Molly Risley, Charger Staff
The cheers of fans grow louder as the thundering engines roar, and each rider
mentally prepares himself for what he is about to do. This kind of experience
is not one that most of us will have in our lifetimes, but it is a fairly regular
happening for motocross racer, Tyler Burnette. Tyler has been racing since he
was eight years old, and he has been an American Motocross Association member
for nine years.
He says that his dad sparked his early interest in racing, and a local legend,
Curt Libbey, taught him about the sport and instructed him on what to do to
be a successful rider. Tyler’s first race was at the Putnam County Fair.
He started in the 50cc class, but he now rides at the intermediate level. There
are eighty different classes in motocross, and racers range in age from four
or five to fifty and older.
Racers like Tyler take a number of safety precautions before beginning a race.
Clothes designed specifically for racing, helmets, gloves, knee braces, chest
protectors, kidney belts, goggles, and boots with ankle supports are all a part
of a motocross racer’s attire. Some riders even wear neckbraces to prevent
injury to their collarbones. The larger races have starting gates that hold
forty riders, but most races only start twenty racers at a time. In local races,
as few as four or five riders may start at once.
More technical races often have tracks with whoops, which are like a series
of speedbumps, and table tops, which are inclined mounds with flat tops. Tyler
does a great deal of racing in Blountville, Tennessee. He has also raced in
Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, and Alabama. His dream is to win the national
championship in his class in August at the Amateur Youth National Championship
which is held at Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Riders
come from all over the world to race in this event, and it is a great honor
to win.
In preparation for all of his races, Tyler tries to get into the best possible
physical shape. He rides as much as he can , and he trains five or six days
a week. Tyler says it is also important to prepare mentally, and he usually
goes over each run in his mind and decides how he will handle each obstacle.
Tyler’s advice to beginning riders is that, “Racing has two elements
to it. First, you have to be in shape, and second, you have to learn how to
ride a bike. If racing is what you want to do, try your hardest.”
Contrary to what you might think, at this point Tyler does not plan to go right into professional riding. He plans to go to college and major in mechanical engineering. When asked if he would give up riding, Tyler said, “I love it, and I could never give it up.”