2004 was a banner year for Sechelt's Taylor Hunt on the motocross circuit. He's hoping 2005 will be even better.Coast Reporter first introduced you to the 14-year-old up-and-coming racer last May.
Taylor had been racing for two years and had just started to turn his sights to competitive racing. When he started racing in June 2003, he used a YZ80 bike and had success right away.
During that spring, Taylor and his dad Keith started travelling and racing in the Canadian Motocross Racing Club (CMRC) provincials. He finished second overall on the series in the 85cc 13-to-16-year-old class. He placed second in the 85cc 13-to-16-year old and third in the Supermini at the CMRC Western Canadian Amateur Nationals in July last year. Success continued to come his way throughout the remainder of 2004.
He was winning and competing at such a high level that the Hunts decided to move Taylor to a bigger bike.
"My parents rewarded my success with an '05 YZ125 and a new race trailer to haul it in," Taylor said. "I'm practising weekly on a local sand track. I love the new bike."
Making a bike switch at any time can be a challenge for the most experienced riders, so you would think Taylor would need a bit of an adjustment period. That adjustment lasted all of 24 hours.
"We bought the bike on a Friday and the next day we were in Kelowna for an event," Keith said. "Taylor practised on the bike on Friday and on race day Saturday, and he wound up finishing first in one race and third in another. He also won four races on his 85cc bike as well. It was quite the day."
Another achievement took place in Pemberton in October.
"Taylor went up against a highly competitive field and had two first place finishes and won the B-main event," Keith said. "He rode very well that day."
After finishing the outdoor racing series on a high, Taylor set his sights to the indoor circuit.
He won the Canadian Series racing in events in Chilliwack and Nanaimo. The series also had an event in Lethbridge, which Taylor couldn't make. But despite missing the Lethbridge event, Taylor still won the series going away.
He's now started the West Coast Arena Cross Series and has competed in one event so far, coming in with first and second place finishes. There are five more races left in the series with an event this weekend in Chilliwack.
That series wraps up at the end of February and then the outdoor season starts again at the end of March.
Taylor's success has brought about lots of attention, including many new sponsors who have come on board to help out financially.
His current sponsors include Kinetic Fitness, Clearbrook Yamaha, Alloy, ASV, Dunlop, Excel, Factory Connection, FX, MR2, Renthal, Rhino, Sidi, Smith, Twin Air and Works Connection.
"The sponsorship is critical. Racing is about money, getting top equipment and a top performance bike," Keith said.
"My goals are to win the 125B (junior class) at the CMRC and Canadian Motocross Association this spring, the 125B (junior class) at the Western Canadians and the race and win the 125A intermediate class in both the fall series," Taylor added. "There are some big events in Canada I want to try to qualify in and a major U.S. event, the 125B class at the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals."
It's going to be a busy year for Taylor and his dad, and they seem ready for the challenge.
