“A 5 INCH COURSE”

 I was recently watching the Golf Channel, and I heard a quote that a golf instructor once told his student, who happened top be a great champion golfer. The instructor told him, “The game of golf is played on a 5 inch course, the space between your ears”. So of course I thought, how can this apply to motocross? After thinking about it for about 2 seconds, it didn’t take long to realize that this is a quote that applies not only to every sport, but really the game of life itself.

 After 11 years of instructing thousands of students, I can really begin to understand patterns, talent characteristics and personalities that separate poor riders, to good riders to championship caliber riders. What’s the secret? In my opinion it’s the talent characteristic that I rate the highest of the 14, intelligence, that 5 inch space between your ears.

 We have had the pleasure to work with some of the very best riders out there, some at different stages of their “careers”, but riders like Kyle Cunningham (YOT), Cassidy Anderson (Supermoto Lites Champion), Matt Karlsen (top 10 WORCS), Matt Lemoine (Yamaha Lucas/Star Racing), Eli Tomac (Suzuki), James Justice (KTM), Chaz Holladay (1000 Oaks Yamaha), Hunter Hewitt (Kawasaki Extreme Team Green), Brad Frace (Honda of Houston), and Beau Hudson (Team Green) have been or still are part of our team. Plus students like Ryan Villopoto, Tyler and Blake Wharton, Trey Canard, Matt Boni and  so many other students from 4 years old to 65 years old. What makes the riders I just mentioned different from the rest, it’s that 5 inch space between the ears. Unfortunately when a student comes to a school, for many most of the information they are being taught is just passing through that 5 inch space, and for others, that information is starting to formulate a plan, a plan that will help make them successful. Also I might ad that all of the names I mentioned, I didn’t make any of these riders, they had a lot of help, help from their parents, help from the industry people, help from trainers, instructors and friends, and it’s great to be a small part of their programs, but bottom line is somewhere along the way, they used that 5 inch space between their ears and decided that they knew where they were going in this sport, so they deserve the credit.

 So my advice to all those riders out there struggling or not meeting their individual goals, take a step back and just think. Think about what the sport means to you, think about your enthusiasm, think about how much time you are wasting, think about who you hang out with, think about what you eat, how you train, what you accomplish every time you go to the track, think about your strengths and weaknesses, think about your goals, think about every little thing, because a lot of little things add up to big things.

 So remember, “The game of motocross is played on a 5 inch course”.

 One other thing I would like to mention is I was asked to be the national safety advisor for the Brett Downey Safety Foundation (www.mxsafety38.org), and my first challenge was at the World Mini’s. My job is to bring safety awareness to the forefront of our sport, to help educate flaggers, help identify dangerous track conditions, and study the sport from a safety position. The BDSF has already made a 12 minute CD for flaggers to watch, and I have already begun writing a Motocross Safety Handbook along with others in our sport. So our mission is to help make all you riders feel safer at and around the track, but we need your help, you need to be responsible for your actions and help others become educated and let the track owners know when you see a potential problem.

Larry Morton

www.5mmxs.com