The Tall Tale of Benny Bloss

When you first meet Benny Bloss, your neck might hurt from looking up. The dude’s a skyscraper in a sea of average-sized Supercross racers. A wingspan built for the NBA. Honestly, his silhouette alone could probably scare a holeshot into existence. He might look like an NBA power forward in moto gear, but he’d be the first guy to help your grandma carry her groceries.

Benny’s humor is this subtle combo of dry wit and “did he just say that?” I’m not saying he should quit racing for stand-up comedy, but I’ve definitely laughed harder at his stories than most Netflix specials.

Like his first race story.

Little six-year-old Benny, fresh off getting an XR50 for his birthday after his cousin got a 110 for Christmas (jealousy: the true spark of greatness), lines up for his Friday Night Lights debut… and finishes DFL out of five. When he returned to the pits, his family and friends — 20 deep — had made this archway with their hands for him to ride through like a hero. And our guy? He stops dead in his tracks, drops the bike, and cries until they put their hands down and walk away. Pure Benny.

His dad must’ve seen the sparkle of something special though, because a week later they were two Polini Senior 50s deep into this racing thing. 

Fun fact: Benny sleepwalked into the garage the first night the bikes were in the garage. He climbed onto one of the bikes while it was on the stand, still asleep. Most kids walk in their sleep — Benny raced so hard in his sleep he set off the alarms in the garage.

By 2006, Benny was racing everything from 50s to 85s at Lake Whitney, just stoked to ride the “big uphill” on the 85 because the smaller bikes couldn’t make it. He’d go on to qualify for Loretta’s in ‘06 and ‘07, but then came the injuries. A lot of ‘em. One elbow injury alone kept him out for almost a year. At one point, his family even had him lined up for private Catholic school and life away from racing. But just two weeks before school started, they pulled the plug and gave racing one last all-in push.

Next stop: Texas to train at the Masterpools. Fast forward to 2016 and Benny’s officially a pro.

Now, the early years of Benny’s pro career? A ping-pong game between privateer life and fill-in rides. Rock River Yamaha, privateer, BTO KTM — bouncing around like a guy trying to find the right pair of boots at a swap meet. His dad was still footing a good chunk of the bill, and they eventually realized that even being on a team, cost-wise, wasn’t too far off from going full privateer. The bonus? A rig to pit out of and not having to squeeze a race bike into the back of a minivan.

In 2023, Benny scored a top ten in the mud with Rock River. Not that you’d know it from the stats — they don’t show weather conditions. Just numbers. Still, teams noticed. And one of them was Beta.

Yes, that Beta. Trials. Off-road. They were coming to market with a Supercross bike and needed someone with skill, experience, and results. Benny? He noticed. He also noticed that Carlen Gardner might be running the program. So naturally, Benny followed him on Instagram, hoping he’d follow back. And guess what? He did. Two weeks later, Benny gets an email. “Want to come test the bike in Cali?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

There was one snag: Benny had a pending World Supercross deal with CDR Yamaha. They were literally about to announce it. But then Sunday morning, 6:00 a.m., Carlen hits him with a text: “Would you back out of that deal for a two-year contract with Beta?”

Cue the moral dilemma.

“I felt bad,” Benny says. “I’d kind of already committed to that deal. But thankfully, I made the decision to not do that and sign with Beta and kind of revive my career.”

It fits him, honestly. Beta’s quirky, off the beaten path, and full of potential. Like Benny. They want him focused on Supercross with just a few outdoor rounds sprinkled in. Which makes sense with SMX offering a fallback playoff path. But if it were up to Benny? He’d race every outdoor round, too. We even joked about him showing up in a pickup truck with his practice bike. For now, it’s definitely off the table.

What is on the table? A fresh one-year contract extension, some serious Supercross focus. Benny would like to sprinkle in some GNCC and other off-road races for fun. He’s even been teasing the idea of challenging teammates from other disciplines just because he can.

The guy just loves riding dirt bikes. Plain and simple.

Sure, he’s got a few more years of racing in him, and if things go his way, maybe he finishes his pro career right where he is — flying the Beta flag. But after that? Don’t be surprised if you see Big Benny lining up for a hare scramble, an endurocross, or some obscure Canadian hill climb.

One thing’s for sure: as long as there’s a throttle and some dirt involved, Benny’ll be there — tall, honest, and probably cracking dry jokes that catch you off guard.

And if you happen to be standing there when he does, I promise you’ll be looking up to him — in more ways than one.

Images: @octopi.media