Medomak Riders Soar at Wheeler Spring MX Motocross Races Wes Overlock Wins 85cc Division Race

Motocross racing is a form of athletic competition that is sometimes overlooked or misunderstood by those that engage in more mainstream sports like baseball and basketball. The success of a competition-level track in proximity to the Midcoast area is helping to fuel more interest in the niche sport in Lincoln County. A group of Medomak Valley area racers competed in various age divisions and motorcycle classes at the Wheeler Spring MX track on Saturday, Aug. 2 in Bowdoin. The local kids train together and ride for fun on informal trails in Warren and Waldoboro, but competing at a tournament race track like Wheeler Spring MX with hundreds of other kids on summer weekends is a thrill they look forward to.

On this hot summer day in Bowdoin, the track area and the surrounding parking lot, campsites and motorcycle trailer spaces were buzzing with action and excitement, with hundreds of families from around Maine gathered for an adrenaline-filled Maine Motocross event. A group of families from the Medomak area are hanging out together track-side under a canopy, and directly across the parking lot are their motorcycle trailers with bikes and gear spilling out onto the pavement where the kids joke around in their colorful racing uniforms.

“We have a social area where all the families relax and wait for their kid’s next race,” said Andy Severson, who’s 16-year-old son Jacoby is a rising junior at Medomak Valley High School whom has been racing competitively in the league for three years. “The races are about 15 minutes long, so the action moves pretty quickly like clockwork as they rotate in and out. There are some longer breaks throughout the day, too.”

Wheeler Spring MX is a relatively new competition venue on the Maine Motocross circuit, opening as a competition race course

in 2017 after evolving from a local riding park and training facility. Points earned during the Wheeler Spring MX races on Aug. 2 count toward the Maine Motocross league standings along with those from 10 other events held from May 3 through Oct. 4.

Wheeler Spring MX hosts three tournaments, MX207 in Lyman hosts four, Hemond’s Motocross Park in Minot hosts three, and Dirt Side MX in Groveton, N.H. hosts one.

“Wheeler Spring is the smallest venue that we visit on the Maine Motocross circuit, but it has a lot of cool aspects to it,” said Severson. “The beauty of it is you can see almost the whole track from one standing place on the fence line or from the green tower near the middle, so it’s ideal for spectators.”

The parking lot adjacent to the noisy, dusty dirt race track is filled with a variety of trailers that typically contain motorcycles with a variety of sizes and horsepower, and lots of tools.  Severson had to perform repairs on Jacoby’s motorcycle after he was crashed into by another rider during the start of his first race. The crash happened at a critical moment when all 20 or so of the riders converge and jockey for position on the first turn in an attempt to surge ahead in a maneuver that is called the “hole shot.”

“Jacoby got clipped and dinged up but he’s tough, and despite bad luck in the first heat he wants to give it a go in his second race,” said Severson, who was able to repair the bike thanks to tools readily borrowed from another racing family camping at the track for the weekend.

“One of my favorite things is how the racing community is like a big family and we help each other out.”

Despite having his motorcycle get knocked out of action in the first race, Jacoby Severson was upbeat while looking forward to competing in his second race, with his bike once again operational.

“I love the adrenaline rush and the thrill of the challenge,” said Jacoby Severson who has been competing in Maine Motocross racing for three years. “Racing takes courage, agility, and endurance. I play other team sports, but one thing I like that’s different about motocross is that I’m racing and winning for myself and not a team.”

While crashes like the one that took out Jacoby Severson and another competitor in the first race happen at just about every motocross tournament, most of the races are crash-free and contact-free. There are exceptions, and there is risk involved, but that is part of the sport that the competitors and their families accept.

On this day, a racer misjudged the landing on the biggest jump on the course and crashed hard. The racer was able to walk off the track with assistance and got into a waiting ambulance to be treated for what was described as a dislocation.

“I broke my collarbone last year, so getting my first win here today after all of that feels really good,” said Wes Overlock, 14, who is entering his first year at Medomak Valley High School. “Going hard to earn the hole shot in front really gave me a boost, and then I just rode my race. About halfway through, I looked back once and realized how far ahead I was, so I started riding comfortably and held it all the way to the end.”

Overlock rode to a first place finish in the 85cc Maine Motocross race for ages 12-15. There are two races in each division, and the best combined score wins the event. Overlock was fourth in the first heat and won the second heat to take first place for the day. With the win, Overlock moved into fifth place out of 51 riders in his division in the season standings.

“I had a horrible start in the first race and I was like dead last, but I worked my way back up to fourth,” said Overlock. “I just knew I could do better in the second race. I was riding really good at the end of the first race and then made a couple adjustments.”

According to Overlock, who also enjoys playing basketball, each race takes about 15 minutes. Even though relatively brief, races can still be extremely taxing on the rider.

“This sport is definitely more mentally- and physically demanding than basketball and you have to have good stamina,” Overlock said. “You don’t lose your breath. It’s just that your hands get so tired and cramped up from holding on so long and hitting all those bumps.”

Wes Overlock’s 11-year-old cousin Max Overlock is also a Maine Motocross racer, and the families hang out in the large, boisterous trailer staging area with other friends in between their races.

“I like trying to race past people and pushing the hardest I can to get up to the front,” said Max Overlock, who earned a fourth place finish in the 65cc open division and also competed in two other divisions during the day-long event. “I push harder in the corners than the other guys, and try to get as much time in the air on the jumps as I can because if you don’t, you’re going to race a lot slower.”

Max Overlock, who has been riding competitively for five years, says he got into it by watching the sport on TV and he has been riding with his dad, cousin, and friends that race for as long as he can remember.

“I love the speed and the competition, but it’s kind of like a social thing, too, hanging out with friends and family pretty much every weekend of the summer,” Max Overlock said.

Max’s dad Ben Overlock agrees the camaraderie and social aspect is a big draw for their whole family.

“We typically drive our motor home and camp out at the Maine Motocross events for the weekend,” said Ben Overlock, who also races in the adult division and earned a third place finish at Wheeler Spring MX on Aug. 2. “It’s a great family sport and all the Maine Motocross venues are kind of geared toward the camping and the socializing. We’ve made a lot of great friends from camping out at the events.”

Ben’s wife Carrie Overlock, mother of Max, says she does not ride motorcycles, but she loves watching and being a part of it all. “I’m in charge of the camping, cheering, food and water,” said Carrie Overlock from their motorcycle trailer, as she helped Max get water and gear up for his next race. “We have a lot of fun together, and race weekends are something we all look forward to.”

 

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