Ryan Fesler began riding at three years old and developed a passion for racing motorcycles. In August, he will compete in Loretta Lynn's Air Nautique Amateur National Motocross Championships in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. PHOTO COURTESY OF MX PHOTOGRAPHY.COM Ryan Fesler has a one-track mind, and it is always going full throttle

The 10-year-old Hanna Springs Elementary student is addicted to speed, and it doesn’t matter where he is going; he will get there fast.

“If he’s going to our barn, he’s riding something,” Stacie Fesler, Ryan’s mother, said. “He rides everywhere.”

While anything from bicycles to roller skates will provide Ryan with a fix, his love is motorcycles.

The reason is simple.

“I like to go fast,” he said.

With seven years of riding experience already under his belt, Ryan is one of the area’s top motocross riders and is preparing for his third trip to Loretta Lynn’s Air Nautique Amateur National Motocross Championships. The 29th annual event -- considered by many to be the premier amateur race in the United States -- takes place from Aug. 2-7 in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

Along with his parents Stacie and Randy Fesler, 10-yearold Ryan Fesler routinely travels across the state and nation to compete against toplevel motocross riders. PHOTO BY CLAY WHITTINGTON “I’m excited,” Ryan said. “I enjoy getting to prove myself.”

The Lampasas youth will be competing in the modified 65cc class in the seven- to 11-year-old division after he qualified for the race by placing in the top six of his seven-state region.

While other national competitions are set up to include qualifying races on site, the event in Tennessee requires riders to qualify in advance, which makes the field extremely tough.

But that is exactly what Ryan trains for.

With a 10-acre track behind his Kempner home, Ryan spends one to two hours a day practicing and travels to Dallas once a week for a training session with Chris Samples of Race Ready Power Sports.

Almost every weekend, he and his family crisscross the state to attend races.

Despite devoting so much time to his sport, Ryan maintains an A average in school. As long as he keeps up his grades, the family will continue their hectic schedule.

“We will make the time,” Mrs. Fesler said.

While Ryan is excited to compete in Tennessee, it will not be the only national stage he performs on this summer. In fact, just days before heading to The Volunteer State, Ryan will race in the NMA Ponca City Grand National Championships in Oklahoma (July 26-30).

But the 10-year-old strives to be the best in everything he does.

“Basketball, baseball, soccer, beating his little brother at anything; he’s very competitive,” father Randy Fesler said.

Ryan’s passion, however, is speed.

“Anything with wheels that goes fast, I like,” he said.

With a victory at Hurricane Mills, the boy’s passion could begin developing into a full-time occupation.

“The Amateur Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” event director Tim Cotter said in a press release. “A win at the Amateur Nationals can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”

Although the money could come, Ryan is not concerned with the monetary upside to becoming a professional like one of his favorite racers Ricky Carmichael.

“[I like him because] he’s fast,” Ryan said.

No surprise there.