In late August of 2007, my Yamaha YZ250 was stolen from the back of my trailer at my residence. This forced me to do something I wasn’t really sure of… doing motocross on a quad. So in early September of 2007, along with Tim Oliver, Don ST Martin, David and Joe Niederer, Robby Bethea, and Dmitriy Uyutnov, I took my Yamaha YFZ450 to The Compound. After just a few jumps, I knew this quad was more capable than its rider, but who knew 2007 was the start of something that would refocus my direction on life for years to come.
Later that year, I hit my very first public motocross tracks. Thanks to Jerry Benson showing all of his and Haylie’s Arkansaw pictures to Dave, Joe, and I at Tri-County ATV Park, we had to make the trek out to Arkansaw Cycle Park, which was a complete blast.
That track ended up becoming one of my favorite tracks, and we spent years and years riding there. Today, the track no longer exists, blending into the countryside like so many others. Relics of the past.
Thankfully, within the last couple years, ATV motocross has made a revival here in Southern Minnesota, and while the faces are new, the love for the sport is eternal.
(Incidentally, my dirt bike was recovered a few weeks after it was stolen, in good condition.. it was used as the getaway vehicle in a bank robbery in Alpha, MN, in Jackson County. Since Jesse James, the famous bank robber, was 34 years old when he was killed, I added a “1” to the beginning of the number, and “134” became the motocross racing number I still use to this day).