BACK IN ACTION
Author: Andrew Campo	Features | Thursday, 21 May 2009 08:58

Terrence Yarbrough has had an up and down mini bike career. When he’s up he’s keeping pace with the fastest 85 riders in the country, but when he’s down, it’s usually due to a broken bone. After sitting out Loretta’s last year due to a broken wrist suffered only weeks before the event, the young Suzuki rider will once again sit out the big show this year with a broken leg sustained at Oak Hill. Worry not, though. Terrence is back on his new Suzuki’s and is ready to make his presence known in the School-boy class. Future, here comes Terrence Yarbrough.

 

 

Going into the March Nationals you had made the change from yellow to orange, what was the basis of that decision?

 

Mostly because the bikes were bigger and they seem to be built to fit larger kids like myself.

 

How did the power of the orange stack up against the yellow 85s?

 

The orange bikes are way faster, it gave me a lot more confidence heading into Whitney. I knew I could get a good start and that I could get up the hills without getting pulled and in my class I need all the power I can get against some of the smaller riders.

 

 

You are thirteen years old now, how big are you?

 

I’m 5’ 6 ½” and I weigh about 140lbs, I have lost a lot of that kid fat lately and have been getting taller and slimmer.

 

 

You were a force at times during Whitney, bring us inside your week.

 

My first motos were pretty strong with top fives, and then in the mains I got a second overall in the 85-12-13 stock. The rest of the mains were not that good due to crashes and a bad start in the Supermini class.

 

 

You ended breaking your leg during the first day of racing at Oak Hill, give us the scoop?

 

There were three rollers right after the third corner and the first one had a kicker on it. I got swapped out and ended up putting my right leg down to try and catch myself and when I hit the second roller my leg snapped and I went flying off the bike. As soon as I hit the ground I knew my leg was broken, this was by far the worst break I have suffered and I have a few good ones. I broke both the tib and fib in half.

 

 

Did you cry?

 

No, I never cried. My mom and dad took me to the hospital and I had surgery about an hour after I got there. I stayed calm the whole time, although I was in a tremendous amount of pain, the hurt really came from knowing that I would be off the bike again.

 

 

What was it like to have the “xfix” to deal with?

 

I had two screws in both bones, a total of four screws. The screws poked out of my skin for about six weeks before they casted me. I then had to keep that cast on for three more weeks, I got it off yesterday. It was hell. For the first couple of days I had to have my mom bathe me and the pain was horrible and it itched beyond description. I could barely move without it hurting, I had to get up at 8:00 am in the morning to do school work, sitting in the chair was so hard, it was brutal, I could not find a comfort zone.

 

 

Did this injury deter you in anyway?

 

No! I wish I could have finished Oak Hill. I was riding good there and felt like I was ready to grab a title or two. I just put my focus into my schooling and physical training, I’m actually in really great shape right now.

 

 

You sat out Loretta’s last year because of a broken wrist just three weeks prior to the race and you are out again this year. I can imagine that this really tough on you, how are you handling that?

 

I’m handling it pretty well. I’m as bummed as anybody in my position would be, but I’m going to just focus on the big bike transition and get ready to come out swinging in 2010.

 

 

You are the big kid in your class and AC is the little guy. In the near future you will both be on big bikes, do you see you having an advantage as he clearly does on 85s.

 

Actually I do, since he is so small I think he will struggle with being strong enough to handle the big bike. He has an advantage over the 85 class now because he can rip holeshots all day long. You put that together with his ability to ride and he’s tough to compete with. On big bikes I hope to see things even out as I look forward to racing with Adam for years to come.

 

 

So you have moved to the Suzuki for big bikes, why Suzuki?

 

Mostly because of the ergonomics of the bike, I sat on all the brands to see which felt best and the Suzuki felt the smallest and that works the best for me right now. I’m getting support from Fun Center and that plays a big role in it as well. I can’t thank Lyle enough for helping me.

 

 

Where and with whom do you ride with?

 

Eli Tomac lives pretty close to me and we have been riding together for years. Eli has been coming down to my track a lot lately and now that I’m back on the bike I will spend most of the summer up at his place. Riding with Eli over the years has helped me a lot in my career. In moving to big bikes it will allow me to identify the pace needed to win championships.

 

 

What’s Next?

 

A mix of local racing and maybe some WORCS before making my big bike am national debut at the Amateur Open.

 

 

Who do want thank?

Troy Lee Designs, Mom, Dad, the Tomac’s, Little Bro, Fun Center, Factory Connection, Maxima, and Schmoke at Custom Decals