Honda Racing - Motocross

Blake
Wharton

Blake Wharton Profile Picture

  • Stats
    Residence Pilot Point, TX
    National # 61
    Began Riding 1998
    First Race 1998
    Training Gym, weights, running, bicycle, biometrics, riding
    Hobbies Guitar, drums, music
    Height 5'9"
    Weight 142
    Marital Status Single

  • Bio

    • Off the track, Blake Wharton presents himself as an extraordinarily nice young man. But the minute he straddles a CRF250R motocrosser, he transforms into a very serious competitor—one that even some pros several years his senior are keeping a close eye on.

      The 17-year-old was a newcomer to pro competition in 2008, joining the GEICO Powersports Honda team for the final three races of the 2008 outdoor motocross season. His performance in all three events was impressive, exemplified by his fifth overall finish in his debut ride at the Spring Creek round.

      “It was a new experience because we never raced the outdoor nationals before,” he says. “We had done amateur races, but this was totally different in the way that the track is run. I just looked at it as just another race, and in any race you want to get a good start; the basics are the same. So I was in good shape, my bike was great and the team was great. The whole experience was good because I got some positive pro experience to prepare me for the full Supercross season.”

      Wharton’s stellar pro debut came on the heels of a rough finish at the Loretta Lynn amateurs several weeks earlier. He credits Factory Connection principals Rick “Ziggy” Zielfelder and Jeff Majkrzak with making the step up a smooth one.

      “I went to Loretta’s and I did not do very well; I was a little rusty. I was ‘off’ that week and it was a couple weeks before the nationals. But Ziggy and Jeff were great. When I went to the nationals, they kept the pressure off me so I could just stay calm and ride my best. It wasn’t much different than me riding a local race. Those guys really made it easy for me.”

      In some ways, becoming a pro rider was not all that unfamiliar to Wharton. 

      “Most of the guys that are racing pro were guys I had raced at some point in amateurs, so it really wasn’t that much different. So I just looked at it that way.”

      He is also very aware of the advantages of being a member of the GEICO Powersports Honda team and riding a Honda CRF250R. 

      “A lot of riders would love to be on the GEICO team, and I have two years to do basically what I have always wanted to do: to be a pro racer and be a success. I have two years to show that I can do that. You can’t ask for much more on a team—all the mechanics, all the sponsors, everything is top quality. And I know I am on the best bike out there. Some riders have to worry about their bike breaking down. Not me.”

      His superb athletic talent aside, perhaps Wharton’s biggest asset is his ability to see the “bigger picture” when it comes winning.

      “My goal is to be consistent. That is probably the biggest thing, to be consistently in the top five—even the top three—have good starts and stay off the ground. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a whole season, not just one race. You’ve got to look at it that way.”

  • Photos
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    The Rookie: Meet Blake Wharton and his #61 GEICO Powersports Honda CRF250R, campaigning their first full season in the AMA Series.

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  • Race History

    • 2008

      1st Lake Whitney AMA Spring Classic - Collegeboy 17-24

      1st GNC International Finals - 125 Pro, 250 A Mod, 250 Pro

      1st NMA World Mini Grand Prix – 250 Mod Pro

      2007

      1st Lake Whitney AMA Spring Classic - 125 B Stock, 125 Youth (12-15) Stock, 125 Youth (12-15) Mod, Supermini 

      1st GNC International Finals - 1st 125 Open Amateur, Schoolboy (12-15) Mod 2-stroke, Schoolboy (12-15) Mod 4-stroke, Schoolboy (12-15) Stock 4-stroke 

      1st NMA World Mini Grand Prix - 125/250 Schoolboy, 250 Stock Intermediate, 450 Stock Intermediate, 450 Mod Intermediate

      1st AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships – Schoolboy (12-15)

      1st NMA Ponca City Grand National Championship - 125 2-Stroke Non-Pro, 125/250 Schoolboy Thru 16 Non Pro, 250 4-Stroke Non-Pro

      1st FIM Junior Motocross World Championships - 125cc

      2007 AMA Amateur Rider of the Year

      2006

      1st Lake Whitney Spring Classic - 85 Mod 12-13

      1st AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships – 85cc Modified (14-15)

      1st NMA Ponca City Grand National Championship - 85 Open thru 16 Div 1, 85 Stock 14-16, 85/150 Mod 14-16, SuperMini thru 16 Div 2

      1st Winter National Olympics – 85cc 14-15 Motocross, 85cc 14-15 Olympiad, 125cc 12-15 Olympiad, Super Mini

      2003

      1st AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships - 65cc Stock 10-11

      1stWinter National Olympics, 85cc 7-11 Motocross, 85cc 7-11 Olympiad

©2009 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. - Motorcycle Division