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By Rachel Witt
L
eaning over the handle bars of
his bike he surveys the track, eyes
slightly squinted, momentarily withdrawn. In his own head. His eyes fol-
Derek Drake’s intensity on the track belies the soft-spoken boy behind the goggles. Here, he seems less aggressive.
Even a tad shy. “If you don’t get out front,
you just try different lines, try to catch
the guy,” he trails off for a moment.
“Doesn’t work, doesn’t work. You tried
your hardest,” he shrugs his shoulders
absently, as if trying to convince himself that he could be okay with second, but his attempt at reassurance
falls short. It’s clear that in every race,
Drake means to win.
And the hard work is paying off, because Drake certainly gets his share
of holeshots. “If you don’t get the
holeshot, the key is, you have to pass
them quick. When they get gone,
you can’t pass them.” Already today
at Oatfield, he managed a pass into
first after Mumford got the holeshot.
Drake went on to win the moto.
“It’s clear that
in every race,
Drake means to
win.”
Perhaps as he watches the race he’s
seeing himself out the gate, taking
the holeshot, and gaining the lead.
His stern countenance suggests that
he means business. There is only a
slight flicker in his eyes to reveal that
maybe Drake is more self-critical than
he lets on. But for a kid who is only
satisfied with a win, racing against
some of the fastest amateur riders in
the nation, self-criticism is inevitable.
Drake is as humble as they come.
He’s always hungry for more. He’s always improving.
low the 85’s as they spring off the gate,
full throttle into the first turn at Oatfield.
“My starts have been pretty good,” he
says, his eyes not leaving the track. “At
Texas I’ve been practicing starts. That’s
like 90 percent of the race. You want to
get out front, stay smooth, pull a lead.”
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theROOTSMX • ISSUE 1 2014
He sweeps both motos in Supermini 1 for
the overall win at Oatfield. Today Drake
celebrates a win. Tomorrow, he’ll be hitting the gym at 4:30 AM before school.
Then at the gate again, practicing his
holeshots. For Drake, as for his competition, it never stops.