Motocross is the fastest paced and fastest growing sport in the nation, but to riders, it’s more than just a sport — it’s a lifestyle.
Many college students claim membership to this fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled way of life, but no competitive collegiate circuit exists for the young sport. According to Logan Van Way, a petroleum engineering junior, the University’s newly formed Motocross Club wants to change that.
“Our dream is to make motocross racing a collegiate sport, and if we’re successful, it’ll be groundbreaking,” Van Way said.
Van Way is the vice president of the University’s motocross club, which he founded with president Dillon Guillot in December. When Guillot met Van Way, their goal was to gather every motocross rider on campus and form a support network for young riders in Baton Rouge. As they assembled their crew, they realized they had attracted enough talent to form a competitive team. There was just one problem: there were no other collegiate teams in the entire nation they could compete against.
The duo, who were used to soaring over obstacles on their bikes, tackled this problem head on by laying the foundations for their own competitive collegiate race. They contacted the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with the hopes of forming a team on its campus and solicited track owners in Breaux Bridge, Houma and Lafayette for discounts on the usage of their venues. So far, their efforts have proven successful, and the club is on track to host the country’s first collegiate event in fall 2014.
“Everyone who’s into riding dirt bikes is a part of this big family, so the people we talked to have been really helpful,” Van Way said.
According to Van Way, camaraderie and friendship are integral to the motocross lifestyle largely because many riders inherit the sport’s tradition from their fathers, who also ride dirt bikes.
“We’re welcoming to newcomers, but a lot of people get into this because they’re sons or daughters of someone older who rides,” Van Way said.
This solidarity was integral to bringing the sport to campus. Most new clubs are approved in the same semester they’re created, but it took the Motocross Club about a year and a half to be accepted by the University.
“There were a lot of roadblocks we had to get past with risk management, but we have riders sign waivers, and we all wear a lot of protective gear, so we got through it,” Van Way said.
Guillot said the club has 20 consistent members, all with their own bikes, gear and styles.
Van Way said each bike has its own unique flair that reflects the personality of its rider. Each vehicle is equipped with a single-cylinder engine capable of reaching speeds between 40 and 65 miles per hour, and every bike is built to withstand high jumps at high speeds. New bikes can cost up to $9,000, but used ones typically sell for less than $4,000.
Most of the club’s riders race on specially designed tracks with built-in hills and obstacles, but a few of them ride cross-country as well, and one member even performs backflips and other stunts showcased in daredevil competitions like the X-Games.
Typical competitions are two races long, and scores are awarded based on who crosses the finish line first. The fastest racers are given the lowest scores, and the rider with the lowest score at the end of the competition wins. In the event of a tie, the racer who performed best in the second race of the series is awarded the victory.
Van Way said skill level varies greatly between the members of the club, and that skilled riders of 15 years practice alongside beginners on tracks and through forests throughout the state.
“We have a lot of different people in the club, but as riders, we can tell if someone rides or not when we see them, and we’re all adrenaline junkies,” Van Way said.
The motocross club meets every other Thursday night, including this Thursday night, in room E130 of the Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex.
“Our dream is to make motocross racing a collegiate sport, and if we’re successful, it’ll be groundbreaking.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

photo courtesy of Logan Van Way

Jordan Hughes