By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
When E.J. Dutton received a tiny electric bike at Christmas several years ago and took one lap around his Graham home, he came to a quick conclusion.
“This is too slow,” he said of that experience.
Dutton, who turned 12 years old in May, has been on faster tracks ever since. He competes in motocross events and will be in his most prestigious event yet in a few weeks.
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By placing second in a qualifier last month in the North Central Youth Regional in Tigerton, Wisconsin, Dutton earned a spot in the American Motorcyclist Association’s Amateur Nationals (also known as Loretta Lynn’s Nationals) from July 28-August 2 in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.
So he started at a young age and continued to embrace the excitement of motocross.
“Mostly just the thrill of riding,” Dutton said. “There is something about riding dirt bikes that is so much fun.”
He gradually reached the level where he became a top youth competitor.
“It was over time,” he said. “Every little race and every little practice, you get a little better.”
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He trained under former racer Ian Trettel in Graham in his early years on the bikes.
It hasn’t been all smooth riding. As Dutton was first becoming introduced to faster machines after graduating from the electric bike, he once ran into a tree in the front yard. Last year, he suffered a fractured ankle.
Dutton, the son of Jen and Shawn Dutton, has three bikes he uses in competition depending on the various classes. His primary classes are 65cc and 85cc.
He has an array of experiences, including an opportunity in 2023 at famed Unadilla Valley Sports Center outside New Berlin, New York. The circuit of races has taken him to Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia among other states.
Dutton is a rising seventh grader at Southern Alamance Middle School. He also has played football and wrestled for school teams.
He said being on summer break makes the motocross pursuits easier. Otherwise, he mostly rides on weekends, though it’s a year-round activity.
