A need for speed
LSHS racers share their thoughts and experiences in motorsport
Photo courtesy of Kyler Hope - Elevate Racing Media
Start your engines: Senior Tyler Conley makes his way onto the track. A constant amount of work and repairs are important to keep any car competitive. “I mean, right now I work on my car. About two to three days a week and then plus my racing night. So I mean, that’s a whole night out of my week that I’m doing nothing but racing,” Conley said.
Sports are a huge part of the lives of billions of people. Whether that be football, soccer, basketball, baseball, etc. the adrenaline of participating in a competitive event provides a thrill like nothing else, and for many, that feeling comes from motorsports.
Motorsport is unique in that there are tons of different subcategories within the general sport, from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship, but like all other sports, you have to work your way up. Karting, quarter sprints, dirt bikes, and more can all be used as gateways into “The big leagues”.
At Lake Stevens High School, there are a few students who live in the world of motorsport and had their sights set on the sport.
“It really just kind of happened by chance. Like, my family had never really raced before and really knew nothing about it,” senior Tyler Conley said.
Finding the right place to start can be a challenge; unfortunately, it’s not easily accessible to nearly the number of people who access more well-known sports. The costs of motorsport can also start to add up quickly, which doesn’t do the sport justice in helping it grow.
“When I was younger, it’s pretty affordable because you can start and only race, there’s like levels to racing locally,” Conley stated.
Others have grown up with Motorsports due to family influence.
“I got into Motorsports at the age of four ‘cause of my parents. They got what’s called a quarter midget and put me in it, been racing ever since, only four years did I not race and felt that there wasn’t anything better than it,” senior Ryan Clark stated.
The emotions of motorsport can easily reach the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. In motorsport, anything can happen, and it usually does.
“I’m always told by my dad that a bad day at the track is still better than a normal day in life and he’s not wrong, any day at a race track as a racer is just something that can’t be beat,” Clark said.
Conley has learned life lessons through his sport and appreciates the competition involved. Both Conley and Clark see the benefits of motorsports and hope its popularity will increase.
“Motorsports is such a friendly sport, the stuff you see on TV isn’t anything like local racing is, and I wish more local short track racing was shown. You see that all the teams are friends, and lots become what racers call race track family. Yes, there is drama when racers crash into each other, but it’s really a great sport to watch and experience even as a fan,” Clark stated.
