Old Enough to Win

Peter Lenz on his 1996 Honda RS125 during November’s WERA race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo by Brandon Bones, Studio 819 Photography)

Courtesy of the Michael Lenz Peter Lenz (on motorcycle) with California Superbike School staffers, (from left) chief mechanic Will Eikenberry, riding coach Dylan Code, riding coach Misti Hurst, founder Keith Code.

Peter Lenz

The spill was enough to convince Peter Lenz that motocross was not for him.

He was 6 or 7, and though he was not seriously injured when he crashed at a motocross track in Longview, that experience was traumatic enough that the boy lost any desire to go airborne on a motorcycle.

But it did not keep him from soaring on two wheels.

Now 11 years old, Peter is one successful racer.

In 2008, he captured five Canadian national titles racing mini motorcycles on go-kart tracks. That was the culmination of three seasons on mini bikes, and set the stage for the next big jump.

In 2009, Peter Lenz, a sixth grader who attends St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Vancouver, is making the jump to full-size motorcycles.

He plans to ride a Racing Spec 125 in Western Eastern Racing Association series events in California, and in select United States Grand Prix Racers Union events.

It is the next step on a path that began when Peter was 5 and discovered pocketbike racing.

Peter was introduced to racing full-size bikes in November at a WERA event in Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He took second place, finishing behind another young racer, Californian Ryan Matter. He came within seconds of the track record for 125s.

Michael Lenz, Peter’s father, raced motorcycles recreationally for several years. But Peter has a feel for racing that his dad lacked.

“He’s been compared to any number of pro riders at different stages of their careers,” Michael Lenz said.

A soft-spoken kid who enjoys reading, paintball, and skateboarding when not racing or training, Peter talks matter-of-factly about the jump to full-sized bikes, and his first race on his Honda RS 125 in November.

“It was just ‘Whoa. I’ve got to really do this now. I really had to work,” Peter said.

At first, Michael and his wife Jennifer took their son’s quick success racing pocketbikes and minis as nothing more than a nice diversion. But as the compliments from established riders continued, Michael began researching the sport and the avenues available to Peter.

That led to Peter being coached by Keith Code, an internationally-recognized instructor who has trained many world and national champions. Peter was almost 9 when he first attended Code’s California Superbike School. Code had never worked with riders that young.

Code knew the Lenz family — Michael has done computer consulting for Code — and said he was comfortable with Peter’s maturity and ability to ride at the time he started working with him.

“All I was concerned about was whether I could do the job,” Code said. “It was kind of an experiment. Immediately, I saw we were going to be able to work together.”

And he saw something else:

“He was not timid at all,” Code said. “He had the desire to be where he needed to be (on the track) — up front.”

Code, who said he teaches 31 technical aspects of riding at his school, has added more young riders to his program.

He said it’s difficult to predict how riders that age will progress. Riders must be 16 years old to enter American Motorcycle Racing professional events, so Peter probably has at least four more years of club-level racing ahead of him.

“He’s still got a long way to go,” Code said. “There are a lot of kids out there who are pretty good. Peter happens to be among the best who are out there — at least in North America.”

That potential has helped the Lenzs line up sponsors, who are critical, Michael Lenz said.

“He’s quickly exceeding our ability to take care of his racing needs,” Michael said.

The priority, Michael said, is to make sure Peter has the best protective gear and the best coaching he can get. His motorcycles are from 1996. “They’re older than he is,” Michael said.

One of Peter’s first sponsors was Pro Caliber Motorsports of Vancouver. He is currently the youngest rider sponsored by Honda, Michael said.

“It’s exciting for us to see an up and coming young rider who’s probably going to turn pro someday,” said Chris Stricker, the parts manager at Pro Caliber Motorsports. “He’s got a gift, a gift that a lot of us wish that we had when we were his age.”

Jennifer Lenz, Peter’s mom, said she was OK with the idea of Peter racing motocross with friends, but was less comfortable with the idea of racing pocketbikes, miniature motorcycles that race on paved go-kart tracks. But, Jennifer said she is comfortable with Peter’s natural progression in racing.

“He’s not a daredevil,” she said.

She is fine with the move to full-sized bikes, but said she will miss the days when she could see the entire go-kart track and not lose sight of her son during a race.

But she is glad to help him chase his dream.

“This is seriously what I want to be when I grow up,” Peter said.

He seems to be on the right path.

“There are only three or four kids in the U.S. who have the support (from coaches and sponsors) that he has,” Michael said. “And the others are teenagers.”