Nine-year-old Carson Nealey makes his father proud while rattling his mother's nerves.

Revving the engine of his Cobra Pro Senior 50cc motocross bike, he took off to tackle a track still muddy from a steady rain in Amherst, where he practices.

He disappeared behind a skeletal row of trees along the edges of the track while his parents called to him to stay closer, where they could see him.

Too late.

He was already long gone, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph.

When he returned a few minutes later, he cleared a muddy mound without hesitation.

"I like the jumps the best," the Berlin Heights boy said after skidding to a halt and taking off his helmet and face shield.

The jumps haven't always gone well.

He's suffered sprains, scrapes and plenty of skid marks while perfecting his skills. Each time, he's gotten right back on the bike.

Having thick skin is a necessity in motocross, where some riders take to the track when they're as young as 4.

Carson has been riding all his life, or at least for as long as he can remember.

In the past year he joined the competitive circuit and has already racked up rows of trophies.

Riding in the Competition Riders of America class, he finished the 2011 season in first place for the Faircross series and came in second for the Sunoco and Motocross Series in the Senior Pee Wee 50cc class for 7- and 8-year-olds.

He attended 81 events throughout the state to place second overall.

Now that he's 9, his skills will be challenged by riders who are ages 10 to 12, as he joins a new competitive class next year.

In the meantime, he's competing in indoor races and working with his dad, Ray Nealey, to rebuild his first motorbike.

He started on a slower bike, then graduated twice to more advanced models.

He worked with his dad to fix each one up and get it running.

Carson might have been born with racing fuel in his blood -- his dad races a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk and works in the maintenance department at the FAA in Oberlin.

While tweaking engines and learning to maintain his bikes, he's gaining valuable work experience, Ray said.

It's a pricey hobby -- the bikes aren't cheap, yet they seem like a bargain compared to the entry fees and the cost of traveling from one race to the next.

But it's worth it, his parents say. His mother, Jean, prays over him before each race and reminds him to stay safe. He's strictly forbidden from experimenting with daredevil stunts in their backyard.

Although just watching her son practice makes her nervous, Jean said she feels good about the friends he's made in his journey so far.

She likes the fact that he's carrying on a family tradition of racing.

And he's learning valuable lessons about sportsmanship.

"He sees how some of the other kids react when they lose," she said. "It's good for kids to lose, because it teaches them to persevere through it.

"And then when they win, it's even sweeter."