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 near Bartlett 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 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."

"I like the jumps the most," said Joshua, a student at St. Francis of Assisi Elementary 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.