A Chico fifth grader is on the ride of his life...he's behind the wheel of an ATV. Reporter Rick Carhart has his story of life lessons on and off the track in tonight's Kids In Action.
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10-year old Kyler Thau is a young man of few words...he prefers to let his machine do the talking for him.
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Kyler has always like to go fast, but it was just a year and a half ago that he entered his first ATV race, right here at Cycleland Speedway south of Chico.
Kyler says, "I got a first place."
It didn't take long for Kyler to decide that this... nats... is where he wanted to spend his time.
Kyler says, "I like going fast, I like the turns, I like seeing my friends, and I like winning."
Kyler's mom Michelle says, "he went from sitting on the back of the bike rolling over jumps to being a mini ace flying through the air, so he's got more confidence and realizes it's something he's good at."
Kyler's parents have adjusted to the change in lifestyle. With races in Washington, Nevada, Southern California, and Arizona, they spend a lot of time traveling together.
Michelle says, "it's been an amazing experience for the whole family... Husband, daughter, and I, and my Dad accompanies us to all the races."
Michelle's dad Hank Stefanneti says, "I really enjoy doing what I do and I live vicariously through him, being an old racer from yesteryear, when they were banging rocks together to make fire."
Kyler has been very successful at a young age, winning national championships in two classes last year, his first full year on the "World Off-Road Championship Series" circuit, but those around him make sure he doesn't let winning go to his head.
Michelle says, "we need your respect, we need you to do good in school, we need you to be kind to other people, we need you to do a great job and we'll continue to support you."
So as the victories pile up and the sponsorships come flooding in, Kyler is able to simply enjoy the journey.
Michelle says, "he's very humble and I think that's one of the reasons we continue to do it."
Family support for a soft-spoken boy who already knows what he wants out of life.
Kyler says, "be a professional quad racer."
In Chico, I'm Rick Carhart for Action News.
