure of ‘big air’, hitting an incline and launching oneself into the atmosphere with only personal conviction available to bring you down safely.
“When you hit a jump, you have to know you’re going to land correctly,” Scott Hume said. “If you don’t think you will, you’ll crash.
“Confidence is as big as riding skill in a sport like this.”
Both Hume and Moore are confident they’ll return with awards from this weekend, but regardless of the outcome they’ll be back on their practice course to continue a dream.
Especially after it rains.
Common terms for MotoCross Rookies:
Motocross – A contraction derived from the words “motorcycle” and “Cross country” due to races being held on enclosed off-road courses.
cc – Short for cubic centimeters, this is commonly used to designate small engine sizes. At the Branson USA National Motocross Championships, there will be races ranging from 65 to 450 cc.
Double – Two jumps back to back, regardless of the size.
Triple – Three jumps back to back, regardless of the size.
Whoop – Little hills, about 1 to 2 feet high, on a straightaway. “You can have anywhere from five to 20 in a row,” Tommy Moore said. “Ideally, you can pull the front wheel up and just the back wheel hits.”
Rhythm – “That’s just when you have three to five jumps in a line,” Tommy Moore said, “and you just catch a rhythm going through it, jumping two or three at a time.”
Table top – A steep incline that flattens out before a similar decline. “The deal is to land on the down side of it,” Tommy Moore said. “Not on the top side.”
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Now playing: Chemical Brothers - Morning Lemon/Mars Needs Women/Thunder/Losing Control/Mother Earth
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Now playing: Chemical Brothers - Morning Lemon/Mars Needs Women/Thunder/Losing Control/Mother Earth
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: Chemical Brothers - Morning Lemon/Mars Needs Women/Thunder/Losing Control/Mother Earth
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: Chemical Brothers - Morning Lemon/Mars Needs Women/Thunder/Losing Control/Mother Earth
via FoxyTunes