HEWITT — At 17 years old, Luke Renzland has acquired his professional motocross license. His first choice for his license — number 343 — was granted by the American Motocross Association. His motivation: this nation’s worst disaster in modern history. Luke requested the number 343 for his license to commemorate the number of New York City firefighters who perished on Sept. 11, 2001.
“We will never forget those that lost their lives trying to protect our liberty and freedom,” Luke said, “and for this reason I wanted the number 343 for my professional racing career. Through my racing, and most of all my followers and fans, I will be able to remind the world to always remember Sept. 11, 2001.”
Luke began his love of motocross when he started riding at just 2 years old. He started racing at age 6 and attending the Loretta Lynn Championship races in 2004 at the age of 10. In 2010, Luke won the national championship at Loretta Lynn's Motocross Championship in Tennessee. The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers.
He qualified again in 2011 for the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals but broke his foot and had surgery so he couldn't participate. A similar fate came in 2012 as Luke broke his collarbone while practicing and was unable to attend the nationals.
Luke is getting ready for the Kawasaki Race Of Champions, which will take place in Englishtown, the first weekend of October, 2012. Once that race is over, he will head down South for his training, getting ready for the Mini O’s Nationals in Gainesville, Fla., Thanksgiving week.
In between his vast training schedule and racing, he is completing his senior year in high school. Luke, who attended Marshall Hill Elementary School through grade 6, is being home schooled. Luke's parents are Kurt and Linda Renzland. He is trained by his brother, Kody Renzland and Dave Dukey is his mechanic.
The national program is produced by MX Sports, Inc., a West Virginia-based race production company. For more information, visit www.mxsports.com. For more information about Luke Renzland, go to www.lukerenzland.com.