Shane Lusk was not supposed to race dirt bikes, he was supposed to be the "successful in academics" kid. From the age of 6 through the age of 8, Shane built jumps for his BMX bike or jumps in the sand for his toys next to the track his older brother, Ezra, was viciously clicking off laps in efforts to be a champion in the professional ranks. The breaks between building BMX jumps became a sacred time for Shane, as he would stare off into the distance and imagine what it would be like to be like his older brother Ezra as he blitzed the whoops, turned, whipped it over the finsh line jump, turned, received a lap time on the pit board from his their mother, and jump, turn, jump, turn..... Shane begged his parents and his brother to let him race, but it was no, no, and no. Finally, Shane convinced them. A few months later he lined up at Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville, Florida and a few feet after where he lined up, he found himself on the ground. The rut after gate was one thing to negotiate, but the #259 Team Green Racer, James Stewart, Jr., was another, as the 2-5-9 came over right after the gate on accident and helped seal the deal on Shane Lusk falling. Shane went on to finish last and get lapped by James Stewart. Big James and James Jr. came over after the race and apologized, Shane wanted to accept the apology with open arms and chat with the amateur superstar he had heard so much about but Shane was too frustrated and too bitter. That was a good thing for Shane, as that bitterness and frustration fueled him over the next year to work hard and listen to everyone around him in order to never let what happened at Gatorback Cycle Park happen again. And it did not, as a year later Shane Lusk was battling with the best in the region - Bryan Johnson, James Stewart, Dan Truman, Donnie McGourty to name a few.

Years later...

In 2004, Shane graduated from the public Bainbridge High School, ranked third in his class, with scholarships to go anywhere in the state of Georgia for a full-ride. Shane had been through a lot and witnessed a lot at an early age through his older siblings. He knew school would be there and he knew he could work as hard as he needed to and more whenever the occasion arose. With things at an all time low with racing, injuries and more injuries, and most all of his amateur rivals turned pro with Factory rides like Stewart, Millsaps, Gray, Mills, and Helpler, Shane made the decision to keep moving forward with racing. Everyone in the world thought he was on a free ride from the success of his brother, well that was not the case since the age of 12. On his very own talent and parents' help, full sponsorship from American Honda, Oakley, Fox, Shoei, Troy Lee Designs, PJ1 Oils, CTi2 Knee Braces, Alpinestar, Renthal, Pro Circuit, Dunlop, and Hinson, Shane Lusk scored top 3 finishes at Loretta Lynn's and many other amateur nationals. His last dream to do on his own talent - a pro ride. He opted to attend the local community college so that he would be just miles away from the training grounds and could ride and train everyday. As he was on the mends from a severe wrist injury, he received a phone call from Honda Canada Blackfoot Thor needing a rider for the East Coast Canadian Nationals. Shane said he was healthy, he was in shape, and neither of those were completely true but he wanted this ride more than anything and knew he had enough heart to compesate for the struggles he may face in Canada. The comment that sealed the deal on Jason Mitchell hiring Shane Lusk was when Shane said "I just want to get from underneath my brother's shadow, please let me race for you." At the final round of the series, Jason was saying his goodbyes and asking Shane to come back the next year and said "Shane, you know the reason why I hired you without ever seeing you ride and only hearing about you? You told me that you wanted to get from your brother' shadow and I could not deny you that opportunity." That stuck with Shane the entire flight home and every day for a long time. He had rode for an incredible team, raced professionally, enjoyed life on his own in Canada with no parents or family, and learned what some amazing people there are in the world. Not sure of his next move because Canada only had nationals, he decided to hit up a small local race in Cairo, Georgia 20 minutes from his house. He loved racing, heloved showing off, and he loved seeing the faces of young kids after watching him race around the track. The race was a memorial race for the owner's son, Chase Livingston. It was a special event and therefore meant for a three-moto format. Only one person showed up for 'A' class that day, Jordan Peeples. Jordan struggled at the amateur nationals and kind of went back and forth on to race or not as an amateur but at FasTrac in Cairo, Georgia - Jordan hauled the mail. Needless to say on the easy track, Jordan and Shane duked it out as if they were at war for the National title. Heading into the final moto, Shane was 4 for 5 on the day.

(Shane now in front of the keyboard)

Many people say the bikes are too fast, too dangerous, the tracks are.... Well, I do not know for sure hoe Ernest Fonseca crashed or some of the other fallen riders but I know how I crashed - human error. If you make a human error in Football as quarterback you throw an incompletion or interception. It's all good, bruch it off and try the play again. Well, in motcross, it is quite a bit different, and I knew this from day one as do all others that race at a professional level. Well that night, in the sixth and final moto, I felt the pressure of Jordan trying an outside line while I actually overjumped a table top from the inside and lost all of my forward momentum. I snapped, I pinned it, in an effort to beat him to the next corner and hold on to the lead. The only thing separating me from doing that was a small BMX size double with ruts and kickers all the way across the face. As I said earlier, I snapped and pinned it, my adrenaline took over and I hit the kickered-out double wide open without letting off, blipping the throttle, and getting some type of pop at the face. I went over the bars head first into the ground and immediately was conscious but could not move a thing.

Human error, it happens, and I can live with that. Just like I live with all the other GREAT decisions I have made in my life.

....Stay tuned, more to come.