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Commercial Appeal, The (Memphis, TN)
August 2, 2002

RACER BY NATURE

RISING FIRST-GRADER LOSES NO TIME
GETTING STARTED IN MOTOCROSS

Author: Talia Buford
buford@gomemphis.com
Photographs by Nikki Boertman

Edition: Final
Section: Appeal
Page: E1

Joshua Cartwright races his bike around the curves in the backyard of his Memphis home, clearing the small jump near the deck.

Like most 7-year olds, Josh loves to ride his bike.

"I like to go fast and do jumps and tricks. I like racing," he said.

But most kids' bikes don't go up to 50 mph. Josh's does.

Josh is an amateur motocross racer and has been racing motorcycles since he was 4.

"When he was little, we used to put Josh on one of those little toy motorcycles and push him. He'd run into the pillows, fall over and get up smiling, saying, 'Do it again,'" said Josh's father, Joey Cartwright.

Josh has competed in more than 200 races in his short career and has won so many of them that he has to stash some of his awards in his closet.

"I don't even know how many trophies he has," said his dad. "He's raced so many times, it's hard to keep count."

Josh's racing has taken him to competitions in Missouri, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Nevada and other states. Most recently, Josh qualified for the American Motorcyclist Association Amateur Motocross Nationals to be held next week in Hurricane

Mills, Tenn., at Loretta Lynn's Ranch. Josh beat out racers from all over to become one of the top 42 cyclists in the nation in the 4- to 6-year-old class and qualify for this event.

"The road to Loretta Lynn's is pretty crowded," said Tom Lindsay, director of public information for the American Motorcycle Association. "About 20,000 (racers) start the season hoping to get (there) and only about 5 percent make it. So it is a major deal to make it this far."

Joey Cartwright said he always wanted his son to ride a motorcycle, just as he did. But first, they had to get through to Mom.

"I wasn't big on the whole motorcycle thing," said Lizabeth Cartwright, Josh's mom. "I told him that when Josh learned to ride a bike well, I would think about letting him get a motorcycle.

"I pulled up one day and there they were, Josh and Joey, riding the bike down the street. And he was riding fairly well. I couldn't believe it."

That Christmas, Santa brought Josh his very first motorcycle and the rest, as they say, is on his resume. Resume? But he's only 7.

"It gets to be expensive at the level he rides," said Joey. "So we use the resume to try to get sponsors."

Bikes run between $1,000 and $3,000, depending on the size and performance grade. To outfit a racer in new gear from head to toe would cost $600 or more. When Josh first started racing, the Cartwrights bought a used motorcycle and borrowed gear from other racers to help offset the costs.

One thing they couldn't save on was maintenance, the most unpredictable racing expense.

"IT's just like your car. One month, you may just need gas and oil, and the next, you may need a new set of tiers. It's a machine and it has to be maintained," said Joey Cartwright.

The sport is not only pricey, but also demanding for racers and their parents.

"This is an all-day event," Cartwright said. "We can't drop him off and pick him up. We have to be with him every time he gets on that bike."

The Cartwrights, constantly concerned about Josh's safety, insist that they take every precaution when Josh gets onto his bike.

"We are very adamant about safety. You can't deny that it is dangerous, but we make sure Josh wears his gear," he said.

Jeff Diabach, a sports medicine physician at Campbell Clinic, says that the biggest risk for children on motorcycles are injuries to the head and neck.

"Closed head injuries and spinal cord injuries could be disabling for life and sometimes fatal," Diabach said. "Before letting a child get onto a motorcycle, they need to be instructed in the proper way to ride, and they need to make sure they wear their safety gear."

Josh has yet to break a bone in the three years he has been racing, but the Cartwrights understand that the risk is still there.

"It's just like any other sport; if you play it long and hard enough, you're going to get hurt, " said Joey.

Lindsay said that as long as people take the proper precautions, motorcycle racing is something that people of any age can enjoy.

"We're pleased that youngsters are enjoying competitions at this age," he said. "This is not something that needs to wait until you are 16 or 18 to enjoy.

Besides motorcycles, Josh like reading, soccer, skating, karate, swimming, basketball, baseball, BMX, computer and video games and school. He'll be in the first grade at St. Benedict at Auburndale this fall.

So what does Josh want to be when he grows up? A pro racer, naturally. That doesn't exactly thrill mom and dad.

"If he wants to turn pro, he can go ahead, but we aren't going to push him," said Lizabeth Cartwright.

They want Josh to be well-rounded so he'll be able to explore his options as he gets older.

"We don't want to spoil him on racing," said Josh's dad. "We want him to get a taste for all sports because when he gets older, he's going to notice that he's the only one racing motorcycles."

Right now, the Cartwrights want to make sure Josh has fun, no matter what he decides for the future.

"He loves Pokemon and Jimmy Neutron," said Dad. "He's just a regular kid who just happens to ride a motorcycle really well."