By Peter J. Novellino

I’m 30 years old, and I’ve been an AMA member since Jan. 7, 2019. I decided to join the AMA because I have been riding for more than five years on my Victory Cross Country and have no plans of ever slowing down. I am a new guy who does competition riding both on tracks and in the dirt.

My story starts in Minneapolis, where my wife and I grew up. Riding on the street is fun, but I always had the hunger to go faster and push the limits of my machine and myself.

Minnesota is not very conducive to our hobbies because of the long harsh winters. So, we decided to move to Greenville, SC.

I was ready to start racing motorcycles! One day I was helping a customer and noticed his trailer had two motorcycle wheel stands mounted.

I said, “Hey, cool! This is a motorcycle trailer. What do you ride?” He replied with a long list of bikes he has and mentioned that he does track day racing. I told him about my interest in racing, and he invited me to join him at some track days.

I accepted. I bought a used track bike, a Kawasaki ZX6RR, and began participating.

After a few track days, all I could think about was track riding, and I wanted more of it.

Eventually, I decided to add dirt biking to the mix. I’ve always enjoyed riding in the dirt, and the overlapping skills gained from it would also help improve my performance at the track.

A couple of months later, I bought a used KTM 200 EXC two-stroke and entered in my first hare scramble event. I got a DNF at my first race.

I was a little embarrassed. But, in the end, I still had a great time, met some great people and improved my riding.

Peter Novellino is an AMA member from Fountain Inn, S.C.