BY MICHAEL ANTONOVICH PHOTO BY CASEY DAVIS 027
KICK-
START
JUSTIN HOEFT
Justin Hoeft has experienced more in moto-
cross than others twice his age. Born to a for-
mer professional racer, the California native has
claimed titles at the top amateur events in the
country, competed against top talent from around
the world, and ridden top-level equipment. But
for all of the positive moments, there have been
incidents that in many ways overshadow all of the
accomplishments. First was the loss of his young-
er brother, Tyler, at a race, followed by a serious
crash months later that led to a lengthy hospital
stay due to serious injuries. After a brief break
and return to a “normal life,” Hoeft has turned his
attention back to becoming one of the sport’s top
talents.
Darrin Hoeft was a top-10 finisher in the 125
class at Supercross events on the West Coast
before having two sons, Justin and Tyler. Once
the boys were old enough to control a mini bike
on their own, they were cut loose on the family’s
yard in Castaic, California. “My dad never really
pushed us into riding or racing,” Justin shares.
“When we got to the age and wanted to race as
a career, then it changed a bit. Growing up it wasall for fun and my dad didn’t even think about rac-
ing. He had raced professionally, so he was over
it. When we came up and raced, he was laid-back
about it. He let us do our deal and however we
finished was okay.” Eventually both boys were
ranked among the top amateur talent in Califor-
nia’s scene and on the national level, with Justin
taking two titles (85cc 12-14 Stock and 85cc 12-
14 Mod) at the 2012 Loretta Lynn AMA Amateur
National Motocross Championships. Interest
from the industry piqued with these results and
soon came a contract with the Troy Lee Designs-
backed race team. “The whole team was rad. They
supported me from when I was 14 to 18 years old,
and we had a lot of fun,” Hoeft says, noting the
race team’s amateur division. “The bikes and the
way the team was ran was good.”