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Robby Bobby in the newspaper in Appleton, WI

Discussion in 'General' started by OldSchlPunk, Aug 10, 2020.

  1. OldSchlPunk

    OldSchlPunk Well-Known Member

  2. noles19

    noles19 Well-Known Member

    I thought this would be about the meth head Rob helped subdue and videoed on Facebook recently or the baby he helped watch after I believe someone stole the car he was in.
    He's had some interesting stuff happen recently:crackup:
     
    cajun636 likes this.
  3. YamahaRick

    YamahaRick Yamaha Two Stroke Czar

    Not available to non-subscribers.
     
    TurboBlew likes this.
  4. OldSchlPunk

    OldSchlPunk Well-Known Member

    NEENAH - Jack Brucks has been around motorcycles and racing for most of his life.

    His father, Luke Brucks, is in an ice racing club, his uncle, Jacob Brucks, races motorcycles and his grandfather, Pete Weyenberg, has raced stock cars his whole life.

    Nearly seven years ago, Jack embarked on a similar path. At the age of 4, Luke gifted his son with a dirt bike of his own. Since then, Jack and the dirt bike have been nearly inseparable.

    The 10-year-old Neenah native began racing BMX pedal bikes in 2013. In 2014, at the age of 4, he started racing competitively with motorcycles.

    Two years after beginning his competitive racing career, Jack garnered his first major accolade: a first-place finish in the District 16 50cc shaft class on the dirt track. In 2017, he added two more first-place finishes on the dirt track in the District 16 50cc shaft class and District 16 50cc DTX class, as well as a second-place finish in the 50cc 4-stroke class.

    In 2018, Jack earned several podium finishes in ice racing, most notably with first-place finishes in the 50cc SR District 14 Springfield TT and 50cc Shaft District 14 Springfield TT, and a third-place finish at the 50cc SR American Motorcycle Association Ice National Grand Championship. In 2019, he placed first in the 65cc AMA Ice National Grand Championship Endurance Race.

    Last month, Jack earned two of the biggest accolades of his young racing career on the dirt track at the AMA Amateur National Championship.

    He competed in a pool of 12 top racers from around the country ages 7-11 in the 65cc stock class and came out on top. He also earned a second-place finish in the 65cc modified class.

    The competition consisted of four races over two locations. It kicked off in Plymouth, Indiana, the first two days with a half-mile and TT race and continued in Ashland, Ohio, with two half-mile pea gravel cushion track races to wrap it all up. Normally, the AMA holds a clay short track race, but it was rained out and they ended up doing another half-mile race at a different course.

    “There’s different rounds. Every year, it rotates which track is doubled," Jack's mother, Katie Brucks, explained. "There’s the clay short track, which is a very small oval. There’s always a TT - it has to include a jump and a right-handed turn, and there’s always a half-mile pea gravel cushion track, which is a fast oval. It’s a very fast track. Usually, they’re going upwards of 70 miles per hour.”

    In the 65cc stock class, Jack earned three first-place finishes and one second-place finish to clinch the national championship. After the big win, he also picked up the prestigious Youth Rider of the Year award, which is given to the top-ranked racer in the nation from a specific age group.

    [​IMG]
    "The moral of the story is pretty awesome," Katie Brucks said, referencing her son's accomplishments in racing. "I’m proud of him because he struggles in school, he struggles with friends, he’s got some other medical stuff and it’s hard to see him struggle, but man, when’s he’s on the track he’s an animal and it’s great to see him succeed."

    Jack's parents say they attribute a lot of their son's success to trainers Robby Bobby McClendon, a former pro racer and co-owner of D&D Cycles in Pensacola, Florida, and to Rick Bretl, a former pro racer who lives in Appleton.

    "About a year ago, we started sending him down to Pensacola, Florida, for some training, which is known for training some of the best pro riders, to Pensacola Dirt Track to spend a weekend with Robby Bobby McClendon, who teaches him all the stuff he needs to know to be the best," Luke Brucks said. "He coached some recent champions at the pro level, so it's a big deal to have him training Jack."

    Bretl has known Jack for about five years, but he only recently began working with him on the motorcycle after starting his own rider training school.

    Last month, in preparation for the AMA Amateur National Championship, Bretl came to the Brucks' family horse farm to help train Jack.

    "It was a pretty action-packed 90 minutes. We both had a lot of fun," Bretl said. "I would say the biggest thing that we worked on that seemed to help the most was just his vision of the track. To understand there’s more than one way to attack a track, to race a track. I proved to him that there was faster ways to go around the corner and understand that it’s not always just one way to go around the track."

    In addition to the recent accolades, 2020 has been an exciting year for Jack and his family because of other opportunities associated with his racing career.

    A few months before he won the national championship, Jack landed his biggest racing sponsorship and made an appearance on a Discovery Channel TV show.

    "This year, we welcomed on board Rick Ness as a big sponsor from the Discovery Channel. His company, Rally, began sponsoring Jack this year. He’s been an amazing supportive friend, allowing us to travel across the country this year," Katie Brucks said.

    "(Jack) had an opportunity to ride with Rick Ness and it aired on Discovery Channel. He was doing a race for this TV show. A five-by-five mile," Luke Brucks added. "In between the Gold Rush seasons, they do a show about what the people on the show are doing off season. He was doing this side-by-side race on the ice, he was our sponsor, and he came up to our local track and rode with Jack on our test track. Rick was asking Jack for racing tips. Right around here, he came up here with the whole production crew. It was all part of the TV show."

    A few months later, after winning the national championship, Jack was presented with yet another great opportunity.

    "When he was named Youth Rider of the Year and he won the championship this year, an investor in Florida approached us," Luke Brucks said. "Back when Flat Track was really, really popular, he did a program that was called the 'Cool Skunk Kyds program,' which is making kids successful on and off the track and helping kids be the best they can. That program kind of petered away a bit. Recently, (Jack) was invited to ride their bike. They liked his story and met him. Now, they’re starting this program up for kids again. The last kid was 2004 and Jack is like the debut rider of starting this program up again and getting it going."

    In the near future, Jack says he doesn't have any major new goals coming up. Right now, there isn't much more he can accomplish that he hasn't already as a racer in his age group.

    For the moment, he's happy to continue what he's been doing — excelling on the ice and dirt tracks in the 7-11 age division. Further in the future, he hopes to become a pro rider.
     
  5. OldSchlPunk

    OldSchlPunk Well-Known Member

    Never thought of that...
     
  6. RRP

    RRP Kinda Superbikey

    This section spoke to me the most:

    "The moral of the story is pretty awesome," Katie Brucks said, referencing her son's accomplishments in racing. "I’m proud of him because he struggles in school, he struggles with friends, he’s got some other medical stuff and it’s hard to see him struggle, but man, when’s he’s on the track he’s an animal and it’s great to see him succeed."
     
    OldSchlPunk, scottn, Sabre699 and 8 others like this.
  7. Pride & Joy

    Pride & Joy Well-Known Member

    Me too!!
     
  8. jrsamples

    jrsamples Banned

  9. HPPT

    HPPT !!!

    Has Clarence taken credit yet?
     
  10. Robby-Bobby

    Robby-Bobby Steeltoe’s Daddy

    Little man loves riding his bike! We have a lot of talent coming out of PDT in the next 3-5 years. Keep an eye out for the following names from RBRD
    Trevor Brunner- Horizon winner 2019
    Chase Saathoff- Most dominant 450cc Am in the country. 15yrs
    Landen Smith- Top 3 250cc Am and moving to 450's next year 14yrs
    Isaiah Lopez- Up and coming 250cc rider 14yrs
    Jack Brucks
     
  11. mastermind

    mastermind camping in turn 2....

    Nice work RB!!!!!
     
    Banditracer likes this.
  12. Banditracer

    Banditracer Dogs - because people suck

    :stupid: :clap:
     
  13. Robby-Bobby

    Robby-Bobby Steeltoe’s Daddy

    Thanks, but these kids are the ones putting in the work. Thankful the parents see the worth. They really are fun though!
     
  14. Just for the candy.
     
    Sabre699 likes this.
  15. Robin172

    Robin172 Well-Known Member

    :crackup:
     

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