Personal History
My name is Colton Rothhammer. I was born and raised in Texas and currently live in the Austin area. I'm a Sophmor this year attending Georgetown High school.
I first started riding in 2001 at the age of 5 when my dad bought me a PW 50 . I lived in Corpus Christi, Tx at the time and learned to ride in a sandy area not far from the beach. I always wanted to go faster and faster and yes, I did go down pretty good a few times. My dad always equipped me with the best safety equipment so when I went down I would usually just get back up and keep riding. Even at an early age I would dream of becoming a great motocross racer.
I didn't get serious about racing until 11 years old and saw a Pro motocross race on TV . One day headed home from my sisters Barrel Racing competition I told my dad that I wanted to start racing motorcycles. He was always very supportive in whatever I wanted to do. He said, "OK, I'll start looking for a bike for you". A few weeks later we went to look at a Honda CR 85R. I fell in love at first sight. This guy had bought this particular bike for his son but he lost interest for it. Good for me! We bought it! The next day we went to buy some riding gear and oil for the gas and headed to a big wide open field near our home. I had never ridden a bike that I had to shift so the clutch was new to me. My dad had ridden bikes through out his younger days and explained the clutch concept to me. He started me out in first gear and told me to ride in a big circle until I got the hang of balancing the bike. After about 10 minutes of that he stopped me and we put the bike on the stand. He had me practice shifting the gears with the bike running. We sat it back down and he again told me to ride in big circles but this time shift. The rest is history. Lets just say that I've been hooked ever since.
I love racing and more importantly the competition and camaraderie amongst the racers. It's become a part of my life. God, my family and school come first but beyond those three it's 100% riding motorcycles.
I've had some success in both motocross and hair scramble style racing during my short ridding career. I've been on the podium consistently in motocross and won a championship last year in the Texas Off Road Championship Series.
My dad always tells me most importantly to have fun when I'm racing. He says to drive my race not the other racers. I've been very fortunate to have trained with some great trainers and have become much faster and confident because of it. I want to take this sport to the highest level that I can. We have pretty good equipment but money does play a factor in being competitive and getting the best equipment for my bikes. We know that obtaining some sponsors will help us to afford to be more competitive. We will continue to progress in this great sport of motocross but it would sure be a lot easier with a little rider support.
Support "I Just Want To Ride" ! Stay Drug and Alcohol Free! Lead by Example! Trust in God!
Riding Goals
The remainder of this season and next year I plan to race more regional and national racing events; NMA, GNC, AMA, GNCC. I have moved up to the Big bike class this year and I'm very excited. I wil be competing in the Schoolboy 1 & 2 class as well as the 250 C and 2 Stroke Open class
I would like to focus more on my physical self and put more hours in towards strength training. I've elected to forgo playing football this year to focus more mentally on racing motocross.
Other goals I have this season is to secure some sponsors to help us out with some of the cost associated with racing at this level. My dad and I know that to be competitive you have to have good equipment!
Goals for 2013
Ride and train as much as possible, keep up with my workout schedule, continue to eat right, stay focused, do good in school , promote my sponsors and make them proud to be sponsoring me.
Competitive Highlights
Racing for the 2010 championship in the TORCS series was very exciting for me. It involved 10 races over the course of the year all across Texas. It challenged my skill, stamina and perseverance. Three of my main competitors were very good friends of mine. Winning that championship in the 85cc class and taking 2nd in the Supermini class proved to me that hard work and consistency pays off. I'm currently in contention to win the championship again this year in two classes. My series points have suffered due to missing races to compete in the Loretta qualifiers but I think I can still pull it off if all goes as planned.
I qualified in four classes for the Loretta Regional’s earlier this year. It was very exciting lining up against some of the fastest kids in the country. I eventually went to the National championships as a 3rd alternate but missed getting in by one gate spot. I did get to practice with the likes of Adam Cianciarulo and Cooper Webb which was very exciting for me. The track was awesome and I look forward to earning a gate spot to race there next year.