Warsaw youth running laps around ATV competition

Leonard L. Hayhurst, Coshocton Tribune
·4 min read

WARSAW − Two local kids continue to race up the ranks in the world of youth ATV racing.

Raelynn and Bryson Dickerson of Warsaw with various awards from the past season of racing in the Grand National Cross Country national competition for ATVs. Bryson placed second in the micro division and first in the youth division for the past season. Raelynn was 11th.
Raelynn and Bryson Dickerson of Warsaw with various awards from the past season of racing in the Grand National Cross Country national competition for ATVs. Bryson placed second in the micro division and first in the youth division for the past season. Raelynn was 11th.

Bryson and Raelynn Dickerson have been racing various bikes since they were old enough to hold on. Their parents, Dustin and Amy Dickerson, once raced ATVs themselves, but shifted all their focus to their children.

In 2020, Bryson finished third for MXC1 and Raelynn was eighth. For 2021, Bryson finished first in the youth division and second in the micro-division. Raelynn placed fifth in the micro-division. She also ran a few races in the youth division.

For the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) 2022 season, Bryson, 9, finished second in MXC1 and first in youth. He placed 62nd in the country for all racers in all divisions. Raelynn, 11, finished 11th in youth girls junior ATV. She started running a 125cc ATV just this year.

The pair were recently honored at a ceremony in Morgantown, West Virginia. The siblings also ran the Eastern Racing Offroad Championship (EROC) series in Ohio for the first time. Bryson won first in the pee-wee and youth divisions. Raelynn was seventh in the youth division. An EROC awards ceremony will be in February.

Bryson is moving to the 90cc division this coming season. He's undecided if he will continue to run MXC1. He can still run the circuit one more season as he doesn't turn 10 until Jan. 30.

"I feel pretty good about this year. I saw something in me that I haven't seen before. I've gotten faster and I'm really looking forward to next year," Bryson said.

He credits his speed increase to attending camps and learning from older drivers. Raelynn said the seminars have helped her get faster in the tight turns, which has always been a struggle for her.

"We talk about it and then we go ride and see what we need to work on from there," Bryson said of the camps.

Dustin and Amy Dickerson with their children Raelynn and Bryson following an ATV race. Both the children have been riding since the time they can hold on. This past year they competed in 24 races.
Dustin and Amy Dickerson with their children Raelynn and Bryson following an ATV race. Both the children have been riding since the time they can hold on. This past year they competed in 24 races.

There are about 140 riders in each race with contests extending from Indiana to Florida. The season goes from February to October. The pair ran 24 races this past year with a stretch of 16 consecutive weeks. Dustin said there was a depth of talent for kids this year to contend with. In the past, there might be two or three battling for the top spot. This year it was six to seven at most contests.

"This same group of kids when the race is over, they all go play together," Dustin said. "They've got a pretty tight knit group and it's nice to see the kids of that level of talent racing each other that hard and that level of competition turn right around and be best friends."

Raelynn is in fifth grade and Bryson is in fourth grade. They have been homeschooled since 2020. Bryson started wrestling this year through River View and Raelynn wants to start next school year. Amy said both are testing above their grade levels.

"Not every kid learns the same. Some kid it might take a little longer. I feel that every kid is going to bloom at their own pace. They do well with it and I feel they've learned a lot," Amy said of homeschooling.

Bryson and Raelynn Dickerson following a race. The two run in different series, but have had great success in the Grand National Cross Country competition. For 2022, Raelynn was 11th in the youth division and Bryson placed first in the youth division and second in the micro division.
Bryson and Raelynn Dickerson following a race. The two run in different series, but have had great success in the Grand National Cross Country competition. For 2022, Raelynn was 11th in the youth division and Bryson placed first in the youth division and second in the micro division.

Amy said it was an adjustment racing season for Raelynn as she moved up in class to a bigger ATV and is often against older youth. They're hopeful for the coming season.

"I think I learned a lot. The big bikes are tough sometimes, but I got through it," Raelynn said of last year.

Bryson had the dubious distinction of totaling an ATV for the first time when he struck a rut in the track and crashed into a tree. He wasn't injured, but the frame of the bike was destroyed. Even with that, Bryson tried to continue on. The ATV had to rebuilt from scratch.

"He didn't even hesitate. He didn't come off the quad. His feet were up clear over his head, the bike came to rest in the wrong direction facing the kids. He collected himself and tore back off," Dustin recalled. "I caught him at the other end of the woods. He was following behind and I saw the front tire was leaning clear out. He got into the pits where a big group of our friends meet and help each other out. They're trying to see what's wrong and that ended our day."

Competitive racing teaches a lot of maturity and has the kids exceeding beyond their years, Dustin said.

"It's unreal the maturity this teaches the kids, having the mentality to go out and train, just the level that goes into it," he commented.

One can keep up with the pair at the Dickerson's Racing Facebook page and on Instagram at Dickerson Race.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Warsaw youth running laps around ATV competition