Austin Serpa had a championship year this season as he raced his KTM in area desert races.

Winning races is the goal of any racer and while most never accomplish this they have fun trying. However some do win titles and earning an overall championship in their rookie year is an even greater accomplishment.

And that’s exactly what one 16-year-old high school racer did this past season. Like many motorcycle racers, he got an early start in the two-wheeled world.

Austin Serpa stands with his father Keith beside the KTM he used to win the MRANN overall championship.

“I remember when I first started riding I was about 2-years-old with some training wheels on a little PW50,” Austin Serpa said. “And I started racing about 4-years-old, from there it just kind of kicked off and I’ve been doing MRANN every since. I’ve always been a desert racer but I’ve done a lot of moto, got a couple of wins and championships in that too.”

The youngest riders start in the Pee Wee division and he began racing in the 6 & Under class then moved up to the 7 & Older division when he turned 6.

Thus began a string of titles for this young rider.

“Any class I’ve raced in MRANN I’ve gotten a championship in,” he said. “I was about 9-years-old when I started in the 65cc then started in 65 Amateur. From there I got one championship then I moved up to 85 and got a championship when I was about 11- or 12-years-old.

Moving from a smaller 85cc bike to a 125cc big bike is a big jump for any rider and there is usually a period of adjustment that follows.

“The bike’s bigger and it’s heavier. When I first started riding it was kind of a scary transition, I was scared to do a lot of things on that bike,” he said. “But I just kind of sucked it up and started riding that thing more. Before I knew it I was comfortable on it, did a lot of training and riding between races and that helped a lot.”

After starting as a 125cc Novice he continued to improve and by season’s end was riding a 200cc bike in the amateur class.

While many of the big bikes are about the same size there is a difference in speed but the biggest challenge comes when a rider moves up to a new class.

“I think the hardest transition during that was moving up to Amateur and Expert,” he said. “It was a lot different as to how fast and aggressive you have to ride from amateur to expert or novice to amateur. I kind of expected that, it was probably a little bit more because, when I was an amateur, I never thought anything could get more competitive and it kind of hit me that stuff can get a lot more competitive.”

While it was challenging Serpa honed his skills and built up the speed necessary to compete in these top classes.

“From there it puts me at the beginning of his season on a 250 two-stroke in Expert Class,” he said. “And I got a championship this season and it puts me where I am here.”

While he, like others, might have thoughts about a championship, Serpa’s goal at the start of this season was doing as well as he could.

Austin Serpa speeds away from the pits in the September MRANN race at Toulon.

“I had no idea I was going to be running for a championship or getting it, I mean that crosses everybody’s mind but it didn’t cross mine as much as some of the other riders I raced against,” he said. “When I first realized I might have a chance was when I got my first podium at Lassen. I got second place behind Kyle Townsend, then I kind of realized that I could hang with these riders and turned it up even more.”

After the MRANN race at Toulon, Austin Serpa and Dan Capparelli (6) celebrate after they finished first and second.

Once things got going the battle for the championship was between Serpa and Dan Capparelli, who made him work for it. And it was only after the Purgatory Peak race, where he finished fourth, that he knew the title was his.

“I pretty well knew I had it, my dad did a lot of math and research on it and was figuring out what would happen even if I DNF’d the last race and stuff,” he said. “As soon as he said if you DNF’d this race I’d still win that I realized I did have the championship. So the pressure kind of came off of me with that, but I still went out there and tried to win.”

Austin Serpa on his way to a fourth place finish at the Purgatory Peak race. An event that sealed his championship run.

Asked when it all finally hit him, he explained it was when he walked into the awards banquet at the Sparks Nugget. Then he knew it would be time to talk about his season.

“The season was generally all pretty good, I didn’t have any really bad races. They were all top 10 and top 5 finishes,” he said. “I think the hardest part of the season was racing against and trying to beat people that are much older than me and have a lot more experience riding than I do,” he said.

Austin Serpa holds his 2015 Championship Trophy at the MRANN awards banquet.

Asked about his favorite and not so favorite parts of desert racing he said, “My least favorite part of racing as a whole would probably be the next couple of days after a race when I’m extremely sore and I have to clean out the trailer, wash bikes, wash my gear and stuff. But the best is winning and being able to hang out with my friends for that weekend.”

Then he thanked those that have supported him during this past season.

As a KTM rider he thanked Carson Motor Sports as well as his father Keith for being an awesome mechanic and his sister Hannah for her support. Then he added special people from his sponsors; Tony from Parts Unlimited, Matt from X-Brand Goggles, Adam from Kreft Moto Suspension and Jamie from Tech One.

Looking ahead, Serpa admitted there could be some changes but things aren’t set in stone as of yet.

“I haven’t decided if I’ll defend my title. Think I was going to go out and try to chase the WORCS series but if that doesn’t work out I might do MRANN next year,” he said.

But for now this young champion is savoring his accomplishment. And next year, whenever he races in MRANN his number plate will have a white “1” on a blue background, the number MRANN’s overall champion carries for the next season.

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