Appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's multiple news platforms in August 2021 as a preview to the upcoming MotoAmerica races. Four days later, I wrote a story as a wrap-up to the weekend, which included an update about the Davis brothers and how they performed.

That update is tacked onto the bottom of this article. The Post-Gazette's site is paywall activated and imposes a limit of free stories per month. It can also be found on the Post-Gazette's site here​.

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BY ANTHONY CONROY

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If you’re driving through Kittanning, don’t be alarmed if you see two children speeding around a parking lot on tiny, Italian-made racebikes. It’s not hooliganism. It’s just practice.

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The kids — Ryder and Jacob Davis — are honing their skills for the racetrack, where both will be this weekend as part of MotoAmerica’s annual stop at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Wampum.

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The Davis brothers will be competing in the Mini Cup class for MotoAmerica, the nation’s premier motorcycle roadracing series. The Mini Cup class is broken into three displacement divisions —110cc, 160cc and 190cc — and reserved for children ages 6-14. At PittRace, the class will compete on the facility’s go-kart track rather than the main track used for the other races.

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Ryder, 11, is part of the 190cc division and will race with No. 55. His brother Jake, 9, is riding in the 110cc division with No. 46 on his fairing. Both are riding racebikes made by Italian manufacturer Ohvale. Ryder’s motorcycle produces around 25 horsepower. Jake’s about 11 hp. But don’t be fooled, these suckers fly — up to 75 mph on some tracks.

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“They’re definitely fast and way ahead of the game,” said Casey Davis, 32, the boys’ father. “We don’t have a way in the United States to cultivate our kids to bring them to world championship level by the time they’re teenagers. The goal of the series is to develop the kids to where we can feed them into Europe and race that way.”

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For families like the Davises, roadracing is a sport of passion and opportunity — and money. “I give my budget to the kids,” he joked.

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As for the passion, the Davis brothers get it by the bucketful from their father, who’s been racing at different levels and on all types of motorcycles — street and dirt — since he was 3 years old. He learned from his own father, Bill, while growing up in Oil City.

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“Two wheels has been my life and it’s what I live for,” said Casey, who owns Xtreme Autoglass Pros and Pittsburgh Vinyl Graphics, both in Glenshaw. “Pretty much my greatest memories from my entire life have been involved with motorcycles, whether it’s with my dad and my mom (Debra), or my kids.”

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When the boys were old enough, Casey would sit them on a motorcycle and let them twist the throttle, a small act that lit a big fire.

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“I used to watch my dad race a 600 (cc racebike),” said Ryder, who’s going into sixth grade at West Hills Intermediate School. “I like how fast he was going, and going through the corners. When I was a kid, I always sat on his bike and revved it. I loved it.”

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Jacob, who’ll be a fourth-grader at West Hills Intermediate, has similar memories.

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“I think his first word was ‘bike,’” Casey said. “I used to come home every day from work at lunchtime and he’d be waiting at the garage door saying ‘bike, bike.’”

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Both have graduated to their own machines. With each step up in classification, the engines get bigger. So, too, does the speed. Naturally, children racing handlebar to handlebar with other children at highway speeds can be a risky endeavor. 

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“I don’t want to say I got used to it, but I gained more trust in the protective gear and knowing Casey’s doing everything possible to make sure they have the skill and the equipment they need to go out on the track,” said Becky Jahn-Davis, 33, the boys’ mother. “I’m definitely less nervous the longer I’ve been around it, but it’s more of a trust thing that I’ve gotten used to.”

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MotoAmerica’s leadership said it goes to “great lengths to make the tracks as safe as possible.”

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“Safety is paramount and this includes using air fence, which eliminates the risk of hitting exposed walls,” said Chuck Askland, one of MotoAmerica’s founding partners. “If my kid wanted to participate, I’d feel good about the Mini Cup Series because of the professionalism of how the events are run and the safety measures that are put into place at the events.”

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In racing, however, there is always the risk of injury. That became clear last year when Ryder was taken out by another rider in the very first turn at PittRace. He was left with a broken arm and the disappointment of not finishing in front of his home crowd.

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“I usually close my eyes (at the start) after what happened to Ryder,” said his mother, a health care professional with a background as a nurse. “I just want a clean start for every race.”

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Ryder shrugged off the crash. He enjoys the speed and the competition. “It feels like you’re running. Then it gets fun, and you push yourself to keep up with (the other riders).”

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His father said crashing is just part of the sport.

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“That was kind of an eye-opener for us,” he said. “Unfortunately, racing’s not always checkered flags and trophies. There’s a lot of crappy times that come with it as well — ambulance rides and broken bones and tears and blood.”

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Following up on the Davis brothers

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Ryder Davis, 11, of Kittanning, won his first race in the Mini Cup class on Saturday.

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“The hard work finally paid off,” said Casey Davis, Ryder’s father. “We’re relieved.”

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During last year’s race, Ryder was hit from behind by another rider ending his race — and weekend — in the first turn at his “home” event. On Friday, the bad luck continued when Ryder crashed during practice.

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“I’m glad he got it out of the way on Friday,” Casey Davis said. “[On Saturday] he got a good start and hit all his marks. It was a good race and he passed another rider in the second-to-last lap. I knew he could do this.”

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On Sunday, there were no races in the Mini Cup class, so the Davis family was just enjoying a day at the track.

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“He gets to have fun [on Sunday],” Casey said. “He gets to wander around the paddock and hang out with his friends and be a kid.”