Motor cross racing is growing in popularity all over Canada. The Brennan family lives just outside of Exeter Ontario, and have been involved in the motor cross scene for almost ten years now.
Beverly and Joseph Brennan have two kids, Madison and Reilly, both are competitively racing and have been for four years while Joe takes care of the maintenance of the bikes.
Joseph says he remembers when Reilly rode a bike for the first time, “it was two days after his fifth birthday, and it was the same day he got into his first accident.”
Motor cross racing is dangerous in an obvious way. Madison says she can recall a time someone passed away on the racetrack. “A girl I knew was giving this guy CPR until the paramedics got there, but unfortunately he didn’t make it.”
Madison says in order to be safe on the track “you have be aware of your surroundings and learn to listen to your bike.”
Reilly has had one serious accident where he broke his femur. Joe, his father, was there when it happened. “I remember running up to him at the side of the road, and ask him to move his legs and the bottom of his left leg wasn’t moving but the top part was.”
Reilly said when the paramedics told him he broke his femur he thought he was going to die. “My bone went right through my skin, and I was scared I might have rupture through an artery, which could’ve been deadly.”
Luckily enough, Reilly didn’t rupture any arteries but now has nine screws and metal plate in his leg. Since then he has been injury free but has no intention of slowing down in races.
This year will be his second year back on the bike after his injury and his first year back to racing. “I took last year off to make my mom happy, but this summer I’ll be back to racing for sure.”
