Dalton Yingling

By Jenn Sheppard

Glory on the field of battle is no stranger to Dalton Yingling, 16. The Fort Myers native commanded many soldiers at the Reddick qualifier in March, posting first in three classes: MX Lites B Stock, Motocross B Mod and MX Lites Schoolboy (14-16), second in Motocross B Stock and seventh in MX Lites B Mod. Another signature moment came recently at the April qualifier in Bowling Green, KY, where Dalton placed third in Motocross B, fifth in MX Lites B and sixth overall in Schoolboy.

This year will mark Dalton's first time deployed to the Loretta Lynn's championship, and his appreciation for the first turn accompanies him to battle. "I actually look forward to the start, because I really like the way it goes," Dalton said. "Just being out there with forty of the fastest riders in this country," he continued. "I was there in 2000, that was my only year there."

Growing up as a Yingling, Dalton distinguished himself against the hard-fought field with the healthy upbringing of his family. "We Yinglings always have pretty much the best of everything. We made sure we had bikes when we needed them on the weekends and everything the way we needed it for the weekend to go well. Everybody is very, very supportive." However, any relation to the Yingling beverage is purely coincidental. "Quite a few people are like, "Dude, I like your drink," Dalton said. "Out of the blue they're just like, "Yeah, I like your beer. [There's] no relation, not at all. I wish."

Dalton started riding at age 8, when his dad bought the first 65 Kawasaki. "One day he just decided, 'Man, I'm going to pick you up a dirt bike tomorrow,'" Dalton said. "I was like, 'No way,' and he was like, 'Yep.'" After that, Dalton switched to Honda. "We rode Honda for two years,' Dalton said. "When Shaun Skinner landed on me, actually -- when he broke my femur." War's darkest days followed then 14-year-old Dalton for the next nine months. "When he landed on me, I was in shock". "I wasn't in a lot of pain. When we got back to the truck, I kind of started freaking out. I told my dad I was done riding. I told him I wanted a bass boat. We never got the bass boat," he said with a laugh. "At that time, I was in such shock, I didn't care what I said". Another shock came from Dalton's dad. "That just killed me, man," Jeff said. "You know, he doesn't go down ever, and to see him just broken laying on the ground, and I'm having to set it right there at the track. We were done for nine months, and when Dalton's not riding, he is just pissed." Dalton remembers the agony of the traction pad. "That thing, I screamed like a little sissy. It hurt," he said. He also recalls his injury's effect on his father. "He was totally depressed for a long time," Dalton said. "[For] probably three and a half months, he was just bored out of his mind. He couldn't watch me ride, he couldn't do anything but work."

Dalton bounced back through the ranks, moving up to big bikes after missing out on 80s that year. "I have a scar to remember it, and when it gets really cold, I can feel my bone start chattering but that's it," he said. He struggled to make a comeback at the 2007 Winter Ams placing 6th overall 125 OPEN (NO A) and 8th 125B. "Winter Ams didn't start them off like I wanted to. I wasn't training very hard for that, and wasn't wanting to ride." Recently, a brilliant pattern of victories started emerging after Dalton's parents enrolled him in high school. "My personal opinion was when [Dalton] went back to school, that was about the time he really started to do well," his dad said. "He has to get up early and do it every morning -- you never know, you might get burnt." Even Dalton admits to liking his new daily schedule. "I get out of school at 3:30, load my bike and go to the track and ride," he said. "I kind of like [school], actually. It gives me a regular daily schedule. It makes me actually want to ride, because I sit in school for six and a half hours."

The hard work is paying off as Dalton finished inside the top 5 in four classes at every round of the Florida series so far. "It started out the way I wanted it to," Dalton said. "I went there with a clear head. I had people pressuring me, but once I could get out there and got away from them, I tried to slow down a little bit. I had such close motos to each other; I had to save some energy. "

Sponsors: I would really love to thank Florida Motorsports for helping me out with my bike this year. MB1 Suspension that keeps me on my wheels instead of my head, Yoshimura Exhaust, Tokyo mods, my mom and dad, Dionne Racing; they help me out a lot, Twin Air; they're giving me real good deals, Paints and Coatings of Ft. Myers, R2, my mechanic Ryan; he does all my motors and services them for me. I'd really like to thank Freedom Racing and my dad for helping me out with everything."