Family Affair
Olaf Wolff
AllAboutBikes Staff Writer
Does an older brother relentlessly out muscling his younger siblings for the last flaky dinner biscuit inspire them to move quicker? Will family competition for mom and dad’s pat-on-the-helmet produce faster lap times? Beats me. All I can say for certain, and statistics are with me on this, is that keeping it all in the family creates a fertile environment for growing Superbike champions.
Bostrom Brothers
Take the Bostrom’s for example. Brothers Dave and Paul enjoyed successful AMA dirt-track careers in the ‘70’s. Dave sired Ben and Eric. Ben followed his father’s tire tracks by winning the AMA National 600 Dirt Track Championship in 1993. He moved to road racing in 1995. In 1999 Ben was the reigning U.S. Superbike champion aboard a Honda, the Holy Grail of American road racing.
Younger brother Eric is no slouch either, statistically his best season was in ‘01. Riding for Kawasaki, Eric finished a close 2nd to Mat Mladin in the AMA Superbike series and won the AMA Supersport Championship.
Years ago both Ben and Eric discovered bicycle training, then bicycle racing, as a means to keep fit mentally and physically. Peddling appears to be working for them, as of ‘07, Ben and Eric are both still riding motorcycles for Team Yamaha in the U.S. Eric is riding the Superbike class and Ben is on a Superstock bike.
Laverty Brothers
27-year-old Irishman Michael Laverty recently made the news in Daytona, along with former Superbike World Champion Neil Hodgson, not for going fast, but rather for being among the high profile victims that had their wallets stolen out of the paddocks while racers practiced. Laverty is better known though as the ’07 British Supersport Champion.
A native of Toomebridge, County Antrim, Laverty’s brothers Eugene and John compete in the Supersport World Championship and British Superbike Series respectively. Both brothers are accumulating their own collection of silver chalices and accomplishments.
For this season Michael has teamed up with Orient Express Racing and Celtic Racing to compete in the American Superbike class. Replacing that wallet and filling it should go right well this year.
Hayden Brothers
Nicky Hayden, aka ‘the Kentucky Kid’, comes from a family of motorcycle racers His two brothers, Tommy and Roger are top AMA competitors, and they’re pretty good too (note; this is an example of understatement).
Father Earl was a dirt track racer for twenty years. Even momma Rose raced for years in the Powder-Puff class. Nicky has gone from success on dirt tracks to road racing Superbikes and finally to the Moto Grand Prix title - beating none other than Valentino Rossi in doing so.
Tommy, aka Tommy Gun, is the oldest brother. You may have heard me mention his name recently as giving Mat Mladin all he could handle in the AMA Superbike race in Fontana.
Roger, aka Country-boy, is the youngest, he rides for Team Kawasaki in Supersport class. His best race memory to date is crossing the finish line to win his first race at Barber in ’04. His personal challenge he says is being competitive in Superbikes. I’ll take the bet that will happen soon.
All in the Family?
In racing, keeping it in the family is a long and tried tradition, there are plenty more examples then I’ve listed here to substantiate this. Does that mean speed is genetic. Maybe. Superior peripheral vision, eye-to-hand coordination, endurance, fast- twitch muscles, all qualities that can be passed along the family-racing tree.
I see it as more of a case for environment though. Going fast alone, or with friends, is one thing, translating that to the frequently cutthroat, hyperkinetic, racetrack scenario is another issue entirely. Gaining control over redlining emotions and adrenaline-jacked muscles can at first appear impossible. Learning to make peace with volumes of expectations from sponsors, teammates, and yourself – now and then requires half a racing career.
Growing up therefore in an environment filled with the familiar detonation of exploding horsepower, the addictive stench of racing fuel and scorching rubber – where the advice given comes from those that have been there, and the empathy is genuine – that would most assuredly provide a racer’s edge.
