Spectrum

For those familiar with the traditional route to becoming a professional Supercross and motocross athlete, you are familiar with the same old narrative. Drop out of school, chase the amateur circuit, win the biggest amateur national in the world, Loretta Lynn's, get a factory ride, make money (hopefully), avoid injury, and retire. While that seems to be the norm in this sport, factory Honda's, Cole Seely, didn't quite follow that path.

The amateur motocross racing scene is just as, if not more cruel and unforgiving then professional Supercross and motocross racing. Fighting for "factory" amateur rides such as Team Green Kawasaki and the KTM Orange Brigade is only achievable via your success at the most prestigious amateur motocross national in the world... The Loretta Lynn's Amateur National Championship in Hurricane Mills, TN. However, what if you never had good results to warrant the attention of these rides? Or, what if you have had the results but have still been overlooked?

“I have a pay check. It’s a consistent 30-year deal that I can retire on. I have a 401k, a truck, gas card, company cards… I mean, it’s a killer job. What did I ever get in racing?” says Sean Collier, the star in episode five of SPECTRUM entitled, Perception. A now retired Supercross and motocross racer, Collier, who was a highly touted amateur sensation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has a steady job, a family with two children and a true passion for riding his dirt bike… For fun! In episode V, Sean opens up in grave detail about his personal struggles racing in the amateur motocross scene as well as his issues to find success in the professional ranks. From discussing a fist fight with his own father, watching his friends get abused by their own parents, to riding for factory teams and being dropped because of “asinine injury clauses,” Collier gives us a truly no-holds-barred look into what many truly do experience when chasing the dream of a professional dirt bike racer, but rather not talk about on camera.

In the racing world, we tend to assume that winning a championship changes everything... Fame, money, big houses, extravagant cars, etc. While, to an extent, this may be the case, it does not guarantee your future will now be free of issues. The title, "champion" does not make you immune to a single thing. At the end of the day, you are still a human being like the everybody else.

Episode VII of The Spectrum Series introduces you to 2013 250 East Coast Supercross champion and current factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki's, Wil Hahn. Hahn, a native of Kansas, has experienced one of the most turbulent and trailing careers of anybody currently racing professional Supercross and motocross. Despite multiple wins and a championship in 2013, Wil's career has been plagued with injuries. And, not just minor injuries... A fractured skull, a broken back, and several serious concussions, just to name a few.

The season finale of The Spectrum Series has finally arrived and, we saved the best for the last. Episode VIII, Destination Unknown, features former factory rider, privateer, and father, Kyle Partridge. Joining Partridge is amateur racer and now soon-to-be-professional, Zac Commans.