PAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 1, 2019
for kids
by kids
Keizer’s own Speed Racer
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of No Adults Allowed
To say that 13-year-
old Ryan Bese has a
need for speed would
be an understatement.
Not only is Ryan a junior
dragracer, but he also
runs for cross country
and track at Whiteaker
Middle School. “I like to
go fast,” he said.
For the past four
years Ryan has been
a jr. drag racer at the
Woodburn
Dragstrip.
Ryan is in the eighth
grade and currently the
only jr. racer from Keizer.
He enjoys having his
friends come watch him
race, “it’s fun because
they can experience
what it’s like,” Ryan said.
Even though you
have to be eight years
old to be a junior
racer, Ryan started
way before that. “My
husband worked on
a professional race
car team before, so
that’s how he (Ryan)
got started,” said
Chris Bese, Ryan’s
mom, “I would drag
him out to the races.
But he was a baby so
he has no recollection
of it whatsoever.”
That said, when the
time came to start rac-
ing, Ryan was more
than a little hesitant to
start driving, “When he
turned 8, we encour-
aged him and he said,
‘no.’ He wouldn’t even
sit in the car,” Chris said.
With the help of
some of his friends from
the racetrack he eventu-
ally got into his fi rst car,
“They put him in the car
and literally pushed him
down the race track,” she
said.
“I just didn’t want
to do it because I was
worried about crashing,”
Ryan said. That fear has
been pushed aside now
because he’s been doing
it for such a long time. In
his four years of racing
the closest he’s come to
crashing was clipping a
wall.
There are three cate-
gories at the Woodburn
Dragstrip, Jr. Storm, Jr.
Thunder and Jr. Lighting.
The Jr. Storm category is
for ages 6-10, Jr. Thun-
der is for ages 10-14 and
Jr. Lighting is 13-17. Ryan
is currently transitioning
form Jr. Thunder to Jr.
Lighting.
In 2014 (his fi rst year),
he won the Rookie of
the Year Award, and
he’s been winning ever
since. In 2015, he placed
second in the World of
Speed for Jr. Storm, the
following year he placed
second in the World of
Speed for Jr. Thunder. He
was the Fall ET Jr. Thun-
der Champion in 2016.
He won the 2018
NHRA ET fi nals Division
6 Jr. Thunder Champi-
on award in the summer
series. He then switched
over to Jr. Lighting for
the fall series and won
At 13, Whiteaker Middle School student Ryan Bese
is rapidly filling up his trophy case with wins on
the dragstrip.
the 2018 World of Speed
Fall ET Jr. Lightening
Champion. The fi nal race
became known as, “the
Ryan show.” Ryan Dick,
his competitor and best
friend, was racing against
him for the champion-
ship. Even though Dick
lost, the boys are still
close friends. “They’re
good kids, they support
each other, they cheer
each other on. Sports-
manship is big,” Chris
said.
That’s not all, Ryan
was also voted the most
improved racer this
year by his peers at the
Woodburn Dragstrip in
2018. Ryan has com-
peted on the ET Finals
Woodburn Team for
four years in a row, fi rst
in Boise, then Canada,
Woodburn and Boise
again. Even though he’s
been on the fi nals team
four years in a row, this
was his fi rst year win-
ning.
He said his reason
One day on Venus
is longer than one
year.
Did you hear
about the
circus fi re?
The stegosaurus was
over 29 feet long but it
had a brain the size of
a walnut.
Snails can sleep for
up to three years.
It was in-tents
A non-royal person
in Rome was called
a “plebeian.”
The average
strawberry has
about 200 seeds.
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Before the printing
press was invented,
most stories were
passed down verbally
from generation to
generation.
The mythic Bigfoot
and Yeti are not the
same thing. Bigfoot
reportedly looks
more like a man-ape
and lives in warmer
climates. Yetis are said
to look more like a
man-bears and live in
colder climates.
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A FREE
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503.362.0500
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he keeps going back
is, “the sweet feeling of
winning.”
His biggest support-
ers have been his par-
ents, which is no sur-
prise considering they
literally pushed him to
do it. Although some
parents would be con-
cerned about safety,
the Bese family has to-
tal faith in their safety
gear. “I actually feel he’s
safer in his car than in
mine,” Chris said.
His sponsors are,
Wayne Parker’s Auto
Electric, Taylor Motor-
sports Products and
Westfi eld Motorsports.
orihodoniics for children,
adolescenis & adulis
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