Colt Golembeski’s dream of racing in the sport’s premiere amateur competition is coming true this week.
The 10-year-old Land O’ Lakes resident is competing this week in the 37th Annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship, held at the iconic Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.
Golembeski, who began racing at age 6, endured a series of area and regional qualifiers in multiple states to earn one of 1,446 coveted spots, out of about 22,000 hopefuls. The national championship event runs through Aug. 4.
The lengthy qualification period ran from April through June, and took Golembeski throughout Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio and Virginia.
His performance culminated with a fifth-place finish in the 65cc 10-11 division at the Loretta Lynn’s Northeast Regional Qualifiers at Birch Creek Motorsports Park, in Sutherlin, Virginia. Only the top six finishers in each racing class from each regional earned a spot to amateur nationals.
Golembeski said the feeling “was awesome” when he crossed the finish line and realized he qualified for the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals: “I mean, I was like yelling, ‘Yeah!’”
“Man, we were ecstatic,” added Golembeski’s father, Brian, who travels race to race with his son. “It’s hard to explain to people that are outside the sport, but it’s like going to the Super Bowl — it’s huge.”
Not unlike the Super Bowl, just reaching the exclusive national race is an achievement in itself, said Golembeski’s father.
It requires an immense amount of time, effort and skill — not to mention a little luck, he said.
He explained: “You can fall, you can have bike problems, you have all the different variables, different tracks, different guys, and, on top of it, they’re all good (riders),” he said.
“There’s tons of skill and all that, but then you’ve gotta put all of it together and on that day have everything go right,” he added.
Loretta Lynn’s, as it’s simply called, is “a Holy Grail of sorts” for motocross riders, as it tends to be the final stop for amateur riders before entering the pro ranks.
Many of America’s top professional motocross racers, including James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael, Travis Pastrana and Ryan Dungey, have won AMA Amateur National titles at Loretta Lynn’s.
Golembeski, who’s entering the fifth grade at Florida Virtual School, will compete in 65cc and 85cc classes. In total, there are 35 different classes of competition, for children as young as age 4, all the way up to a senior division for riders over 50.
Racers will compete in three 15- to 20-minute races per class over the course of the week.
The track contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles, all designed to test the skills and stamina of racers.
That could work to Golembeski’s advantage, who said he likes to ride on “really rough, deep rutted tracks.”
Golembeski trains locally at Dade City MX, Tampa MX and Spyder MX in Wildwood. He said he’s worked to “just get better at riding everyday,” specifically getting faster out of the starting gate.
In addition to the tracks, Golembeski said he’s “done tons of stuff” to up his strength and endurance in preparation for the event — everything from riding his road bike and running regularly, to weightlifting and other bodyweight exercises.
The fitness component, his father said, may be the key to gaining an edge against competitors: “One of the big parts of this race is not only being a good rider, but being physically super-fit,” he said.
“That’s what really separates guys, because they all get really good and then the strongest guys are able to hold that for the entire Moto,” he added.
Golembeski is no stranger to success at big races.
In 2017, he won the Florida Winter Amateur Series 65cc 7-9 division. The year before that, he won the Dade City MX Triple Crown Series for his age group. He’s also collected several other top-five and top-10 finishes in other major during the past couple years.
“He’s done really, really well, in a short period. He’s a good rider,” Golembeski’s father said. “He’s a strong, physical rider.”
Determined to perform well in his first appearance at Loretta Lynn’s, Golembeski also wants to have some fun and take in the entire experience with his mom and dad, who are all trekking to Tennessee in an RV.
Besides the races, the weeklong event hosts many family friendly activities, including swimming, a talent show, concerts and live entertainment, making it an ultimate family vacation.
“I just want to do the best I can and see where that is — if it’s first (place) or it’s 15th,” Golembeski said.
Loretta Lynn’s isn’t the only big race for Golembeski this year, however.
He also plans to compete in the Ponca City (Oklahoma) MX Amateur Nationals in October and the Thor Winter Mini-Olympics (Alachua) in November.
He estimates he’s raced in more than 60 events since picking up the sport nearly four years ago.
“I just love riding my bike and feeling free. It’s just like my whole other world,” the 10-year-old said.
Published August 1, 2018
