One of these kids, Joe Roberts, was out at the local club racers last time I was at the track. He was riding an S1000RR borrowed from Keith Code and plotting his was through A group like everyone else was standing still. He came in from one session talking about how he almost chased down Jake Zemke (there were a few AMA guys out there for the race weekend).
Joe did two stints in the Red Bull rookie cup and he's currently in Spain testing bikes and deciding if he wants to race in some GP series there, or go to AMA. He's 14.
Blows my mind. Makes me pissed at my parents for not sticking me on a motorbike at 5 years old.
Makes me pissed at my parents for not sticking me on a motorbike at 5 years old.
I've been yelling at my parents about this for a long time. Any motor vehicle I take to a track, i'm pretty fast at it. I show them Valentino Rossi or at 4 on a bike and say, "SEE, we could have millions but noooooo"
My nephew has been on wheels since 3. He rode a 4wheeler around Glamis and Ocotillo Wells. At 5 go his first two wheeler, began racing local events right away. Won his first local series at 6, continued racing and riding hard until he was diagnosed with type 1 diabeaties at 8. Sat out a year to get it under control. When my brother in law got him back out on the track he could see that he lost a bit of his drive... He's 12 years old now riding an 85 at the track, he rides a Banshee in Glamis, and now just finished 10th in the Lucus Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) and 4th in the Lucus Oil Reigonal Series in JR2 kart. I'm a very proud uncle and hope to see him up with the big boys one day.
My daughter has been on 4wheelers since 5 and now at 16 rides a TRX450R, yep, an R! Kick starts that thing herself every time. My boy has been on a 4wheeler for 2 years now and will be getting his first 2wheeler for Christmas this year. He's 7. (not my son, he came into my life at 5 and is now my boy for all I care. ) I'm also a proud Dad.
My Pop's got mad at me when I bought my first dirt bike at 20, and even more upset when I bough my first street bike at 30....
__________________
05 R6 Raven
520 -1+3 conversion
gpr
gytr shorty
power comander
sliders
speedo healer
graves block off plates
woodcraft case cover
had led's, flush mounts, fender elimator, and yosh trs but stripped for the track now!
One of these kids, Joe Roberts, was out at the local club racers last time I was at the track. He was riding an S1000RR borrowed from Keith Code and plotting his was through A group like everyone else was standing still. He came in from one session talking about how he almost chased down Jake Zemke (there were a few AMA guys out there for the race weekend).
Joe did two stints in the Red Bull rookie cup and he's currently in Spain testing bikes and deciding if he wants to race in some GP series there, or go to AMA. He's 14.
Blows my mind. Makes me pissed at my parents for not sticking me on a motorbike at 5 years old.
Joe will be doing another year with the Rookies, or so I have heard from a reliable source.
Right now I would have to say the 2 fastest teenagers (17 yrs old) in the country would have to be Garrett Gerloff (Graves R6) and Jake Lewis (Meen R6). These 2 have been setting 600 class track records since they were 14 yrs old. Both will be riding in their 2nd pro season in 2013 in the Daytona SportBike class. Before moving to the 600s, they raced the 125s with Joe chasing them.
It is a shame we don't have the Rookie Cup here in the States anymore. It was some of the best racing at an AMA national.
My old man taught me how to surf when I was 5, but motorbikes weren't in my life until I turned 30. It's awesome that these young kids have parents that can afford (time and money) to get their kid on a bike and to the track.
I gave my old 04 R6 to a friend's 17 year old son to convert to a track bike. You should have seen his face light up. It was awesome and i knew he could never afford it on own as he's a student right now and his parents dont have much disposable income kicking around. I had just returned from another tour "overseas" so i had a bit of extra cash, it just made sense to me. The kid will not likely be the next Valentino, but I hope he pays it forward in the end. I guess my Dad taught me more than just to surf.........karma, it s cool concept!
__________________ "If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid."
“Out of every one hundred men in battle, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” ― Heraclitus
Joe will be doing another year with the Rookies, or so I have heard from a reliable source.
Right now I would have to say the 2 fastest teenagers (17 yrs old) in the country would have to be Garrett Gerloff (Graves R6) and Jake Lewis (Meen R6). These 2 have been setting 600 class track records since they were 14 yrs old. Both will be riding in their 2nd pro season in 2013 in the Daytona SportBike class. Before moving to the 600s, they raced the 125s with Joe chasing them.
It is a shame we don't have the Rookie Cup here in the States anymore. It was some of the best racing at an AMA national.
Right on. I talked to Joe & his dad at the beginning of November and I was under the impression that he had already been invited to the Rookie's Cup twice, and that's all you get.
It blew my mind how non-chalant he was about racing the liter bike and blowing by everyone out there.
+1 lol
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