By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer
After more than 20 years racing dirt bikes, it’s still all about the thrill for Dixfield’s Mike Treadwell

MINOT – The wheels spin, and the mud flies.

In the first frantic, engine-roaring moments of the race, Mike Treadwell is out in front and already trying to hold off the competition.

The Dixfield resident has been a pro motocross racer for over 20 years, so he’s accustomed to fronting the pack and watching the rest follow his lead.

“I honestly didn’t see myself doing it this long,” said Treadwell. “But I still feel like I’m competitive. I joke with the kids that I’m old enough to be their dad. I’m older than some of their dads. They’re like 16-, 17- or 18-year-olds. I’m out there mixing it up with them. So it kind of keeps me young.”

Treadwell eventually won his 250 Pro Class race Saturday at Hemond’s Motocross Park. Because of the weather, Treadwell had a shorter day than usual, but it made his victory that much more valuable.

“I was just happy to get the win, because I didn’t ride all that great,” said Treadwell, who hadn’t had a chance to practice in the muddy conditions. “I had a little pressure from a few of the guys. I just did what I had to do to win.”

The racers were limited to using the existing track and did not get a chance to break in the new expanded track at Maine’s largest motocross facility. Because of sloppy conditions, track owners wanted racers to have the right first impression. Hope is that the new portion of the track will be used for Sunday’s action.

“With all the rain, they shortened the format to just one moto instead of two,” said Treadwell. “Normally you have two in each class and that determines your position overall but because of the weather, they’re cutting it down to one moto. So whatever place you get in that moto is what you get. So that was good that I got the win.”

The thrills of motocross that first attracted Treadwell to the sport still drive him today. He may look a little older than some of his competition, but he’s just enthusiastic about a good race as he ever was.

“I was really competitive in sports in high school,” said Treadwell, who graduated from Mexico High School. “I played three sports in school. I was really competitive in school. I just really loved the competition of it. That’s what keeps me coming back.”

Racing is in the bloodlines of his family. His father, Harvey, was a stock car driver at Oxford Plains Speedway in the 1960’s and owned a Polaris snowmobile shop. He got into snowmobile racing and Mike’s sister, Christal, was a successful snowmobile racer.

“I just always had dirt bikes as a kid,” said Treadwell. “I just hounded (his father) until he finally took me to a race, and I did really good in my first race.”

“25 years later, we’re still here,” added Harvey.

Treadwell has turned that love of dirt bikes into a successful career. He works for the Connecticut Light and Power Company as a power lineman during the winter, but spends much of the rest of the year racing.

“I’ve been everywhere. Racing has brought me to see beautiful places,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s a fun way to make a living. I’ve been really fortunate my whole life to be able to do what I want to do.”

He turned pro in 1986 and most recently had a successful stint on the Canadian National circuit. After being the 2000 250MX NESC Championship, he finished in the top 10 each year in Canada.

“I just traveled all across Canada,” he said. “I’d fly in for all the races. We had an 18-wheeler, just like a NASCAR set-up. I’d just fly in and fly out. It was pretty cool.”

His family, wife Elise and daughters Lindsay and Hannah, live in Dixfield. So he opted to race on the New England circuit this year. It allows him to be home most of the week, racing only on weekends.

There are 32 New England events and a few Canadian races that he’ll compete in. The 16-race Spring Series has just two weeks left, and Treadwell is among the points leaders in two classes.

He says the sport still gets his juices flowing and he still enjoys the racing life. That’s something he tries to emphasize to the younger riders around him.

“I try to keep it fun,” said Treadwell. “That’s been the focus of my whole career – keep it fun and keep it enjoyable. If I do that, then I’m usually well off. If you get all hung up on the place you’re getting and all that other stuff, the results will come as long as you stay having fun. That’s how I feel. If the results don’t come, I guess it wasn’t meant to be anyway.”

Treadwell has no idea how long he’ll keep his engine running. He was the KTM Canada Factory Team manager a few years ago and has run his own school to teach motocross. So even when he decides to stop racing himself, he expects to stay active in the sport.

“I’ve always seen myself doing it,” said Treadwell. “I’ve always seen myself involved in the sport.”