EMMETT, IDAHO — One 8-year-old id in Emmett is taking the local motocross competition by storm, already competing in front of 50,000 people in Anaheim back in January.
- 8-year-old Bentley Spencer is racing motocross and competing with kids two to three years older than him.
- Bentley was invited to compete at a pro track at Angel Stadium in January.
- If you want to get started in Motocross, Spencer says you can check out one of their sponsors here.
- If you want to see the race schedule or information about Owyhee Motorcycle Club, click here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
When I was 8 years old, I was in my bedroom playing with Star Wars toys, but there is one kid in Emmett who is doing something a little more dangerous. I'm your Emmett neighborhood reporter Alexander Huddleston and I met up with Bentley Spencer, who races motocross at just eight years old.
"Pull the clutch, shift down to first, and go," exclaimed the young rider.
For Emmett 8-year-old Bentley Spencer, the training wheels came off a long time ago.
Spencer said, "I wanted to ride. I saw it on TV and was hooked."
"He started riding when he was three. He started racing when he was four," said Bentley's father, Marc. "We started him on a strider, then a Stacyc electric bike, and pretty soon he was begging me for a dirtbike, and we came home with one one day, and he would cry if we took him off it. He wanted to burn tank after tank of fuel and that's what he wanted to do,"
Marc also raced growing up, starting at around the same age.
The proud dad continued, "I would say he is better than me at that age for sure. Actually, the first race he won, he dominated and won by over a minute and a half. He was ecstatic. He was pumped."
Marc told me because Bentley was a little taller for his age, they decided to move him up in age groups where he would have tougher competition. But, that doesn't seem to intimidate the young racer at all.
"I'm usually pretty confident. But that just helps me kick their butts even though I'm younger," said Bentley.
For Bentley, kicking butts isn't just a hobby. In January he got his first taste of the spotlight when he was one of only a handful of junior riders selected out of over 10,000, to race Supercross at Angel Stadium.
Bentley wants to go pro and says the way to get there is through the Loretta’s, the annual AMA amateur national championship at country legend Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Tennessee. The race is widely known as the last stop for amateur racers before they go pro.
Marc explained, "He has the equipment. He has the coaching. He has the people around him with the knowledge to get that where it needs to be. The ball is in his court for how far he wants to take it."
But, for now, Bentley says he is focused on being the best regionally, keeping second and third-place trophies in his trailer to remind him what he is working for.
"If you're not first, you're last. Because I need to get that number one," smiled the rider.
If you want to see Bentley race or even get on the track with him, the next race here at the Owyhee Motorcycle Club is August 11.
