Racing four-wheelers a family affair for Buckhannons
Sep. 10—Bodie and Kody Buckhannon have enjoyed a lot of success on the four-wheeler circuit in their young lives.
Bodie, 11 years old, and his 10-year-old brother Kody are both two-time reigning national champions on the GNCC Racing Series, and both are doing well in 2022. Kody, in fact, is first in the points race in the MXC1 class.
After taking July and August off, the circuit gets back into action this weekend, right here in southern West Virginia. The annual Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean.
The Buckhannon boys will be there, and they won't be alone. Their dad Bryan, a 28-year veteran in the sport, will join them. In fact, it was through their dad that Bodie and Kody got interested in racing in the first place.
"They were up with me on the podium since they were babies," Bryan said. "So they've been around it their whole life. This is something that's kind of bred into you. If you like baseball, basketball, anything, you dedicate your life to it and you kind of get serious about it."
Both brothers started racing at the age of 4.
"The main reason I wanted to start racing was because my dad was," Bodie said.
Same for Kody.
"It was fun to watch him do it and catch the races with him," Kody said.
Neither likes to lose, but both handle it in a healthy way.
"I like when I win and I'm happy about it," Kody said, "but when I lose it just makes me want to try harder."
That took a little convincing for Bodie, who used to have a hard time accepting second-place plaques. His dad made sure he knew that even though he may not have won, finishing in the top five, for example, is still a big accomplishment.
The brothers also do a good job of encouraging the younger riders who may be nervous or even scared, or just need advice. Bodie makes sure to do that for his little brother.
"I usually follow him and push him in practice when he's in a learning gear," Bodie said.
The brothers practice 2-3 times a week, depending on weather. They also do cardio work a couple of times.
"It helps me keep in shape, thrills of winning, upsets of losing," Bodie said, listing the reasons he enjoys racing.
It didn't take long for success to find them. Both have won two national championships, and Bodie last season was awarded the No. 1 plate after finishing first overall in all classes.
He's in position to defend that title, sitting atop the points standings with four races to go.
"It feels good to try to compete for it and to compete for No. 1 points and titles," Kody said.
Not only will the Buckhannons be on the course, but several members of their family will be there to cheer them on. Also, Bryan said he recently started Buckhannon Racing and competing will be Caden Johnson, Trevor Meadows, Sawyer Bolen, Corbin Frye and Mason Frye.
The Mountaineer will honor first responders and military members, both veterans and those currently serving, as the event falls on the anniversary weekend of 9/11.
Racing on Saturday will start at 8 a.m. and run through 6 p.m. Then there will be Team Faith youth activities, and there will be live viewing of West Virginia's game against Kansas available.
Racing concludes Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Email: gfauber@register-herald.com; follow on Twitter @gfauber5
