With one hundred years of motocross race experience spread over three generations, the Watson family of Quesnel seems to have no fear of flying.
If that worry does exist, they're pretty good at hiding it. Going airborne to bone-breaking heights on a motorbike is not for the faint of heart and the Watson clan has had many years to figure out how to stick those landings.
But every so often, the law of averages catches up with them and they hit the deck hard, as 14-year-old Austin Watson found out Saturday during practice for the Printwerx Cup B.C. Motocross Association championship races at Blackwater Motocross Park. His wipe-out left him with a big headache and ended his hopes of racing on the weekend. That forced him to become a full-time cheerleader in the pits, watching his dad Brian and 16-year-old brother Haiden race their bikes.
Brian, 44, started in motocross at age four and he's been racing ever since. His dad Archie was an avid racer until he quit motocross at age 41, but he continued to race cross-country bikes until he was 60. Brian hopes to keep racing his dirt bike at least until his sixth decade.
Archie was introduced to the sport when he was 12, while visiting relatives in Prince George, when family friend, Carmen Brown, who worked in a sawmill, took him along for a full-throttle ride on his Royal Enfield bike to the top of one of the big sawdust piles. After that, Archie was hooked and couldn't wait to get his own bike.
Brian introduced his two boys to the sport at a young age as well - Austin was four and Haiden was six - and they've been fixtures on the Central Interior racing scene ever since. In 10 years they've never missed a race in Prince George, Quesnel or Williams Lake. Brian is vice-president of the Quesnel Motocross Association and his wife Tammy is past-president of the club.
"When I was Haiden's age [16], me and my dad took off racing on the B.C. circuit and there wasn't as much racing up north but we went south and hit a bunch of races down there, and then I had to start working and took some time off," said Brian, who finished second in his vet master moto.
"For the first couple years the boys raced and I didn't, but they encouraged me to get out there and race too. I like the family aspect of it, not just being with my family, but with everybody here. We hang out with all these people, they're like our extended family."
Haiden races the junior classes and has lots of war wounds to remind him. He likes finishing at the head of the pack but it doesn't always work out that way. Like his brother, he's sometimes forced to take a break to allow his body to heal.
"The last few years have been kind of hard," said Haiden. "I've had a couple broken ribs, I've broken my arms about five times, a few concussions, the normal stuff."
Brian's been through it too - a separated shoulder, broken elbow, broken ribs, a banged-up knee, but it doesn't stop him from from coming back.
"It's like any other aggressive sport like hockey or football, you're going to get your injuries, but the sport is still totally enjoyable," Brian said. "Sometimes when Austin gets hurt you think about packing it in, but all the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff."
Brian has asked his 68-year-old dad to return to motocross racing but Archie knows his limitations.
"His mind says 'go' but his body says 'no'," said Brian. "He just doesn't want to be hurt. He likes to be healthy and ride his street bike."
