Personal History
My name is Conner Rohe. I am 18 years old. I am from council Bluffs Iowa, and I love racing. I race motocross with my little brother, Ryan(14). I started riding when I was 4 years old. My dad got me my first dirt bike which was a little crf50. I had ridden that bike here and there until i was about 12. Then My dad bought me a 2007 cr85r. Once I got that 85 I started riding in some trails and learning the basics of how to actually ride a motorcycle and how to control the dirtbike. In 2013 my brother (10 at the time)and I wanted to try a race. So we found out about a race out in Winterset Iowa. We went to that race and quickly found out that racing motocross was very expensive. Before this race I had only ridden around in trails so it wasn't a race I was expecting to win. The race ended up being really fun and it was an awesome experience. That race was later in the year and was one of the last races of the year so we did not go to any for the rest of the year. I have always been a tall kid so over the winter I decided that I wanted to move up to a bigger bike. I was able to sell my cr85 but that was only a small chunk of the money I needed to get a bigger bike and it is pretty hard to get money at 14 years old but i was determined and I knew I wanted a bigger dirt bike so I worked all summer until i saved up to get my 2005 crf250f. once I got my new bike i started going to some private tracks and learning how to jump jumps and do corners and other riding skills. I spent all of 2014 just practicing and building riding skills and we didn't race because we hadn't heard of any other races. Then during the 2015 season we had heard of a track called abbot mx park out in Lincoln, Nebraska. little did we know that this would end up becoming our, what you would call "home track" or "local track". This became our home track because even though it was about an hour away and you had to pay to get in, it was actually the closest motocross track to Council Bluffs. It cost a lot of money to go out there and practice but we wanted to get better at riding so we worked hard and went out there at least every other weekend or more. Towards the end of the season we heard of a race that was gonna take place at abbot, which was the track we had ridden at all summer. This is what I consider my first serious race that started my racing career. The race went really well and I finished in about the middle of the pack which wasn't too bad for my first race. while we were at that race we found out about the best of the midwest motocross series that held races all over the midwest. We had loved the expirience of racing and we knew we wanted to keep racing so we decided that the following year (2016). We did't end up racing the rest of the year for 2015 because it was towards the end of the year and during that race that we raced at abbot mx my dirt bike blew up. My grandpa has always helped me with a lot of the mechanic work on my dirt bikes as a kid so we took the motor apart and found out that we had to rebuild most of the motor because everything was broke. we ended up having to replace the piston, cylinder, crank, rod, gaskets, etc. Because I was only 16 years old I couldn't even afford the parts to put into the motor so I worked hard over the winter and saved up the money so I could get my dirt bike running again. Then I was ready for the season and we were excited that we were going top try and follow the best of the midwest mx series. We knew that it was expensive and we were going to have to dedicate a lot of time and money into this racing but I really wanted to race so I worked really hard so i could help my parents afford this sport. The first race was in May of 2016 at the Farm MX in Indianola, Iowa. It was a new track so we went to the practice day before the race to learn the layout and jumps of the track. during the practice day I was able to jump most of the jumps and I was learning the track well. The following day was race day. Before the races they have a few laps for practice. during those practice laps I had jumped a jump and came off of it wrong and had one of the biggest crashes in my entire motocross career to this day. I was not able to race that day because of injuries and my dirt bike was not ridable. It took about a month before i could ride again. but we were still determined to race so we kept following the series. After that race I had a lot off issues and for the rest of the year i had not ridden as good as before the crash. I didn't always want to admit it but that crash had put a mental block in my head that woudn't let me go as fast, and jump huge jumps, and take all the risks needed to go fast. But I really wanted to get better and keep pushing myself sI kept goimg to the races and I went to every single race of the series. There were a lot of hardships and setbacks throughout the season but at the end of the series i was able to earn enough points to finish 3rd in the series for my class. We had went to a couple races after the series races were over and then we were done for the 2016 season. Throughout the year we had so many problems with my dirt bike because it was a 2005 and it cost so much money to keep having to fix something on it like every weekend I rode it that it almost wasn't worth it to ride because I was only 16 and couldnt't afford to keep fixing it. I talked to my dad and we decided that it would be best to get a newer bike. In the spring of 2017 I was able to sell my 2005 crf250 and I worked really hard and used money I had saved from before and I got my 2012 kx250f (which is the bike that I have to this day). I loved the bike instantly. I wanted to keep my same number I had before so I saved up a little and bought a custom graphics kit for the bike. I also put some other minor parts in it so it was all ready for the racing season to come. We really enjoyed following the series the previous year so we decided that we were going to follow the best of the midwest mx series again. The first race of the season was in May of 2017 at Fiddler Creek in Homer, Nebraska. I had only ridden my new bike a couple of times so I was still getting used to it. The race went really well and i found out very quickly that this new bike was way faster. So we continued to go along the series and go all over the midwest to different races and tracks. The new Kawi gave me a lot of confidence with a better bike and I began to improve very rapidly. Throughout the year my riding ability has gone to a new level that I hadn't even imagined I could possibly be at. My riding ability had doubled from last year and I finally got over the fear from the crash that was holding me back and I have just improved from there. In 2017 the best of the midwest mx series has doubled in size. There are a huge amount of people who have started following the series that are very good riders. So i have a lot more riders I am racing and I have still been able to get some pretty good finishes. Throughout the series there has been ups and down and setbacks But I have been dedicated to getting better and have made many improvements. At the end of the series I was able to finish 4th place in the point standings. Overall I Started my racing career a few years ago and with dedication and motivation I have improved to a level of riding ability that I never thought I could possibly reach.
Riding Goals
I have many goals for the 2018 season. I hope to keep improving my riding ability at the rate that I have this year. By the end of the 2018 season it is my goal to be at the very top of the novice class and be ready to finally move up to B class.
Competitive Highlights
One of my competitive highlights is that I have a very high motivation and I am very dedicated to working hard to afford to be able to race and to Improving my riding ability and become a successful rider. Another one of my competitive highlights is that I try to make sure I am always at every race. So even if I don't get first place every race I make sure that I make it to all of them. Also I am always trying to learn how to become a better rider and taking tips from people to improve. Overall my competive highlights are that I am very motivated and dedicated to getting better and I am always there at the races.