Motocross: Good, family fun

Westin Remp can’t remember a time in his life that he wasn’t riding a motorcycle.

The seven-year-old from Libby — who came in 11th at the KTM Junior Supercross in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 16 — was riding almost as soon as he could walk.

They started him off at two years old with training wheels on his dirt bike, said his dad, Andy Remp. The wheels didn’t stay on very long, and the first spring after his third birthday, he was riding without them.

Now when Westin and the rest of the family goes out to practice at the Mill Pond Motocross track, it’s Westin who gets to help his 3-year-old brother Cash — already riding without training wheels — as he learns to ride.

Andy, who started riding when he was 12, said that in many ways it’s easier for the children who pick it up when they are younger.

They pick it up quickly, and it can actually be safer since crashes aren’t likely to be as bad.

Of course, there are crashes and spills, Andy said. “And they just want to get right back on and go.”

There is no making the boys ride, Andy said. When he gets home from work, he lets them know he’s going for a ride, and five minutes later finds his boys waiting for him and already geared up.

While it may not be any more dangerous than some other activities they could be involved in, Andy said that Westin has had his share of scrapes, and even a broken bone.

But would Westin ever consider giving it up?

“No, I would not give it up,” he responded with emphasis.

In Arlington, the young riders — all between seven and eight — were able to get the full “pro” experience, even rubbing shoulders with the pros and getting to ride a track that was in no way tempered for the younger riders.

But it wasn’t meeting riders from across the world or meeting the professionals that Westin said he enjoyed most. He wasn’t even focused on where he placed.

For him, it’s all about the ride.

“When we race it’s just about how much fun you have,” Westin said.

He did say he enjoyed getting to ride the bike he was supplied at the race -- part of the competition is that the racers all have identical bikes.

“The clutch was tuned up more, and my bike isn’t like that,” Westin said.

When Andy asked him if the bike “had a little punch to it,” Westin just smiled and replied “Yeah.”

Some day, Westin said he could see becoming a pro rider as well. But for now, it’s just about the challenge of seeing what he can do and how he can improve. And it’s also about his family and his friends.

Westin said that part of what he enjoys is just getting to share the activity with others.

His mother, Jenn Remp, said that there is a good community of riders out at the Mill Pond, and that adds to the enjoyment they all take from it.

And helping that is the growing number of young riders, Andy said.

Of course, doing something like this with a family is work, and Andy said that even just the application process for Westin to get to race in Texas was lengthy.

“But it’s well worth it,” he said.