CLARKSVILLE — Seth Rarick is lured by a loud sound.

The noise of a running motor has drawn the 15-year-old Clarksville native to places all over the state of New York and as far away as Florida.

The sound of a Motocross bike engine has been planted firmly in Seth Rarick’s brain and will take him to places that everyone in his sport dreams about.

Next up for Rarick is the biggest race of his young life. He will travel to Tennessee to compete in the 2007 Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships in Hurricane Mills, simply called Loretta Lynn’s, because they are held on the country-singing star’s ranch, 65 miles west of Nashville.

Rarick will compete in the Mx Lites B Modified and the Mx Lites Schoolboy divisions. The schoolboy division is for competitors between the ages of 14 and 16 and the B Modified is for competitors who have reached the B-level of amateur status.

Starting the engine

Rarick first climbed on a bike when he was 4-years old.
"My dad was into it," Rarick said of his father, Marty. "He had been racing for a number of years, and he got me into it when I was real young. I didn’t want to race at first. I was just doing it for fun."

In 2001, when he was 9, Rarick decided he wanted to compete.
"One day, I just decided I wanted to do racing," he said. "I’ve been getting better and getting better, and here I am."

Rarick is at the point where his dreams have turned into goals. Instead of daydreaming of riding in the professional ranks, it’s something he can see ahead of him.
"I want to, in a few years, turn pro," Rarick said. "It’s been a dream of mine to ride in the Pro Nationals. I am working hard to achieve it."

Motocross is a form of racing motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles on enclosed off-road circuits. It is distinct from other forms of mass-start racing because competitors all line up alongside each other and start simultaneously.

Pro Nationals or the AMA National Championships is what Rarick strives to reach. It’s the top level of the sport.

Rarick is a B-level driver in the AMA’s amateur series. It’s the middle level of three, with A (expert) being the highest and C (novice) the lowest.
"I rode last year at Loretta Lynn’s in the C class," Rarick said. "I’m hoping to do one more year in B and get a top-five finish at Loretta Lynn’s in the A class. So far, this has been my best year to date."

Motocross takes Rarick all over the country and, due to that, he is home-schooled. He spends most of his winter in Florida, riding in the Winter Am Series. He finished in the top 10 in the B class in the Sunshine State this past winter.
"I did well in Florida," he said, "then I came back here and started racing all the qualifiers for Loretta Lynn’s."

Rarick had to compete in a number of qualifiers to reach a big amateur race. There were eight local qualifiers that riders can compete in. Then it’s on to the regional qualifier.

Rarick competed in four area qualifiers and two regional qualifiers.
"I qualified in both classes," he said. "I’m ready to go to Loretta Lynn’s."

While in Tennessee from July 31 to Aug. 4, Rarick will be riding all day, every day.
"My goal was to make it in both classes," Rarick said. "I’ll be riding almost every day. I really want to make it in the top 15. I’d be happy with that."

There will be a practice day on Monday, July, 30, and then he’ll be riding every day.
"I love it," Rarick said. "It’s the biggest event in the world."

After his trip to Tennessee, Rarick will get a nice break for the rest of the summer, before the season picks up again.
"There’s not much going on," Rarick said, "until September and October; those are two busy months."

Around Labor Day weekend, Rarick will compete in New Hampshire at the New England Regional Championships.
"After New England," Rarick said, "I have the New York State Championships in Tioga near Binghamton."

Then, after that race, Rarick will be competing in New Jersey at the Kawasaki Race of Champions.
"It’s a big national amateur event," Rarick said.

And then, as the weather turns cold and the Thanksgiving turkeys are being bought, Rarick will be back in Gainesville, Fla. for the Mini-Olympics.
It’s the same thing as Loretta Lynn’s," Rarick said. "But it’s not as prestigious. But they are the two biggest races in the country. A lot of factory teams will be there, looking for younger stars coming up."

If a factory team is interested in a racer, a lot of money from a bike manufacturer like Kawasaki, as an example, can follow along with sponsorships.

Motocross rules

The three amateur classes are open to anyone ages 4 to 45 or slightly older.
"In each level, there are different types of races," Rarick said. "There are local races in every state. A lot of people do those just for fun. I started doing all local stuff."

It didn’t take long for Rarick to catch the Motocross bug.
"The more I did it," he said, "the more I started having fun at it. I enjoyed racing. I started progressing each year and I decided to go somewhere in this sport and make a career out of it."

Becoming a professional is a passion for Rarick, and something that he will work at as hard as he can. And it is something he and his father and Mario Darpino, the owner of On the Pipe Racing in Guilderland Center, believe he can do.

Darpino supplies Rarick with bikes and parts for racing and is one of Raricks biggest fans.
"He’s a great kid," Darpino said. "He has a lot of talent and a bright future in this sport. He’ll be at the professional level before too long. I do my best to support him and his family."

Rarick uses three to four bikes a year. He has one for practice and one for races, and changes them during the year.
"I get them at the beginning of the year and right about this time I’ll get another," Rarick said.

Changing bikes does not affect his racing because he uses the same brand, KTM, Rarick said.
"I’m comfortable with the same brand," he said. "You really can’t tell a difference."

Rarick rides a 254-stroke engine bike and will for the rest of the year. He is planning on moving up a size to a 450 for next year.
"I’ve practiced on them before," Rarick said. "The only major difference is the power delivery."

Rarick likes the bikes built by KTM, which sponsors a lot of racers and has one of the faster teams in Pro Nationals.

Rarick also gets help from Hannay Hose Reels in Westerlo.
"Roger and Elaine Hannay help out my dad and me," Rarick said.

The Raricks spend roughly $30,000 a year on racing. That includes travel costs, gas, and food, as well as registration fees as races.

Each race the Raricks go to costs money. Local races are much cheaper but Loretta Lynn’s has already cost them $425 in fees.

This also motivates Rarick to get to the professional ranks where costs will be cut.

The Raricks will have more travel costs next year as they have added a new race to their itinerary. After the winter series in Florida, Rarick will compete in Texas for a week at the Oak Hill meet, another top amateur competition.
"There are nine total amateur nationals," Rarick said. "My goal next year is to go to five of the nine."

In a couple of years, Rarick hopes to accumulate enough points to be able to turn pro.

Each amateur event has a point total that racers can earn. Some races have more than others.
"The series [Pro-Am] is about 30 to 35 races," Rarick said. "In each of those races, you can accumulate a certain number of points. You need 100 points in one year to be able to move up to the pros."

Rarick got the competitive spirit early in his life. That fire has been stoked by Motocross hero Jeremy McGrath and another hero on a different kind of bike — Lance Armstrong.
"I read his book and saw what he overcame to win in his sport," Rarick said.
"Jeremy McGrath, he’s the king," Rarick said. "He’s awesome. Everything about him and his style on the bike and the way he handles racing and is so dominating is awesome."

Rarick hopes to line up one day with McGrath at the top level of Motocross. He is determined to get there.
"Racing goes to my competitive nature," Rarick said. "Racing really helps you in life. It challenges you to get a competitive edge. You want to beat whatever you’re up against and not just give up but try and beat it."