St. Joseph youth Dalton revs it up at motocross nationals

This week, Tristan Dalton is trying to become a national champion.

The 11-year-old St. Joseph resident is competing at the Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship in Tennessee.

Dalton has been racing since he was 4 years old.

“I raced motocross when I was growing up,” said Chad Dalton, Tristan’s father. “And introduced him to the sport when he was about 3 years old.”

The road to nationals was a long one for Tristan. He competed in three area qualifying events held in Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. He qualified in all three states for the regional competition, where he finished third, good enough to qualify him for nationals.

“They only take 42 riders in each class,” Chad said. “This places him in the top 42 riders in the nation in his age group. Whatever place he ends up in at this event will give him his national ranking.”

Chad said when Tristan realized he qualified for nationals, he couldn’t stop smiling and the entire family was so proud of his accomplishments.

“It’s extremely exciting and emotional all at the same time,” Chad said. “He lays it all out every time he swings his leg over his bike.”

Tristan loves motocross, even the most challenging part, which is getting through the first turn of the race with more than 40 other riders at the same time.

Chad said some people have misconceptions about the sport and assume it is dangerous and rough. Not so, according to Tristan’s father.

“Motocross is actually a very family-oriented sport,” Chad said, “and with all the proper safety gear it’s no more dangerous then a contact sport.”

In order to prepare for nationals, Tristan trained almost every day this summer at SSR Rider Development in Bowling Green, Ind.

“They are in the gym every day and on the track working hard on conditioning and technique,” Chad said.

On Tuesday, Tristan will race at 11 a.m.

The riders get a 15-minute practice for each class in the morning before the races start.

Then, riders will compete in two four-lap races per class.

“There are usually about 25 to 30 different classes throughout the day so it’s a long day,” Chad said.

Even though the days are long, the Daltons wouldn’t change a thing.

“Motocross racing is a weekend sport with lots of traveling and camping out at the tracks,” Chad said. “The riders and families spend a lot of time together and support each other and their kids.”

You can watch Tristan’s race on 11 a.m. on Tuesday on Racertv.com