The youngest motocross stars in Driggs are heading back to Tennessee this month for the amateur national championship.
Last year Max Daniels, who is now 7 years old, raced nationals at the historic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. This year he’ll be joined by his twin brother Luke. Their older brother Davis is also an alternate this year.
Max and Luke qualified for the event, which the largest amateur motocross race in the world, by placing first and fourth respectively at a Horn Rapids race in Washington last month.
The boys have been riding and racing for a long time, given their young age. They spend a lot of time training on moto tracks in Idaho Falls and Salmon, where their grandparents live. Their dad Dan maintains their bikes, gives them pointers, and rides with them, while their mom Leilani is in charge of feeding, cheering, taking pictures, cleaning, and other essential tasks.
Racing is almost like a part-time job; Leilani works at Teton Valley Community School during the week then the family hits the road with their toy hauler every Friday to travel to events around the region.
The diminutive daredevils’ favorite part of racing is hitting jumps. The twins both ride a 55cc, while Davis races on a 65cc bike. Max is proud to say he’s pretty good at getting the hole shot, meaning he’s frequently first off the start line.
It’s been a muddy year of racing so far, which is both bad and good; muddy conditions make the tracks much more challenging for the boys, but it’s good practice for the Tennessee course, which is often wet.
The Loretta Lynn Ranch only opens its track to motocross racing once per year, and Leilani said the whole six-day event is amazing; a small city pops up that is dedicated to dirt bikes and everyone brings golf carts to travel around the ranch.
“Racing is only one small part of the experience,” she said. “It’s definitely about southern hospitality.”
There are food vendors, music shows, and sponsorship events. The boys’ favorite part of last year’s nationals was tubing down the creek and playing on a rope swing.
Only 42 racers from across the country qualify for each category, which means the boys are in elite company and will be lining up against more than double the number of competitors they usually encounter. Luke and Max have lofty goals of placing well in the pack but their mom said they also have great attitudes and understand that riding safely and skillfully is the best way to succeed.
These trips aren’t cheap. While the boys receive generous parts discounts and gear sponsorship, travel expenses add up for the family. That’s why they created their T-Rex Moto-X brand. The boys came up with the simple but deeply awesome logo of a tyrannosaurus rex riding a wheelie on a dirt bike.
With the help of local companies Laid Back Designs and Pine Needle Embroidery, the Daniels sell hats and shirts emblazoned with the image to raise racing funds.
