Gordon Keck, 11, has come a long way since his days of riding dirt bikes with training wheels.
Keck, who is from the Santa Ynez Valley, recently clinched a spot at the American Motocross Association’s (AMA) Amateur National Motocross Championship—the World Series for aspiring dirt bike riders. The 29th annual championship will be held at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee Aug. 2 through 7.
One of just 1,386 riders to qualify for the event, Keck had to compete against riders from all over the United States and even as far as Europe and Australia to earn his spot. More than 20,000 riders in 33 different classes tried to qualify for the event over the course of the last four months.
Keck had to race in three different qualifiers and hold down a spot as one of the top six riders to make it to the nationwide competition. He said he’s never felt more elated.
“When I qualified, I felt great, happy that I made it,” he said. “It took a lot of hard work to do it.”
But being a dirt-bike racer doesn’t mean just hopping on your bike and taking off. It takes practice, and lots of it. Keck practices two to three times a week on his 65 CC orange KPM dirt bike, working with his coach Grant Langston, a retired professional dirt bike rider, and with his father, Tom.
Keck’s hard work and diligent practicing have helped him win 40 races in the last six years. His father, who owns Keck Excavation Company, helps repair and build tracks for the Central Coast Motocross Club (CCMX), where Keck usually practices.
Mark Clogston, head of the CCMX track, said he admires Keck’s talent.
“When he first arrived, he was on training wheels. Now, he’s the fastest kid—even on the bigger tracks,” Clogston said.
Keck’s passion for the daredevil sport was sparked while watching a dirt bike race with his uncle on television when he was just three years old. But he didn’t start riding until age five, when his dad bought him his first dirt bike.
Today, Keck loves tearing around the corners on the track, and especially enjoys the jumps. The hardest part for him is the start of the race.
“At the start, you always have to be ready and have a good reaction time,” he said. “The rest is easy.”
Keck will be traveling to the national championship with his father, mother Debby, and little brother Ryan, who also races.
“I may be a little nervous when I get there, but I am really excited,” Keck said. “Either way, my goal is to be the best.”
This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2011.
