Best of show

Published 9:00 am Friday, August 12, 2011

Izaak Farrell runs in the 50CC oil injected class Wednesday night during the Motokazie show at the Grandstand of the Mower County Fair. -- Eric Johnson/Albert Lea Tribune

AUSTIN — The 250B race was filled with a field of racers aged in the upper teens to early 20s at the Motokazie SX series at the Mower County Fair Wednesday.

But it was two 14-year-old racers who stole the show.

Stephen Kassel of Grand Meadow catches air in the 250 C Division 1 heat races during tht Motokazie show. -- Eric Johnson/Albert Lea Tribune

Austin’s Adam Maxfield took fourth in the first race and led the second race until the second to last turn when Henry Miller, another 14-year-old from Rochester, passed Maxfield and beat him by about a half a second.

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“It was crazy,” Maxfield said. “Coming into the last lap, I knew he was going to do something, then right in that corner I took it too slow and he just blew past me.”

Maxfield has raced against Miller, who also won the night’s first race, since they were 6 years old. He used to beat Miller when they were younger, but now he’s glad that he showed he could keep up with him and almost beat them, since Miller has become one of the elite riders in the area.

“It’s awesome and it means a lot,” Maxfield said. “He goes down south for races and since I can keep up with him, it shows that I can do good and maybe I could go down there, too.”

Maxfield, who has been racing just about every weekend this summer, showed his diversity during the races. In the first race, he fell near the bottom of the nine-racer pack early on and fought his way back to finish fourth.

Adam Maxfield, of Austin, rounds a turn in a cloud of dust during the 250 B heat race in the Motokazie motocross show at the grandstands of the Mower County Fair Wednesday night. -- Eric Johnson/Albert Lea Tribune

In the second race he came charging out on top, and he and Miller were ahead of the pack by a big distance for the rest of the race.

“The fact that we’re on a small track, whoever gets the start is probably going to win it,” Maxfield said.

Maxfield is hoping to continue to improve so he can try out for the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross Championships next summer in Tennessee.

“It’s the biggest in the world, and it has all of the fastest kids,” he said.