BEN #26

Hello there. I’m a 24 year  I am a certified E.M.T. and run with my home town ambulance service. I started my riding carrier in 1997 at age 13 with a Honda XR 80. A year later I entered the Bucky Badger Enduro, my first competition. I only completed one 30 mile lap but it was a big step for me. Riding on the same course with the big bikes and pros was an intimidating prospect. But every time I would wipe out, someone would slow down to make sure I was ok. With that kind of positive support from the other riders I was hooked and I’ve been drawn to off road racing ever since. In the next two years I continued to compete in the the Bucky Badger Enduro and also the Black River Falls enduros. When I turned 16 I stopped riding. I was too big for my bike and had too many other distractions with high school and a girlfriend. I started riding my CR80 big wheel again despite the size when I started hanging out with Mat in 2002. We rode a little for fun and did compete in a motocross event and Hare scramble. I ended up selling that bike and used the money for school and other expenses. The following spring is when it all really started. Mat told me to meet him at his house. When I got there Mat pulled in with a new Kx125. From that point on I wanted to ride again. It took me until the end of the summer to buy a bike and that bike ended up being a 1992 RM 125 that had seen better days. I started racing some motocross the spring of 2004, but quickly felt a need for a different bike. I purchased a 1999 YZ 250 and raced the rest of the motocross season with Mat who also lead and won the C-class in Hare scrambles that year. After a season of motocross riddled with injuries and a little prompting from Mat, I sold the YZ 250 and had a brand-new 2004 KX 125. It was time to race off road again! My first year racing Hare scrambles I followed in Mat’s footsteps winning the C-class Championship. The following year I skipped B-class, and jumped straight to A. I lead the class in points most of the year, but after my radiator met with a log in the last race of the season I dropped to 3rd for the end of the year standings. In the off season I decided that I would benefit the most from moving to the Pro class. It turned out to be a hard time trying to adjust from being a consistent front runner in the class to having to battle back from the rear. I still finished 6th overall in points for the year. Its now 2009 and I am looking forward to racing for overall points in 200 B in the GNCC series.