He hasn’t been competing in motocross for very long, but six-year old Coen Abel of Austin is starting to feel real comfortable on a bike. Coen is racing a full schedule this summer and he has qualified for the AMA National Motocross Championship Historic Loretta Lynn Ranch Set to Host Largest Amateur Motocross Championship in Tennessee July 31 to Aug. 5.

Coen, who will be a first grader in Blooming Prairie Elementary school in the fall, has picked up racing fast, despite not having any family members who have raced in the past. When he started racing, Coen’s parents Justin and Whitnei watched youtube videos and reached out to other riders in Austin to teach Coen how to ride.

Justin also picked up a bike of his own so he can support Coen and ride with him.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Justin said. “I’ve always wanted to ride since I was his age and my parents never let me have one. It’s fun, but he’ll be beating me by next year I think. It won’t take too much longer.”

Coen has developed a competitive edge on the race track and he’s looking forward to being amongst the 1,482 qualifiers at the AMA National race.

“I win mostly every time, but not when I crash,” Coen said. “I like the turns and the jumps when I’m riding.”

Coen was one of 22,000 hopefuls who earned a trip to the largest amateur race in the country.

“The Amateur National at Loretta Lynn’s is the event every motocross racer in the country wants to compete in,” said Event Director Tim Cotter in a press release. “A win at Loretta’s gives a racer instant national notoriety and can serve as a springboard to a lucrative professional motocross career.”

Coen’s favorite racer is Ryan Dungey, who is from Bell Blaine, Minnesota.

Whitnei said the Coen was into scooters before he got into dirt bikes and eventually he was out on the track, competing with other riders his age.

“He always liked dirt bikes or any motorcycles of any kind. When he was five we got him a battery operated one and that lasted about a month,” Whitnei said. “We bought him his bike and we took him to his first race that fall. We’ve been addicted from there on.”

Whitnei said that Coen races across the Midwest throughout the summer on weekends and the schedule is pretty hectic. Coen has had just one bad fall on the bike, but he hasn’t sustained any serious injuries yet.

Whitnei said she’s already bracing herself for the first time Coen takes a tumble.

“We’ve been pretty lucky, but we know it’s coming,” she said. “You don’t ride motocross and not break a bone.”

Coen will compete in the highly competitive 51 (4-6) Limited class. The track is built on a section of Loretta Lynn Ranch and Campground in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. The course contains a variety of jumps, corners and other obstacles designed to test the skills and stamina of the racers. The motocross track is used only once a year for motorcycles, so there is no hometown advantage. Racers compete in three 15-20 minute races over the course of the week per class, sometimes in grueling temperatures.