VOL. 56 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 8, 2019 P101
D
esert racing in general—
and the AMA Hare &
Hound National Cham-
pionship Series in particular—
seems to be a sport that favors
the younger, often braver rider.
Most of its champions, after all,
have been ineligible to race the
Vet class.
But there are exceptions.
Racing over unknown terrain
and taking big chances can bite
you—hard—and those who push
the limits can find those limits
pushing back without warning.
Therefore, desert racing also
rewards the prudent, the more
calculating and experienced
rider who can avoid big crashes
and serious injury.
Kendall Norman has seen
both sides of this coin. When he
first won the AMA title in 2010,
he had a bit of a reputation for
a flat-out style bordering on
reckless. But as with many, he
appeared to have adopted a
smarter, safer approach in his
30s that earned him his second
crown after the 2018 season
ended, having amassed two
wins in the seven-round chase
and finishing off the podium
only once—at the final round
where he placed a safe fifth to
lock the championship up.
But what many wondered was
where had he been during those
years in between? There were
rumors that he'd moved to Baja
and was just riding and surfing.
Some said he'd become a her-
mit and would probably never
race again.
In truth, he'd taken a sabbati-
cal, dropping out of the public
eye and growing as a person,
though the racer in him felt he
had unfinished business.
So, when he received an offer
of proper but private support to
go racing in 2018, he agreed and
rewarded his backers with the
championship before jetting off
to Chile to represent the U.S. on
the SRT Racing team in the Club
category, earning a gold medal
for 12th in the C2 class (250cc
two-stroke/450cc four-stroke)
aboard his trusty CRF450X.
Norman rode Six
Days for the first
time and did well,
earning a gold
medal in Chile.
THEONEANDONLY
BY MARK KARIYA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK KARIYA
