At only 8-years-old, Noah Salisbury, of Cedar Springs, already has a passion for speed—and fast bikes. The Beach third-grader placed 8th in the state in his class of BMX racing on September 25—and it’s only his first year.

Noah Salisbury (#205) poses with other outstanding BMX racers in the community. Pictured with him is #316 Malyc Pennington, age 12, a middle-schooler ranked #1 in the Midwest Region; and #11 Lucas Mallory, age 8, another Beach 3rd grader, who finished first in the state this year in the novice class.

Noah, the son of Charlie and Tracy Salisbury of Cedar Springs, just finished his first full year of BMX racing in the 8 rookie class. He has raced at all the local GRBMX races held this year, and is ranked 2nd in the area. He has raced regionally, and also raced at all six state races, which qualified him to race in the state championship race in Midland, on September 25.

The BMX racing is becoming a family affair, with his dad, Charlie, and his 6-year-old sister, Abbey, also taking up the sport this month.

“It has been a fun family event and we will continue this season of racing at the new indoor track in Greenville,” said Tracy.

Noah, however, is not the only BMX racer from Cedar Springs finding success in the sport. Lucas Mallory, age 8, also a third-grader at Beach, has been racing for 2-1/2 years, and is currently racing in the 8-year-old novice class. He was ranked #1 in the state and region in 2010, and #11 in the nation. He also took the top honor in the region in 2009, and #3 in the state. He has raced in MI, OH, IN, IL, and KY. He is the son of Tony and Heather Mallory, of Cedar Springs.

The Mallory family has also made it a family affair. Tony Mallory, Lucas’s dad, races in the 35 to 39 cruiser class. He is ranked third in the state, first in the region, and 20th in the nation. Lucas’s brother Ben Mallory, age 6, is a first grader at Cedar Trails, and races in the six-year-old rookie class. Their little brother Noah, age 2, has raced his Strider bike (a balance bike).

Malyc Pennington, age 12, a Cedar Springs middle-schooler, has been racing for 2 years and is currently racing in the 12-year-old novice class.  He is ranked 8th in the state and #1 in the Midwest region for 2010.  In 2009, he was ranked #2 in the state as a rookie.  He has raced in MI, OH, IN, IL, and KY with plans to expand to more states next summer.  He is the son of Carm Carpenter, of Cedar Springs.

If anyone is interested in taking up BMX racing, it’s all for ages. There are four skill levels (rookie, novice, expert and pro) and four levels of racing (local, state, regional, and national). Racers need a bike, long pants, long sleeves, a full face helmet, and pads are recommended. There will soon be a new BMX track at the site of the former Thrifty Acres in Greenville. For more information visit www.nbl.com.

The story that ran last week was incomplete. We apologize for the mixup.     – Editor