River Valley's Gross brothers find success as budding motocross riders

CLARIDON — Tina Gross thought she would raise polo players. Turns out they prefer horsepower of a different kind.

Ely and Tiago Gross are budding motocross and arenacross riders who have already made names for themselves in the sport. That's something their mother never foresaw when they were little.

"Originally, we had 20 horses, and my husband and I played polo," she said. "I thought I bred polo players. At a young age, they really liked that noise and horsepower."

Indeed. When Ely was 4, he was introduced to dirt bikes by a family friend while they were living in Missouri. Tina needed convincing but eventually her son wore her down. She agreed that he could get one.

"He got on it and he launched it," she said. "We had a driveway that went this way and down, and he took that dirt bike and launched it off. I was like, ‘Oh my, what are we going to do with this?’"

Turns out they are doing plenty with it.

Tina took Ely to his first motocross race when he was 5, and he ended up getting second place despite going against more experienced riders.

"Everybody in St. Louis, Missouri, was like where did this kid come from? I kept taking him to races, and my husband (Diego) was in Canada working," she said. "My husband came back and I said we’re going to a motocross race. He said, 'Are those the videos you’ve been sending me?'"

Soon it encompassed the whole family as Tiago started riding like his big brother and Diego and Tina learned to wrench on the bikes.

"Everybody tells you your life changes when you have children, and it does," Tina said. "I didn’t know that. Again, I thought I was going to breed polo players, so here we are."

Instead of polo matches, motorcycle races became the norm.

"I didn’t know anything about it," she said. "I had to find somebody in Missouri, because we lived in Missouri then, and I found this guy Matt Sweeney that really took Ely under his wing. His kid races Ely, but his kid is 15 and Ely is 12 (now). He had a track at his house — the best track in Missouri — and I would take Ely there. Tiago was young so he was like 1."

As the boys progressed, so did the family commitment. They traveled the country going to events. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, they packed up their RV and moved to Oklahoma to further their training under Robbie Reynard.

The time and practice paid off. Ely is a four-time qualifier for the AMA Amateur Motocross National Championships at Loretta Lynn's ranch in Tennessee, the biggest event of its kind for amateur motocross. Tiago has also qualified for Lynn's race.

Both also compete in the Hoosier Arenacross Nationals. They are supported by Redline Synthetic Oil, Hoosier Tires, Minton Racing, Farm Transport, OG Goggles, Team Green support from Kawasaki, ProCircuit, PR2 Suspension, Roost Graphics and Blood Money Racing.

"It’s really having the feeling and the noise of the dirt bikes," Ely said of his attraction to the sport. "I’m a kid who likes to move around a lot and likes to do active things. I can’t really sit there a long time."

Tiago loves it as well.

"It’s a lot of fun because there are really big jumps. You can throw whips over them and scrub little rollers and hold it out down some straightaways," he said.

The family recently relocated to Tina's hometown, settling on the Kenneth Smith farm near River Valley. The boys are in sixth and fourth grade at the middle school and Heritage Elementary.

"I don’t really think I’m good at this," Ely said. "I don’t get a big head like that. I think I can do better and better every time."

Early on, Tina saw the impact racing had on Ely.

"I knew it was right for him," she said. "When he was in preschool when he was 4 years old, they pretty much said he was ADHD and he needed help. Dirt bikes were an outlet, and you’ll find that a lot in this industry. We all talk about it. We talk about how a lot of these kids do a lot better with life after they’ve found something like this."

That's certainly the case for both Gross boys.

They will spend the coming months trying to qualify for another berth to Loretta Lynn's ranch in early August. From June 10 to 12, they will be at the regional qualifier in Chillicothe where the top six in each class gain berths. Other races and events are on the docket, too.

Both have aspirations of turning pro someday.

Until then, the family is going to enjoy the journey together.

"I played polo for 25 years and I played with all guys, so they get it honest," she said. "I don’t back down, so I don’t want them to back down."

rmccurdy@gannett.com

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Twitter @McMotorsport

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: River Valley's Gross brothers budding motocross riders