By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Hillsborough’s Matthew Gahrmann is living his dream.
The 21-year-old dirt bike racer is racing this week in the largest amateur motocross race in the world, the 34th annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at country music star Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.
Mr. Gahrmann was one of more than 22,000 hopefuls from across America to seek one of just 1,482 qualifying positions. He qualified April 4 at Budds Creek in Maryland after experiencing his personal best and winning every moto.
“The Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” said event director Tim Cotter. “A win at the Amateur Nationals gives a rider instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”
Most of America’s top professional motocross racers have won this race. In 2013 race coverage was aired on NBC for the first time. This year, the coverage is airing live streaming on RacerTV.com throughout the week and will be broadcast later in the fall on NBC Sports Network.
Mr. Gahrmann was due to race Tuesday and Wednesday as well as Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.
Mr. Gahrmann, who will begin his senior year at High Point University in North Carolina in a few weeks, has been riding since he was 7 years old on the family’s nine acres in Hillsborough.
With the help of sponsors such as Exxtreme Moto, Liquid Performance, High Point University, Alias, and N-R-G Coaching, Mr. Gahrmann has been racing on and off since the second grade. He regularly competes at Englishtown’s Raceway Park when he’s home in Hillsborough and several local racetracks near campus, where he is a fulltime college student entering his senior year pursing a dual degree program in business and strategic communications.
Besides an abundance of schoolwork to stay on track to complete two degrees in four years with honors, Mr. Gahrmann serves as a University Ambassador, Junior Marshall, tutor, manages social media at Par Avion, LTD., works part-time at National Pool & Spa in Hillsborough and has a summer internship for Target, Inc. When he’s not studying or working, he is conditioning and preparing for the race.
“I think what made it so big is that when he was in North Carolina he had to be his own mechanic and go school and carry 20 credits as well as train,” said Natalie Gahrmann, his mother.
Another challenge was that he competed in Maryland with a broken jaw wired shut following a flip in the snow Feb. 17 in a winter storm in North Carolina. Right before the Budds Creek race, he got the wires cut so he could move his mouth a limited amount with rubber bands. It made a huge difference, he said.
Mr. Gahrmann made the journey to Tennessee along with mom, dad Richard and college roommate Ben Cambon. Mr. Gahrmann will be racing with the number 75 on his number plates in honor of his recently deceased Uncle Mike Gahrmann, who wore that badge number as a volunteer firefighter in Piscataway. Uncle Mike was a steady enthusiast, always ready to support her son, even with his credit card to buy a needed piece of equipment, said Mrs. Gahrmann.
Richard Gahrmann has been much a one-man race team, helping to fix and rebuild engines and even raise money. When his son is in North Carolina, he uses Facetime to show Matthew how to fix things.
The top finishers in the 59 area qualifying races earn a spot at one of the 13 regional qualifiers. Top regional qualifiers earn a gate position in the national championship race at Loretta Lynn’s.
Racers may enter a wide variety of classes, from minicycle classes for children as young as four, all the way up to a senior division for riders older than 50. There are also classes for women and classes for both stock and modified bikes. Mr. Gahrmann will compete in the highly competitive 250CC and 450CC classes.
The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn’s Ranch and Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers. Most riders attend the event with the help of their families. Some groups consider the event their family’s summer vacation. Besides races, the ranch provides family-friendly facilities including a game room, swimming pool, arts and crafts activities, as well as a fashion and talent show.
The race action will be broadcast live daily at www.RacerTV.com, July 28 through August 1, for a total of 40 hours of live coverage Highlight shows will air on NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, and at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18.
