Teen looks to go pro
Jeff Leever’s advice to his nephew Trevor Raisbeck is simple,
almost too simple. But once a motocross rider himself, as was his
father and his grandfather, Leever doesn’t have to say much to make
his point.
The racing bloodline will, more or less, do the talking.
Teen looks to go pro
Jeff Leever’s advice to his nephew Trevor Raisbeck is simple, almost too simple. But once a motocross rider himself, as was his father and his grandfather, Leever doesn’t have to say much to make his point.
The racing bloodline will, more or less, do the talking.
“He just needs to ride,” Leever said. “He’s good. If he keeps going, he’s pretty talented naturally.”
Naturally, yes, and a quick glimpse to the family tree would suggest Raisbeck’s motocross drive is genetic, too.
Leever, at the age of 17, turned pro as a junior in high school and joined Team Maico, where he competed in the Support class (250cc) of the 12-race Trans-AMA, a series of races where the Americans battled the Europeans for bragging rights.
He took three months off his junior year to compete in the Trans-AMA in 1973, racing every Sunday, racing anywhere from New York to Los Angeles.
“I just kind of grew up around it,” Leever said.
Leever’s father, Frank, raced flat track as a junior rider, while his father, Dick Curtner, won the 100-mile Grand National race at Daytona Beach on Feb. 18, 1950.
So yes, racing is in Trevor Raisbeck’s blood.
“He went pro,” Raisbeck said of Leever. “It was a lot easier back then, but he did it and it kind of makes me want to do it too.”
Raisbeck, 16, a junior at San Benito High School, is only a novice at the moment but has big plans for his future, and looks to follow in his uncle’s, his grandfather’s, and even his great-grandfather’s footsteps.
A tall order, sure, but he certainly won’t be lacking in advice, as racing is rather difficult to get away from in the Raisbeck family.
“I’ve just always wanted to ride it since I was young because of my uncle,” Raisbeck said. “[My mom, Lisa] grew up with it with my uncle, her brother … he’s just given me advice racing all those years.”
Although Raisbeck received his first bike at the age of 9 – it was a PW 80 – and began racing a year later, he wasn’t necessarily devoted to it until only recently.
“I just thought I couldn’t do it,” said Raisbeck’s mother, Lisa. “But finally, [Trevor] said, ‘Mom, I’ve got to do this.’
“I love racing. I grew up around it. We did it every weekend and I’m Trevor’s biggest fan.”
While his uncle Jeff started when he was 10 and turned pro at 17, Raisbeck didn’t start riding and racing until he was 15, and was unfortunately blessed with the sweeping popularity of the sport, making his turn to pro a little more difficult than that of his uncle’s.
Just last year in February, Raisbeck started as a Beginner and quickly moved up the ranks, graduating to the Novice class in November. In July, he took fourth overall in the 250 Novice class at the Washougal national in Washington, despite dealing with adversity like a pro.
“I could have done a lot better,” he said.
In his first race, Raisbeck’s Yamaha 250 F stalled at the line. Coming into the first turn, he was in 33rd place – dead last.
The 16-year-old made up the difference, though, grabbing eighth place before it was said and done.
“It kind of made me mad, so I started riding not like my usual self – just kind of hanging it out,” said Raisbeck of the aggressive approach he took. In his second race, Raisbeck took second to finish fourth overall.
Eyeing December as the month he’ll graduate to the Intermediate class, Raisbeck is already planning to turn pro when he’s 18. He’s considered one of the top Novice riders in the area, so a move to the next level only seems to be a matter of time.
Luckily, he knows a few people that have been there before.
“I talk to him quite a bit and he’s starting to do pretty good now,” said Leever, who was born and raised in San Jose but now resides in Olympia, Wash.
Leever said the key to going pro is stay injury free, and for Raisbeck, there are no broken bones to speak of. Although he’s suffered two concussions, he seemingly hasn’t slowed down.
“Live to ride another day,” Leever said. “Every time you get hurt, it sets you back. Use your head and go at your own pace. Don’t try to do something you’re not used to.”
“But it’s fun to watch him ride,” Leever added. “To go pro in Hollister, that shouldn’t be too hard. Once you get to nationals … it’ really hard, but you never know.
“It just depends on how much he puts into it, which right now, is everything.”
