No Losers
A Family Adventure Through the First Year of Motocross Racing
by
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Craig was in third, and had already begun to stretch out a lead on the fourth place position until suddenly, in the last lap, way in the back section, his bike stalled. Soon Will and Jarod zoomed by as Craig continued to kick frantically on the starter, trying to get going again. Now Will and Jarod were slugging it out for third place. In our club, except in the 50cc’s class, where every rider gets a trophy, only the riders who place in the top third of their class get a trophy. Today ten riders were racing in the 80cc beginner’s class. So today, for the first time, if he could stay in third place, Will had a chance for a plaque. And by the way he was riding, it looked like Will really wanted that plaque. He pulled farther ahead of Jarod and kept the lead for half a lap. But soon Jarod was right on his heels again. As Will neared the horseshoe-shaped u-turn about one hundred feet from the finish line, Jarod was less than a heartbeat behind and gaining. The entrance to the horseshoe turn begins with a two-humped "double," the down-side of which takes a big dip downhill, making a "step-down" type of jump, where the landing is lower than the take-off. After the u-shaped turn at the bottom, the exit out of the horseshoe is a steep slope back upward, with a jump at the top. Will hit the double. His bike flew into the air, then disappeared at the foot of the step-down, sweeping into the horseshoe turn. Still barely a second behind him, Jarod hit the jump and disappeared into the turn behind Will. But then something happened at the bottom of the horseshoe, and instead of Will’s green Kawasaki coming out first, it was Jarod’s blue Yamaha! Now Craig’s Suzuki, all up and running again, was diving into the turn, then out again. Still, no Will. I ran down to the turn to check out the situation, only to find Will standing next to his bike at the bottom of the jump out of the horseshoe, slamming his fists on the seat, the screw-top lid of his gas tank unscrewed and hanging limply to the side. He had run out of gas! Will began to try to push his bike off the track. But then Cyndi Welch and Travis Hughes, a friend of the Welch’s family, ran down to block his way. Travis began to try to push the bike back onto the track so Will could somehow get it over the finish line before the end of the race, which would keep him from being disqualified for that moto. But Will pushed against him, just wanting to get off the track and get it over with. Cyndi was standing behind Travis, yelling, "You are going to finish this race, even if you have to push your bike over the finish line!" "Just forget it!" Will was yelling back, tears running down his cheeks, his arms still pushing against them. In spite of Will’s fighting them, Travis and Cyndi forced him back onto the track and they all pushed the bike over the finish line. And, thanks to them, Will ended up finishing that moto in eighth place instead of getting a "DNF" (Did Not Finish) for that moto. After that neither Will or Craig would talk to anyone for a while as they sat staring at the track in frustration. "Stupid bike!" Craig was spitting out every few seconds. "I can’t believe I didn’t check the stupid gas tank!" Will moaned. Since that day, before every moto and practice session, at least three or four people ask Will if he’s checked his gas. "Yes. Yes. I’ve checked it. Yes. Yes. It’s topped off. Yes. Yes..." It’s a lesson he will never forget, not only because of the pain it caused him but because everyone who knows him will probably remind him of it for the rest of his motocross life!
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About the Book
What happens when you mix high-energy kids with high-powered, two-wheeled, racing machines? Pain--injuries--death--As a mother and a family doctor, that is the answer that would have come to my mind a year ago. But now I have a new perspective on this high-risk sport for kids. What do you do when your ten year old asks for a motorcycle for Christmas? Is racing as dangerous as it looks? Is it as expensive as you’ve heard? Do you have to be a mechanic to even consider getting your children involved in motocross racing? No Losers is a book that answers these questions and more. It is a "how to" book that gives the outsider a chance to see motocross racing from the inside. Told in story format, with pictures and exciting, moment-by-moment race commentaries, this book is both fun to read and full of information. How the sport works in general – the scoring, the starts, the flags, the finishes, the rules (including some surprising unwritten rules); things you need to know about your bike, general motocross vocabulary – all these and more are described within the story content, avoiding the usual (boring) dictionary-like format of an ordinary manual. This book is for parents who want a clear idea of the risks and benefits the sport presents for their children, and for kids who want to see what motocross racing is really like at the beginner level. Do you really want to get involved in motocross racing? Read this book to find out!
About the Author
Kim Fairley is a forty-year-old family doctor, divorced and remarried, mother of two sons, aged eight and twelve years old. She has a walk-in health clinic, based in her home, which is geared toward families who do not have health insurance. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder, with a BA in distributed studies – Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Chemistry; and Sociology – Kim went on to medical school, receiving her MD degree from University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Kim has written for many years. Currently on line is a book proposal for her recently completed book on religion, entitled, The Sunday Evening Pot Luck Worship Service For Losers, a self-help book for spiritual people recovering from perceived moral failure. The sequel, More Pot Luck Worship, is nearly completed as well. Also in progress is a novel based on a woman's difficulty in balancing professional success with a feminine identity, currently entitled, A Three Hour Tour. Kim races BMX, has a brown belt in Chinese Kempo Karate, runs competitively, and has recently been training with her sons in motocross racing on a Kawasaki KX125, which she got for her fortieth birthday. Of note, she is currently collecting data for a book on motocross racing as a geriatric woman beginner...