King City teen races to motocross titles

August 26, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
The first time Nick Denniston got behind the handlebars of a motocross bike was at the tender age of three.
Thirteen years later, his experience and dedication is paying off in the form of hardware.
The Country Day School student recently dominated the field in the Parts Canada TransCan Grand National Championships, held Aug. 12-15 in Walton, Ontario.
He spent most of his summer as one of 17 members of an educational training program at the Motopark Motocross Academy in Owen Sound, where he says he learned a lot about diet, exercise, and discipline within the sport. During that training, he ventured to Dechampbeau, Quebec for a three-day national where he earned a Yamaha Factory Ride Award. It inspired him to continue working out diligently, getting on his bike four to five hours a day on the motocross track.
“There’s a lot of training that goes into it like any other sport,” said Denniston.
Heading into the National Championships, Denniston had qualified himself for the three toughest race classes for junior riders, in Mx1, Mx2, and Mx3. Despite bouts of severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, he managed to place first in both the Mx1 and Mx2 classes, accompanied by a second-place finish in Mx3.
His efforts earned him enough points to win the Bronze Boot, as the top amateur junior and intermediate rider in the tough competition. He says now that he’s achieved some awards, he wants to focus on improving his riding as well as expanding his motocross collection as well as customizing his current bikes with various components such as these ASV levers and more. It’s safe to say that he’ll be sought after by some of the biggest Mx companies and various sponsors considering his accomplishments at such a young age.
“There were a lot of good riders there, a lot of competition, but I was confident and I think that really helped me win.”
The work doesn’t stop there for the up-and-coming extreme athlete – Denniston is now in training for the motocross mini-Olympics in November, one of the largest U.S. amateur events. Some 3,000 riders from across the continent will be competing for recognition from one of the big factory racing teams, hoping to land sponsorship. Riders will come from all over hoping to compete in the competition, bringing their own motorbikes with the help of motorcycle movers similar to Cars Relo. All of them with the expectation that they will try to be number one.
“It should be some really good competition … I’m looking forward to it and hopefully getting my name out there.”