Motocross racers take on the competition
“The risk is worth the reward,” said Tyler Weyman, Junior, after describing how he has broken multiple bones during his motocross career. Weyman has been doing Motocross, an intense sport that involves motorcycle riders driving on a dirt track and fighting to be the first to complete a certain number of laps since a young age.
After Weyman’s father, a doctor, helped some motocross racers, they convinced him to get Weyman his first bike when he was seven. His racing career took off from there.
“I raced eight years on the national circuit,” Weyman said, “I got to the point where it was go home schooled and go pro or take a break and go to high school, so I chose the high school route.”
Weyman’s years of experience have given him skillful bike control and valuable insight into winning motocross races.
“The main goal to winning the race is all the start … you got 40 kids going as fast as they can for a small turn, and if you can get out in front then your race is pretty much easy. All you have to do is hold the lead,” Weyman said.
Weyman’s success allowed him to gain sponsors who would help pay for new equipment and bikes, alleviating the burden of the expensive sport. He explained that had he continued, he would have eventually had almost all of his fees covered by sponsors.
Jarett Megla, junior, has won two national championships and five or six regional championship in motocross. His accomplishments have also given him experience with sponsorship. Megla has gone “full factory,” meaning that all of his gear and his bike are paid for by his sponsors.
“I just signed over to Honda … They give me a bike, parts, tires, gears, everything pretty much. I just have to pay for my race entry,” Megla said.
Megla hopes to be a professional rider after high school, and has already begun making money by riding. “This past weekend I made 500 or 600 dollars (placing in competitions),” he said.
Unlike Weyman and Megla, Luke Hetherington, sophomore, does not ride motocross competitively. However, he has been riding recreationally with his family since he was seven years old.
“It’s a big rush, it’s a lot of fun,” Hetherington said. “Being able to go fast, being able to control, stuff like that. It’s not something you can really do anywhere else.”
Hetherington emphasizes that it is very important to be smart and safe when participating in the sport. “If you’re really unintelligent, and you don’t wear a helmet, you are setting yourself up for failure. But if you’re smart, and you don’t do stupid stuff all the time, and you abide by the rules, there’s really no danger,” he said.
For Weyman, his love of riding is rooted in the feelings that he experiences when on the track.
“The thrill of riding, the adrenaline rush, just everything … it’s just the speed you get, flying through the air, all of it, it suits my style,” Weyman said.
