Is there anyone out there who hasn’t dreamed of being a motocross star at least once? No matter how far removed from motocross stardom we may be, there is universal appeal to being the rider to watch in a stadium of 50,000 spectators. Not to mention the perks: the monster salary, the travel to exotic locales, the admiring look in the eyes of trophy girls the world over, the cushy industry desk job after retirement.

But there’s a catch! In fact, being a factory star is an existence filled with bitter catches and pitfalls. But the first one is the most foreboding: there are, at last count, a few dozen racers in the world who are making a comfortable living racing dirt bikes. And of those, few are able to guarantee that they won’t be back in the unemployment line if things don’t go well this season. It’s a cruel existence, but it is nonetheless a life that riders, and often their parents, are risking everything to achieve today.

You or perhaps your offspring might even be among the group that’s now pursuing motocross fame. And there’s nothing wrong with that, unless you have neglected perhaps the most important part of your motocross career, the one that is most likely to put you on the road to success and happiness your whole life through:

Plan B.

Remember when I said that only a handful is making it? What do you think is happening right now to the riders and parents who sacrificed everything on the chance that Junior might be a star, only to have the bottom fall out when he wrecked his knee at 17? There is no substitute for a back-up plan in case motocross stardom doesn’t work out. There is no more foolish investment than putting your children’s education and social life on hold while they train for Loretta’s.

Let’s pause to consider the statistics on a rough scale: Most riders never leave the Junior class. Only a handful of those will ever graduate from Intermediate to Pro. Among those who land in the Pro ranks, only a tiny fraction will ever make the field at an AMA national. Even fewer than that will score a national point. Beyond that, no more than one-thousandth of one percent of the riders who line up at a starting gate will ever earn a national number. And if you should ever win a national title, you’re among a group far sparser than lottery winners. And even the majority of those who win a national title will have to work again someday.

But sadly, a significant number of amateur stars (all the way down to the 65cc kids) are now home-schooled. The parents often complain that there is no way their kids could miss as much time from public school as racing requires and still pass. Does this give an indication of the quality of schooling they’re receiving at home? Home schooling may allow riders to theoretically move forward in their classes, but it is unclear how many are getting the standard of education that they would otherwise receive.

I do not say this to deride everyone who practices home schooling. I imagine there are some who take it seriously. But the fact remains that skipping school for racing potentially robs a kid of not only their chance to excel in school, but also their chance to interact with a variety of kids in the school environment. You can race the amateur scene for years and not come across anything but solidly middle-to-upper class families. And you certainly won’t find a debate team or school newspaper for your children to participate in on the road between Ponca City and Loretta Lynn’s. The travel and excitement of amateur motocross provides a richness all its own, but it should not serve as a substitute for all the richness in the rest of the world.

A more realistic approach to amateur motocross is to let your children lead normal lives until they well prove that they are not normal--in the sense that Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart are not normal. Don’t be tempted into thinking that home schooling is in order because your son or daughter topped the 65cc Junior class at Fernley. If your children destroy the competition here, and then go to Loretta Lynn’s and do the same, you can start tentatively planning the prospect of a racing career.

But even then you shouldn’t sacrifice everything on the chance that they could be a star. Do these names ring a bell: Eddie Hicks? Mouse McCoy? Joel Albrecht? Jason Partridge? Ben Riddle? All of these riders were amateur standouts who, for one reason or another, never duplicated their success at the Pro level. Even when your children achieve success at the upper echelons of the amateur scene, there is still no guarantee that a factory ride is in their future.

As for my kids, they’ll have to enter a supercross on their KX65 and stuff RC for the win before I’d consider letting them quit school for racing. But even then I think I’d make them stick it out. The purse money would be great for their college fund.


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