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Hot wheels
By ANNE LINDBERG © St. Petersburg Times, published November 5, 2000 Smoky exhaust fumes hang in the air over the dirt track at Dade City Motocross. A whining sound, like a swarm of mosquitoes, penetrates the night and a dozen motorcycles burst across the starting line. The track is fit for a roller coaster, with peaks and valleys often in rapid succession. The intense pilots and their motorcycles at times attain flight as they reach the crests of hills. In the middle of the pack is yellow-suited D.J. MacFarlane on his orange motorcycle. He is 5 years old, one of the top riders in his division and the proud owner of 20 trophies. Tongue-tied D.J., with his blue eyes, blond hair and missing front teeth, is not the youngest rider at the Dade City track, but he's possibly the smallest. Here, size does not count, but coordination, concentration and the desire to go fast. "He's good," said D.J.'s father, David MacFarlane of Pinellas Park. "D.J.'s had unbelieveable coordination his entire life." D.J.'s love affair with wheeled vehicles began early, said his mother, Cindy. It was Rollerblades, skateboards, scooters and a bicycle. His grandmother, Cricket Marek of Brooksville, began the move to motorized vehicles when D.J. was 3. She bought him a four-wheel Honda. "He wanted one," Marek said, explaining that she also bought them for her other grandchildren. D.J. tired of each wheeled vehicle in its turn, Mrs. MacFarlane said. Then came the first motorcycle. The love affair began innocently enough during a shopping trip for a helmet to wear while he was riding his bicycle. He longed for a yellow motorcycle helmet, so she got it for him. Soon, she bought him his first motorcycle. In the meantime, D.J.'s father took him to watch the motocross in Tampa. Then Mr. MacFarlane bought D.J. a racing bike and took him to Dade City in April. On the first night, Mr. MacFarlane realized D.J.'s bike was not competitive, so he paid about $2,400 for the KTM, an Austrian make. Soon, the family had a practice track, complete with dirt hillock, in the backyard of their Pinellas Park home. Soon they were traveling to Dade City most Saturdays to watch their son race at speeds up to about 40 mph over the same track where adults race. Soon, D.J. was winning. Mrs. MacFarlane said she does not worry about D.J. getting hurt. For his division, children 4-6 years old, the parents are stationed out on the track in case of a fall or accident. On this Saturday night in late October, D.J.'s motorcycle becomes entangled with another bike. The two boys fall over. His father comes to the rescue. D.J. gets up, unhurt, and his father dusts him off and helps him back on his bike. D.J. is back on track, speeding away and flying over the hilly course.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
