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By Rachel Witt
W
hen I ask for a quick interview with Carson
Mumford he agrees without hesitation,
poised and ready for questioning like a
seasoned pro. He’s only twelve years old,
but already he’s comfortable speaking in front of an
“I mean I saw Ricky
Carmichael, McGrath, everybody up
on the TV. I always
knew that was what I
wanted to be.”
audience.
And why wouldn’t he be? With his shelves already
lined with championship title plates and trophies,
this “Dirty 100” rider has heard his own voice over
the loudspeaker a time or two. That’s not to say that
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there’s anything pompous about him. He’s confident, but also calculated in his responses.
When I ask him about his goals for the year, he
states, “My goal for me this year, is definitely win
some motos, win some titles, but be in the race every moto, get up there,
show my sponsors I can
get on the podium.
I’m the youngest in my
class. I have two years
left in this class. I have
time.” His self-assurance
is startling for someone
so young.
Looking at his track record, it’s the work ethic,
experience, and competitive roots that drive
him to such a level of
confidence. He describes his schedule,
saying, “It’s definitely
not the funnest thing
but you gotta get it
done so I go to school,
then after that, sit in the
car for two hours, then
go train with Buddy Antunez, Conner Mullenix,
Zac Commans, Mitchell
Falk, Tristan Miller, Kyle
Allison… all the fast kids.
They’re all there, we’re
all training and pushing the limits. After that
you gotta sit in the car
for two hours, then get
home at 10:00 at night,
wake up the next morning, go to school and do it all
over again.” Unlike some of his competitors who are
home-schooled, Mumford goes to public school,
so balancing his time between school, training, and
racing doesn’t leave time for much else.
It’s easy to question a twelve year old in his resolve
about career goals. With two competitive parents,
and a sister who dances competitively, Mumford
seems bred for it. So when did he decide he would
be a professional motocross racer? “Since I got a
dirtbike,” he says without hesitation. “I mean I saw
Ricky Carmichael, McGrath, everybody up on the
TV. I always knew that was what I wanted to be. Got
a PW for Christmas one year and started off in the
backyard on a little turn track. Just went from there.”
He’s still got a long road ahead of him, but Mumford seems up to the challenges, confident that with
practice and persistence, we’ll continue to see him
on top of the box.