By Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Sometimes, a legacy runs in the family. Whether it’s car mechanics, farming, or racing, the legacy is passed down parent to child, generation after generation. For Michelle, Brent, Payton, Linkin, and Hudson Kuik, it’s track racing.
“Racing has been in our family forever,” said Michelle Kuik. “I used to race motocross and [my husband] Brent used to race also all around the country doing TT. Their grandpa used to race dirt bikes and quad, aunts have all raced, uncle races, and cousins.”
And now, that legacy has been passed down to the next generation. Brent and Michelle’s children Payton, Linkin, and Hudson all race four-wheel all-terrain vehicles, also known as Quad racing. They have a couple practice tracks at their home north of Garretson, and are members of the Sioux Valley Cycle Club (SVCC), a dirt track located near Renner. This means they can get several hours in per week of practice, and this has served the family well.
On September 13, 9-year old Linkin took home his second Nationals Championship trophy from the Midwest Extreme Dirt Track (MWEDT) competition held in Indianapolis, IN.
“Linkin has won several different championships ranging from ice, short track and motocross,” said Michelle. “He races the 90 shifter class at the MWEDT (this is the class he won the United States National title in) and the 90 liquid cooled TT at SVCC. Linkin also started on a bigger quad this season at SVCC. He's riding a 300cc quad in the schoolboy JR. class and is doing very well.”
His siblings have been excelling, as well.
Payton, age 15 and a sophomore at Garretson High School, also races track and cross country. She competes in the women’s TT at SVCC when it doesn’t conflict with her sports schedule.
“Our local track usually has about 15-20 women at a race so she’s got a lot of competition here and has gotten quite a bit of experience,” said Michelle. “She’s gotten a couple podiums this season which is a huge accomplishment in that class!” Payton is hoping to get more racing in next year on tracks out of state.
Hudson, age 7 and a second grader at Garretson Elementary, just started on the racing circuit, but he snagged a 2nd place on Saturday, September 10 and 5th place on Sunday at the MWEDT Nationals competition in the yard stock class and the mini stock class. This was his first year traveling for the MWEDT Nationals competition.
“The rule in our house is you can’t start racing until you are 5 years old so they all started when they were 5,” said Michelle. This means Hudson only has two years of practice under his belt, making this a big accomplishment, especially as this is a competition that matches up competitors from all around the United States.
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