June 21, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

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

in People
Banner
Related Posts

10 things you don’t know about me… Santa Claus

December 13, 2019

December 13, 2019

This week the Record asked Santa Claus 10 questions about himself and he took time out of his very busy...

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me… Laura Mabry

February 27, 2019

February 27, 2019

Each week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 things about themselves. This week we asked Laura Mabry...

Love of the game: Two St. Joseph residents umpire at state softball tournament

June 3, 2019

June 3, 2019

Slipping on wet grass actually helped Karl Black’s first experience working as an umpire at the high school softball state...

Senior Spotlight with Jordan Stiverson

October 2, 2019

October 2, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we spoke to Jordan Stiverson. 1. What is the...

5 things you don’t know about me… McKenzie Keller

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

McKenzie is in the running for the title of Little Princess! She is six years old. We asked her to...

‘Scouting has been such a wonderful experience for me’

January 19, 2023

January 19, 2023

Sara Steffens’ Gold Award project is personal. The Ogden Girl Scout was inspired by her sister. “I learned that the...

Allen reflects on Addams Family performance

April 6, 2022

April 6, 2022

Logan Allen loved performing with his friends. Allen played Lucas in the Addams Family which the St. Joseph-Ogden Drama Department...

Voges urges St. Joseph residents to celebrate America

July 3, 2020

July 3, 2020

World War II veteran Bruce Voges loves America. When he told his kids he wanted to have a Fourth of...

Senior Spotlight… Hannah Rajlich

June 18, 2019

June 18, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we talked to Hannah Rajlich. This post is sponsored...

5 Question Friday with Drama Director Chandler Dalton

October 28, 2022

October 28, 2022

The SJO drama department is producing “The Internet is Distract—Oh look a kitten!” Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at...

10 things you don’t know about me… Stacey Livingston

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to tell us 10 interesting things about themselves. This week we spoke to...

A familiar face joins Longview Bank

November 22, 2021

November 22, 2021

Sara Bryan has always had a passion for helping people. That passion was instilled in her by her father who...

St. Joseph man peacefully protests against police brutality: ‘We need to listen’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

Jon Arteaga isn’t looking for any praise by protesting at the corner of Main Street and Route 150 in St....

She’s Back! Dukeman set to get another shot at softball this summer

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

Hannah Dukeman is getting a chance to play softball despite COVID-19 stealing her senior season at St. Joseph-Ogden High School....

Senior spotlight: Kassie Kelso

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions. Here are Kassie Kelso’s answers. What will you be doing...

Comments
Leave a Reply