CANON CITY, Colo.—A few miles east of Cañon City lies 120 acres of land. About 80 percent of it is taken up by Ben Harris, 11. If you see dust flying around out there chances are it’s Ben riding his Kawasaki 85 or one of his other two dirt bikes.
Eighty of the 120 acres are hills that now double as jumps. But even some of the 40-acre “house” area is used for the family hobby.
There is a garage/refueling station that also holds a bobcat, used for building more ramps, and mom and dad’s bikes. The family’s cars, well, they’re parked outside.
The large, well-planned-out house doesn’t even have carpet. No, it’s cement floors so Ben and his bike-riding buddies don’t track in dirt.
The devotion to Ben’s first love isn’t all for naught. His hard work earned him a spot in a Las Vegas race that is reserved for America’s top 20 riders in the 7- to 11-year-old age classification.
Ben qualified from the West region, placing in the top five with other riders from as far as Hawaii.
The race will be May 8, but the Harris family will pack up their bikes and start the drive May 5 in order to get there in time to see James Stewart, Ben’s favorite rider, and other pros race in the days leading up to the kids’ main event.
Ben said he’s excited to go to Vegas to race against the best America has to offer.
“I’m expecting it’s going to have big jumps, and it’s going to have fast kids. That’s what I think about it,” Ben said. “I’ve been practicing a lot. I think it’d be really cool to win.”
The whole family is excited. Ben’s dad, Steve, said the whole atmosphere is fun to soak in during the arena cross tournaments which the Harris family frequents.
“We’ll take our fifth-wheel trailer. It’s like a white trash party. Everybody shows up, a whole bunch of stuff falls out of their trailers, their kids are crazy basically,” Steve said. “They do their stuff and it’s all loaded back up. Just to go to one and be part of the crowd (is fun). The people are great.”
Dangerous? Sure it is, Steve said, but Ben only has had two serious injuries. When he was 9, he had what Lynette, his mom, said was a soft fall that resulted in compound-fractured left arm. The other injury was a concussion.
But you can’t keep Ben off his bike. Especially with a mom like Lynette, a state champion in her own division. No, she’s not your typical freak-out-if-her-son-falls-down style of mom.
“I get nervous when he’s on the line. Only because I get nervous because he’s hard on himself. I know he’s going to be really disappointed if he doesn’t do well,” Lynette said. “I don’t get nervous (about him getting) hurt. I just get nervous about his expectations of his finish.”
If Ben wins a race sometimes there is a cash prize, but his parents said it’s not enough to cover the costs of the tournaments.
This is where sponsors come in handy.
“I’m sponsored by my mom and dad, Redneck MX, (Decal Works) and Fremont Motorsports,” Ben said, adding that his main sponsors are mom and dad.
But if Ben wins in Las Vegas, maybe mom and dad won’t have to foot so much of the bill.
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Information from: Canon City Daily Record,
