Caleb Johnson, 15, is a Chauncey, Ohio, motocross athlete who strives to be the best. At the age of 3, his parents bought him a four-wheeler and he began his racing career. For his 8th birthday, they gave him a dirt bike and since then he has become a decorated motocross prodigy. His entire life revolves around the sport, and he works hard to one day become a professional racer. He has never played video games because they will not improve his skills in motocross.
“I have a better chance of making money in racing and I feel like that will be a very successful thing for me one day,” Caleb said.
95% of Caleb’s free time goes to making him a better racer. Riding his mountain bike keeps him in shape. It also increases his stamina and balance on his dirt bike. He recently joined his high school’s wrestling team to become stronger and bigger. Motocross is a difficult sport, and you must be extremely fit. Caleb will ride his mountain bike with friends during the week. “My mountain bike makes me be able to be in top-notch shape,” he says. If he is not riding his bike, he will be riding a scooter at the Athen’s Skatepark, lifting weights for wrestling, or working on the mechanics of his dirt bike for the weekend races.
Caleb attributes a lot of his motocross success to his parents. Without them, he would not be able to race. They will do whatever he needs to become successful in the sport. Every February, they all drive 17 hours to Florida for one of the largest tournaments.
His mom, Jamie Johnson, works as a nurse. She pays for all his bikes. He has multiple dirt bikes, mountain bikes, scooters, and an electric bike. She loves supporting his motocross career, she just doesn’t want him to get hurt.
Caleb’s dad, Harold Johnson, has his own local construction business and drives Caleb to races in his company van. Harold started racing four-wheelers when he was younger. He could not afford a four-wheeler when he was first interested in the sport, but worked until he had the money to buy one. He loves the community and believes his son will go pro. “When Caleb was 3, he was drifting a toy car around the kitchen table. He was doing it perfectly, hitting the sharpest turns. I looked at his mom and said, ‘’he’s special,”’ Harold said.
Caleb and his dad frequently travel out of state to attend motocross races. His dad pays for all the transportation, extra bike parts, and the other expenses of racing. His dad and mom have sacrificed so much to get Caleb to where he is today. A couple of years ago, they were going through a rough time and did not have the money to replace Caleb’s broken dirt bike. His dad decided to sell his four-wheeler and dirt bike to buy his son a new dirt bike. Caleb is extremely grateful for everything his parents have done to help him have the life he lives.
The day after his 15th birthday, Caleb raced at the Fast Traxx Motoplex in Nelsonville. Caleb grew up going to these racing grounds. His dad had been going long before Caleb. Their house is a short drive from the racing grounds and allows for a travel-free weekend. 20 minutes before his race, the clouds became dark, and it started pouring rain. He has a brand-new dirt bike that is larger than the ones he usually races. The rain makes the course very muddy, and the dirt bikes lose traction. Caleb was concerned about keeping his balance because he is small for this sized bike. Getting mud inside all the tiny and new parts of the bike was also not ideal. He decided to race anyway.
The mud caused him to wipe out once, but he got up and recovered quickly. He ended up placing 7th in the race and 2nd in his entire class. He was disappointed in his placement because he strives to always be in 1st place. The intense rain made the course too muddy and ended the races for the day. The mud needed to be taken off his bike before it dried, so it would be easier to wash and to keep the bike in good condition. Caleb takes pride in keeping his bike in clean and perfect condition.
After most races, Caleb cleans the bike himself or sometimes gets help from his dad. Since his birthday was the day before, his dad decided to clean his bike for him while his mom took him back home to shower. His dad drove his company car with the dirt bike on a trailer to a car wash and spent an hour cleaning the bike. “Caleb’s going to inspect the bike and complain about finding the smallest piece of mud,” Harold Johnson said. Caleb indeed inspected the bike and found a tiny bit of mud, then brought it to his dad.
The one word Caleb uses to describe the motocross community is competitive. Everyone wants to see you fail and they want to do better than you. “You got to be really careful with who you hang out with,” Caleb said. All his friends are in the racing community. After the races, Caleb cleans up and spends time with his friends. They will walk around the grounds, explore a nearby river, throw walnuts at each other, and chill out around the campfire.
Caleb’s dad is friends with the owner of Fast Traxx Motoplex and his camper sits on the property at all times. For years, Harold and his friends have set up their campers and RVs in the same spot for each race. Harold makes a campfire for his son and his friends each time they are there. It is a common spot for them to hang out. Groups of kids from 8 to 16 years old are always outside the camper. This area gives Caleb and his friends a place to relax after the intense competitive races each day.
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Caleb Johnson will continue racing and perfecting his craft. Being able to race and be with his friends is why Caleb describes his life as “awesome.” Motocross is his main focus that will not change anytime soon. “To be at the top level, you have to train harder than everyone else. You just got to be better. To reach your expectations, you must be your expectations,” Caleb said. “Motocross is everything. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”