 |
| Joshua Cartwright has been involved in
Motocross racing since he was 4 years old. Courtesy photo |
Hitting the ground running
Joshua
Cartwright finding Motocross success at age 9
by Mike O'Kelly
Success doesn't happen overnight, but that doesn't mean you can't
be a fan favorite right out of the gate.
Just ask 9-year-old Joshua Cartwright, who lives in Davies
Plantation and has been racing in Motocross events since he was
four years old.
In his first event, a January 2000 race in Nashville in front of
6,000 people, Joshua finished last, but he gained the respect of
all the fans in attendance.
"Everybody lapped him and they all finished and he was the
only one left on the track," recalled Joshua's father, Joey.
"The place just went crazy and there was a big standing
ovation and he came off the track and looked at me and said, 'Did
I win?'"
He might have lost that first race, but
Joshua has made up for it since that time, competing in more than
500 races in 17 states and racking up more than a bedroom full of
trophies in the process.
Joshua was introduced to Motocross through his father, who also
used to race, and who would take him along for some practice runs
on an old 100-yard oval track in Fayette County.
"He would just ride around in a big circle," said Joey.
"He couldn't get his feet down and he would always
fall."
In 2002, Joshua qualified for Motocross' most prestigious amateur
national event, the Loretta Lynn National Championships in
Hurricane Mills, Tenn. Two years later, in 2004, he returned to
Loretta's and also secured seven Top 10 finishes in national
events while winning the KTM Challenge at Dallas' Texas Stadium
and taking home the title at the Amateur Open of Motocross at
Arizona Cycle Park near Phoenix in early December.
 |
| Joshua
Cartwright "gets some air" on his motorcross
bike. Courtesy photo |
"I like the jumps the most," said
Joshua, a student at St. Francis of Assisi in Cordova.
Joshua admitted to never being nervous whether he's plowing
through a rut, landing a jump or hugging a corner on the
obstacle-course filled tracks.
"I'm just thinking that I'm going to win," Joshua said.
Although he might seem fearless when he's at the peak of his
40-foot jump, Joey said his son is one of the more conservative
riders you might find.
"He's always been cautious and he rarely takes chances,"
said Joey. "He's always been a great jumper, but this year
his corner skills and his speed caught up with his
smoothness."
Those skills caught up just in time to see Joshua make the
transition from a 50cc class bike to a more powerful 65cc bike.
The Motocross schedule keeps the entire Cartwright family busy,
including Joshua's mom, Lizabeth, who has actually helped work
some of the races on Joshua's current circuit, the indoor Clear
Channel Arena Cross series.
Though the family spends the majority of their weekends on the
road, Joshua is just like any other kid during the week, doing
multiplication, playing video games along with baseball,
basketball and soccer when in season.
But those traditional sports don't offer the adrenaline rush that
Motocross does, according to Joey.
"In all those sports, your mind can drift. In (Motocross),
your mind cannot drift," Joey said.
Joey recommended to Joshua's baseball coaches this past season
that he pitch, catch or play first base to keep his mind in the
game. When asked if he feels the same feeling on the diamond that
he does on the track, Joshua, who pitches, responded, "Yea,
if I hit a home run."
Joshua is quick to reveal his goals for the future - he wants to
race professionally when he's older - and his parents are fine
with that, as long as he has a back-up plan. Currently, Motocross
riders can compete professionally at age 16.
"There is no Motocross scholarship," Joey said. "So
when he turns 16, unless we really think he's the best rider in
the country, he'll be going to college."
For more information on Joshua Cartwright, visit his website at www.joshcartwright.com.
|
