For Motocross Champ, It's All in the Risk; [FINAL Edition] Kathleen Hom - Washington Post Staff Writer

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For Motocross Champ, It's All in the Risk; [FINAL Edition] Kathleen Hom - Washington Post Staff Writer. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Oct 22, 2006. pg. M.2 Author(s): Kathleen Hom - Washington Post Staff Writer Column Name: TheInsider Section: SUNDAY SOURCE Publication title: The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Oct 22, 2006. pg. M.2 Source type: Newspaper ISSN: 01908286 ProQuest document ID: 1149376901 Text Word Count 1021 Document URL: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1149376901&sid=2&Fmt=3&cl ientId=17733&RQT=309&VName=PQD Abstract (Document Summary) Name any bone, and chances are good that Travis Pastrana has broken it. The motocross whiz kid has been riding -- and falling off of -- motorcycles since he was 4, when his parents bought him his first bike (a Honda Z50).

Now 23, the Davidsonville resident wows fans with his daredevil tricks, among them landing the first- ever double back flip at the 12th annual X Games this summer. (Pastrana's recent motocross exploits can be seen during the Jeremy McGrath Invitational, airing today at 4:30 p.m. on NBC.)

You know, it's funny, a lot of the stuff that is the most fun to do isn't necessarily the highest scoring or the biggest. For instance, the double flip is 99 percent scary and, like, maybe a half-percent fun. [Laughs.] As opposed to . . . a rock solid, which is a trick where you fly away from the motorcycle and you just let go -- you watch the motorcycle fly right underneath you, and you fly on top. And it feels like you're in the air, you're touching nothing.

Full Text (1021 words) Copyright The Washington Post Company Oct 22, 2006

Name any bone, and chances are good that Travis Pastrana has broken it. The motocross whiz kid has been riding -- and falling off of -- motorcycles since he was 4, when his parents bought him his first bike (a Honda Z50).

Though still active in motocross, these days Pastrana is pursuing high-speed thrills in the slightly less dangerous sport of rally car racing. We caught up with him at his home near Annapolis, where he was born.

Your 20-acre estate is pretty tricked out for you to practice and have fun on.

I pretty much have the freestyle park on my property. The next- door neighbor has the enduro course . . . the neighbor next to him has the motocross course, and the guy on that side has the pit bike course. So everyone kind of rides.

All your signature moves, such as the cliffhanger and lazy boy, are pretty death-defying. Which pumps you up the most?

You've suffered some pretty traumatic injuries, concussions, broken bones, knee injuries, yet you keep riding. How do you manage to get back on your bike after a serious accident?

It's risk vs. reward. You just have to decide what's worth it for you and what's not. Everyone has a different balance. Mine is little bit more. I'm hurt more than a lot of people. Yeah, [if] I've got a 50-50 shot, I think, that's good enough, let's go for that.

And your mom is good with that? I saw her at the X Games. She was pretty upset about the double back flip.

Yeah, the X Games this year, it was tough on her, because every time she talked to me, I'm like, "Mom, I wouldn't do anything I don't feel confident in. I know I can do this." She's like, "All right. I believe in you."

But my mom would walk out, and there was so much media around at the X Games, and there were just reporters in her face going, "Your son could die this afternoon. How does this make you feel?" She's a mom. How do you think that makes her feel?

How do you deal with the recovery period after an accident?

That's the hardest part. Like, I don't mind being injured. I just hate not being able to ride or . . . like when you're sitting there, you've got a bone sticking out of your skin, you're like, "Aw, man, that's a good eight weeks off." . . . You're not thinking, "Ow, it hurts." [Laughs.] It's kind of a different mentality for sports, for sure.

What has been your worst accident?

I don't really remember. No, I figure, if you don't really remember it, it never happened.

So how many concussions have you had?

Define concussion. [Laughs.] Like out cold, laying there, nothing, don't remember?

Like out cold. Probably looking at 12 or so, maybe more. I've had friends that have had one concussion, and they've had a lot of trouble or their personalities have changed. I've had friends that seemed to get knocked out every single week and they're just as normal as they ever were. . . . You break a bone, it's four to six weeks depending on the degree of injury. The head is, like, well, you might be fine, you might not be. I don't like that.

But obviously some sense has been knocked into you, since you're now into rally car racing.

Yeah, there you go. Sounds like my mom. [Laughs.]

Is this safer, or at least easier on your body?

Rally car is definitely easier on your body. It's still a high- risk sport. It's still adrenaline -- it's a lot of fun. It scares you to death at times, but with the roll cage and with as safe as the Subarus are right now, it's way better on the injury scale.

Do you think you'll give up motocross one of these days?

Yeah, for sure. Right now I'm pretty much done with the freestyle stuff, the racing, the motocross. Definitely, I'll always do it for fun. . . . But as far as going to competitions, well, to be the best, you really have to push yourself all the time. . . . It's hard to say you're old for the sport, but I'm ready for the next chapter.

How do you practice for rally car racing?

That's the really tough part, because I bought three cars for $60,000 apiece in the last year, and they [lasted] about two weeks before I rolled them, hit a tree, flew off a cliff, something. When you crash a motorcycle . . . you might have a bent lever. When you crash a car, it's a lot more expensive, so it's very difficult to really practice.

Okay, final question. It seems people in Washington don't know how to drive in the snow. Any tips for us ordinary drivers when we're behind the wheel?

[Laughs.] Just go off-road and have some fun. Learn to slide your vehicle around. I think that should be on every driver's test. . . . You have to be able to drift around at least one corner just in case . . . you start hydroplaning. You need to know how to correct it.

Credit: Washington Post Staff Writer