Huron Expositor, 2009-09-16, Page 12'.1.��w.�'pi'�N�..�i�.l�W'�w��"��n:rr.v-.y�y'T�i�•'�!�'swr
Po®s 12 The Huron Expositor • September 16, 2009
SusanHundertmark
While he's only been racing for
the past two years, Kevin Kiddie,. of
Seaforth, has won his first champi-
onship in the sport of supermoto.
A motorbike rider since he was 10,
the bike mechanic at Platinum Pow-
er Sports has always wanted to race
and decided last year at age 27, he
wasn't getting any younger.
I decided last year I couldn't, wait
any longer," he says.
While his father used to compete
in motocross and quit when he was
injured, Kiddie says he decided to
choose supermoto, which combines
motocross, dirt track and road rac-
dle rads to first placefinish at
supermoto series championship
ing.
"I love it everything about it, the
speed and the different disciplines
you need to be good at it," he says.
Supermoto courses are 70 per cent
asphalt and 30 per cent dirt track.
While the asphalt is fiat road racing,
the dirt track has jumps similar to
motocross.
"You need to be in very good shape
and know how to handle a bike in
multiple situations," says Kiddie.
Despite a crash during his very
first race, Kiddie says he was hooked
on the sport .immediately.
"I : grabbed way too much front
brake and made a face plant but
after that I learned how to control
the bike better. Every race after that
first one, I was
on the podium,"
he says.
After racing
six of 15 po-
tential races
last summer,
Kiddie ended
the. season
second and
fourth overall
in two differ-
ent classes rac-
ing throughout
Michigan, New
York, Pennsyl-
vania, Quebec
and Ontario.
And, last
weekend, he
won the Can-
Am series in
Beaver Run,
Supennoto racer Kevin Kiddie of Seaforth speeds
track -at a CanAm series event in Pennsylvania.down the
For' more Information call
Allyson Cardiff at 519-887-9988
Pennsylvania
with the top
points in the six -race series in
the open amateur class.
"I followed the. whole series and
won in the points by a large mar-
gin," he says.
The other victory of winning his
first championship comes from
the fact he won it after breaking
both wrists over the past winter.
Kiddie, who had gone to an in-. .
door motocross track to practice
riding, crashed into a wall after
landing a jump wrong and broke
both wrists.
"It didn't make me want to stop
racing - it just made me angry
that I did something wrong. I'm
very stubborn and it made me
wish my wrists would ,heal up so"'`
I could ride harder," he says.
He had to take three months off
of work to heal and needed to do
exercises to strengthen his wrists.
before getting back on his bike.
"It was a long winter and I Submitted photo
didn't ride again until the first Kiddie celebrates after winning his first
race at the end of May. My wrists supermeto championship.
were really tired during that race
and I had trouble holding on at the
end of the race," he remembers.
He says his Wrists are now back in
shape about 95 per cent.
"I bought a set of gripping clamps
and I'm using them all the time," he
says.
Because the nearest race course
is in Shannonville, Ont. near Bel-
leville,. Kiddie 'says he doesn't know
of any other local people who partici-
pate in supermoto competition.
But, he has managed to interest
his brother from Ottawa to come to
a practice and stay to race.
"I let him try it and he just loved it
Starlight
Bowling Lanes
45 Market St., Seaforth
All Regular Leagues Start
the week of September 14th
There is still room available for the
Friday afternoon 50+ Fun League
YBC Youth Bowling starts
September 26, 2009
CALL NOW TO JOIN
519-527-1654
too," says Kiddle,'adding that he and
his dad and brother built a track on
a family farm near Tweed, Ont. in
the region where he grew up.
If Kiddie keeps winning and if he
can find some sponsors to help with
the expenses of the sport, he says he
hopes to try riding in the pro classes
of supermoto in the next few years.
"My goal is just to enjoy myself
and win some races. I'd like to lose
some weight, get faster and find
some sponsorship so I can continue
to afford this sport," he says, adding
that the pros all weigh about 10-20
pounds lighter than he does right
now
"I plan to go to the gym and play
some broomball
or hockey this
winter to get in
better shape,"
he says.
And, Kiddie
says crashing is
not going to keep
him from - the
adrenaline rush
he gets from the
sport he loves.
"There's a guy
riding in the pro
classes who's 54.
I can be doing
this for years
still," he says.
S'eaforth Community
Hospital Foundation
Fundraising Campaign
New X-RAY Unit
$450,00001
Itsdlothon
October 17
•
bodiethon
res.
swrMaer
filar
Jimmy
$;�.e
•