News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Nick, left, and Ben Chappell with their dad Matt.
The Chappell brothers of Sisters are a force to be reckoned with in the world of motocross.
Ben, 9, and Nick, 8, took first and second place in the Oregon State Championships, which concluded in Salem last month.
Nick took first place in the point series in two classes: the 65cc 9-11 class and the 65cc Open Class, in which he competed against all ages.
“He won his age group by, it must have been 40-45 points,” said the boys’ father Matt Chappell. “But he didn’t win the open class until the last moto of the day and he won by one point.”
A similarly narrow margin kept Nick out of the winners’ circle. He placed second by one point in the 50cc “PeeWee” class.
According to his dad, Nick was neck-and-neck with a friend and was sort of playing and didn’t buckle down until the last moto. He didn’t have quite enough momentum to pick up the points he needed to win.
“But that’s okay,” said Matt. “It’s a learning experience.”
What makes these Sisters boys stand out among their competitors?
“Really, I think it’s because I practice so much,” Ben said.
Matt confirmed that. He recalled asking national champion Ricky Carmichael what one thing the boys could do to improve their racing.
“He said, ‘Practice.’”
The boys practice almost every day on a course their dad built on their property near Sisters. They also practice on a couple of tracks in Redmond.
They travel to Salem, Medford, Klamath Falls, Madras and Albany for races.
The Medford track is a particular favorite.
“That’s the funnest track I’ve ever been to,” Ben said. “There’s a lot of jumps there that I know how to take.”
Gary Tewalt is the boys’ number-one sponsor. Matt said the boys will likely travel to some indoor races this winter to stay sharp until the season resumes with a February race in Madras.
It is a big time and travel commitment for their dad, but he enjoys it.
“There’s no feeling like watching them compete at that kind of level,” he said.
As for the boys, their motivation is simple:
“We love racing,” Nick said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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