You aren’t going to become a professional motorcycle
racer. That will only happen over my dead body.” But,
the Type-A parents of most professional motorcycle racers
never say no. Instead, they buy a faster bike and head for
the racetracks.
For myself, after my first race on a Yamaha PW50, I
was hooked. I had lapped the competition. It was my first
taste of individual glory. Perhaps I’d like to forget that
shortly after my first race was over I cried like a baby
as they wouldn’t give me a trophy. They thought I
was sandbagging the class. At 5 years old, I didn’t
understand. I was dejected by rejection, but for my dad,
it fueled his fire for me to succeed. So, he fed my
growing talent.
No kid, no matter how savvy, understands the concept
of money. Of course, I didn’t know what it took to earn
money or the anxiety that comes with spending money
that you don’t have. I was living a stress-free life that
consisted of going to school and coming home to be with
my bike. I could never fully comprehend why my dad
would suddenly throw wrenches and let his temper flare
if something couldn’t be fixed on the bike. Now I see that
his burden was greater than mine, because my family
NOVEMBER 2014 / MOTOCROSS ACTION 93
Eduardo Gutiérrez Torralba 2014
OF A DREAMER
“NO. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. JUST RIDE IN THE DESERT
AND ENJOY YOURSELF. YOU AREN’T GOING TO BECOME
A PROFESSIONAL MOTORCYCLE RACER. THAT WILL
ONLY HAPPEN OVER MY DEAD BODY.”
went all in on my racing career. As long as my grades
were in order, I was a racer. I don’t think they really
wanted to become a racing family; they just wanted to
help their child live out his passions and dreams, which
for me was to become just like my Supercross idols.
To be honest, my family had no clue what they were
getting into. This goes for the majority of motocross
families. It starts harmlessly enough. That first bike is like
elementary school. The second bike, which is a real race
bike, is the equivalent of going to high school. But from
MONEY PUT INTO IT, FAMILY FIGHTS AND
AMOUNT OF BLOOD SHED, I COULD HAVE
BEEN A BEVERLY HILLS PLASTIC SURGEON
BY NOW.
Daryl showed signs of talent as he lapped
the competition in his very first race.
