Most 6-year-olds are still trying to master the transition from riding tricycles to riding bicycles.
Kyle Krell is racing motorcycles well, motorcycles for children, anyway.
The Ravena resident has been going to regional motocross competitions the last seven months and has done well in his age division. He finished fourth at the New York championships and placed eighth in the 4-6 pee wee division at last weekend’s Arenacross event at Albany’s Pepsi Arena.
Kyle has been riding a lot longer than seven months, though. He’s been on motorcycles since he was 2.
Kyle said he got into the sport by watching it on TV,` and he likes racing on the straightaways.
`You get to go fast (there),` Kyle said.
Kyle’s desire to race likely comes from his father Bill Krell, who once was a professional motocross rider.
`I got to the professional level in dirt track racing when I was 16, but I had to quit when I was 18 because we didn’t have the money (to keep going),` said Bill.
But, Bill didn’t start racing motorcycles until he was 13. Kyle started when he was 5. Bill said that’s because motocross racing has grown into a sport where riders from Kyle’s age to Bill’s age (41) and beyond have a place on the track.
`It’s come a long way since I did it,` said Bill. `There’s over 500 (racers) here this weekend, and on any given weekend, you can wind up with over 750 racers.`
The motorcycle Kyle rides in races is not nearly as powerful as the ones the older racers use. The 50cc engine only produces 11 to 12 horsepower, which allows the young riders enough speed to navigate the numerous dirt hills and straightaways, but not fast enough to cause them to go airborne like their older counterparts.
`They don’t fly like the big guys do, but they’ve got hundreds of dollars worth of gear on them to keep them safe,` said Bill.
Still, it’s enough to give Kyle’s parents some anxious moments when he’s competing. As Kyle was getting ready for his first heat Sunday, his mother Jennifer walked up to the lower level of seats at Pepsi Arena.
`I haven’t eaten yet today,` she said. `I start getting nervous right about now. I’m fine once he gets on the course.`
`I get more nervous than he does when he goes out there,` Bill said.
Kyle had no trouble navigating the Pepsi Arena course in his first heat. He got off to a good start and finished second with ease. But, Kyle ran into trouble in his second heat when a rider fell in front of him on the last lap, and he wound up crashing into the fallen bike. Kyle was fine, but the fall knocked him from second to eighth place and out of a berth in next year’s national competition.
Still, the effort Kyle had at the Albany motocross event may be a sign of things to come. He already has a training track at his house near Sycamore Country Club, as well as a family willing to support his racing career.
`Basically the reason why we built our house where it is, it sits on 70 acres of land,` said Bill. `We have a track, and now we’ve got a bunch of dirt that we can use to upgrade it in the springtime.`
Kyle may want to watch his back, though. His 1-year-old sister Eve is already catching the riding bug.
`We just got her one of those battery-operated four-wheelers, and she sits on it and really goes,` said Bill.“
