Who's the youngest rider to go pro?

@NicoleWintersYA
Edited Date/Time 11/11/2014 12:02pm
Who's the youngest rider to go pro?
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Skippie
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Skippie 11/10/2014 8:47am
11/10/2014 8:47am
How old was Roczen when he won the MX2? I wanna say like 15?
Sandberm
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Sandberm 11/10/2014 8:48am
11/10/2014 8:48am
Well you cant ride a National untill your 16 but locally I'm sure tere have been plenty of local pros who were 14, especially back in the day before staying amateur was so profitable.

Didnt Rick Johnson turn pro when he was 13? Tripes snuck in at 15 I think.
Spydee
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Spydee 11/10/2014 8:51am
11/10/2014 8:51am
Skippie wrote:
How old was Roczen when he won the MX2? I wanna say like 15?
Kenny was 17 when he won MX2.

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Frodad78
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Frodad78 11/10/2014 8:53am
11/10/2014 8:53am
Reynard was pretty young when he turned..
Frodad78
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Frodad78 11/10/2014 8:56am
11/10/2014 8:56am
from racerx

Robbie then made quite a splash, as he became the youngest winner ever of an AMA National when he took the ’93 Steel City National, barely three months past his 16th birthday, as well as winning the National Arenacross Championship that same year.

http://racerxonline.com/2005/10/28/robbie-reynard

Pretty wild he was that young when he won a national! damn

I may be wrong but I believe the old age limit was 16.
jamma10
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jamma10 11/10/2014 9:01am
11/10/2014 9:01am
Roczen raced the 2009 Portuguse GP a week after he turned 15.

Herlings raced the 2009 MXdN about three weeks after his 15th birthday.
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Sandberm
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Sandberm 11/10/2014 9:06am
11/10/2014 9:06am
jamma10 wrote:
Roczen raced the 2009 Portuguse GP a week after he turned 15.

Herlings raced the 2009 MXdN about three weeks after his 15th birthday.
Yeah but Euros mature faster because of all the wine in their diet....and a lack of competition.Tongue
huck
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huck 11/10/2014 9:15am
11/10/2014 9:15am
Ronnie Mac was 10 years old when he won his first pro SX race...but was disqualified because he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs... and was drunk on the podium....
jamma10
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jamma10 11/10/2014 9:17am
11/10/2014 9:17am
jamma10 wrote:
Roczen raced the 2009 Portuguse GP a week after he turned 15.

Herlings raced the 2009 MXdN about three weeks after his 15th birthday.
Sandberm wrote:
Yeah but Euros mature faster because of all the wine in their diet....and a lack of competition.Tongue
Wine with a splash of Castrol R!
MX114
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MX114 11/10/2014 9:24am
11/10/2014 9:24am
Back in the day Ryan Mills raced expert locally here in NY at 12 or 13 I think before turning pro at 16. He'd smoke the schoolboy an expert classes reguraly
visser62
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visser62 11/10/2014 9:40am
11/10/2014 9:40am
You can GoPro at any age, just need the camera.
Loftin79
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Loftin79 11/10/2014 9:43am
11/10/2014 9:43am
Tyler Bowers was winning main events in the BooKoo AX at age 15 I believe
ML512
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ML512 11/10/2014 9:45am
11/10/2014 9:45am
Skippie wrote:
How old was Roczen when he won the MX2? I wanna say like 15?
Spydee wrote:
Kenny was 17 when he won MX2.
When he won the title, but he won his first GP around a month after his 15th birthday, I believe?
ML512
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ML512 11/10/2014 9:46am
11/10/2014 9:46am
Skippie wrote:
How old was Roczen when he won the MX2? I wanna say like 15?
Spydee wrote:
Kenny was 17 when he won MX2.
ML512 wrote:
When he won the title, but he won his first GP around a month after his 15th birthday, I believe?
I just looked it up. He won his first GP at 15 years and 53 days old, at his home GP in Germany nonetheless!
Wandell
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Wandell 11/10/2014 10:12am
11/10/2014 10:12am
You have to be 16 to race in AMA SX or the Nationals. If I remember correctly, Davi Millsaps wasn't allowed to race the Houston SX because he turned 16 the following day. He had to wait for the next race to make his professional debut.

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Grizz
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Grizz 11/10/2014 10:33am
11/10/2014 10:33am Edited Date/Time 11/10/2014 11:46am
Sandberm wrote:
Well you cant ride a National untill your 16 but locally I'm sure tere have been plenty of local pros who were 14, especially back in...
Well you cant ride a National untill your 16 but locally I'm sure tere have been plenty of local pros who were 14, especially back in the day before staying amateur was so profitable.

Didnt Rick Johnson turn pro when he was 13? Tripes snuck in at 15 I think.
Edit: Nevermind, I don't care.
UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 11/10/2014 11:03am
11/10/2014 11:03am Edited Date/Time 11/10/2014 11:04am
RJ was a fast CMC pro at 14. Ron Lechien was winning CMC races against AMA pros at 14 and beat Donnie Hansen and some top talents at Mammoth at 15. A lot of fast 15 year old guys turned pro in Socal in the early 80s that went on to national success.

But if you're talking guys who have won ama pro races early,RJ, Lechien, Kyle Lewis, Pastrana and Stewy all won ama pro races at 16. Stewy was the youngest to win followed by Pastrana and Lewis.

GP is probably Herllings.
Detroit Dick
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Detroit Dick 11/10/2014 11:16am
11/10/2014 11:16am
huck wrote:
Ronnie Mac was 10 years old when he won his first pro SX race...but was disqualified because he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs... and was...
Ronnie Mac was 10 years old when he won his first pro SX race...but was disqualified because he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs... and was drunk on the podium....
Romnie claimed the "drunk" part was cause the everclear he runs in his Honda absorbed thru his skin during a refueling accident. As for the PIDs he claims to be the first person in Oaklahoma to be issued a Medical Marijuana card.... The FIM/AMA will issue their ruling on this any day now...
FlickitFlat
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FlickitFlat 11/10/2014 11:59am
11/10/2014 11:59am
I remember Shaun Kalos at 14 was trying to get them to let him in before the 16 mark. I don't know if they let him or not. I think he had to wait.
Matt Fisher
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Matt Fisher 11/10/2014 12:27pm
11/10/2014 12:27pm
Loftin79 wrote:
Tyler Bowers was winning main events in the BooKoo AX at age 15 I believe
Yeah, but he was shaving at like age 7, so that might not count. Tongue
kawirider819
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kawirider819 11/10/2014 12:36pm
11/10/2014 12:36pm
Loftin79 wrote:
Tyler Bowers was winning main events in the BooKoo AX at age 15 I believe
Matt Fisher wrote:
Yeah, but he was shaving at like age 7, so that might not count. Tongue
Haha this is true. Seriously idk if he even rode 85's, he was tall enough for a big bike at like 11.
pb465
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pb465 11/10/2014 1:58pm
11/10/2014 1:58pm Edited Date/Time 11/10/2014 1:59pm
I remembered Davi turning 16 only a few days before his first pro race. So I looked it up and he turned 16 on Feb 15, 2004 and raced his first pro race in Minneapolis on Feb 21, 2004. So 16 and 6 days old. I think he technically was the youngest to ever race professionally.

Edit: Didn't see Wandell's post above.
ML512
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ML512 11/10/2014 2:50pm
11/10/2014 2:50pm
SLAPAHO wrote:
Damon Bradshaw

nice read on him right here

http://racerxonline.com/2012/03/22/this-week-in-yamaha-history-bradshaw…
I would still say that Ken Roczen has Damon Bradshaw beat, as Ken raced his first GP about a week or two after his 15th birthday (he actually missed the first few GPs of the season as he was still only 14). Anyone know exactly how old Damon was for this event?
Gringoe
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Gringoe 11/10/2014 2:56pm
11/10/2014 2:56pm
pb465 wrote:
I remembered Davi turning 16 only a few days before his first pro race. So I looked it up and he turned 16 on Feb 15...
I remembered Davi turning 16 only a few days before his first pro race. So I looked it up and he turned 16 on Feb 15, 2004 and raced his first pro race in Minneapolis on Feb 21, 2004. So 16 and 6 days old. I think he technically was the youngest to ever race professionally.

Edit: Didn't see Wandell's post above.
Remember Suzuki thought about flying him somewhere ahead on time, declaring him 16 and then flying him back? Lol

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