Cody Chittick’s Story!
Cody Chittick from Australia has signed with the DIGA KTM racing team for the 2017 season and will be based in Europe to compete in the EMX85 series. This is a big opportunity for the youngster but he hasn’t got it all plane sailing in his career so far as he was involved in a massive injury a few years ago where he had to learn how to walk again.
His father, Mike Chittick was kind enough to send us some information about the riders past which makes for some interesting reading.
“Cody started racing back in 2012 on a 50cc ktm at the Chidlow Motocross Club. At the end of that season I took him to the Australian National titles in Coolum QLD which he finished in 6th position. After that result he went home and trained all summer ready for the 2013 season. While training he was badly injured and compressed 5 vertebrae and was admitted to hospital.
Cody spent two weeks in hospital laying on his back, when the Doctors where happy with his progress he was fitted with a carbon fiber brace which he wore for six weeks. Cody was reframed from any sporting activities for several months. At this time we didn’t expect him to do any kinds of sports, let alone motocross.
While he was in hospital Cody noticed they only had one portable DVD player for the whole ward. He then took it upon himself to raise money through raffles and sales of donated stock at local tracks. A few months later Cody donated 18 Portable DVD players to the Princess Margret hospital ward 6A. It was about this time we decided we would let him back on the bike as he wouldn’t let it go. At the time we asked him to do as many push-ups and sit ups as he could to see how fit he was, in which, he managed only one of each.
We agreed as a family that he needed to get fit before we would let him back on a bike. Sure enough less than a month later he came to us and said he was ready, he did 3 sets of 75 pushups and sit ups without breaking a sweat, so with that he started back on the bike.
Cody then spent months with trials rider Neil Price mastering all his skills and competed in the WA enduro events as we didn’t want him to do any motocross jumps on the bike until we were satisfied he was physically and mentally ready.
From here we took him to the East Coast where he trained with Cody Mackie for 4 weeks ready for the 2014 season. He raced in the WA Offroad Riding Enduro series winning the year and went back into motocross at the end of the season. From there we took him to America to the Millsap’s training facility to be trained by Collen Millsap’s. Cody trained there and was able to race in the area qualifier for Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship.
He rode at Reddick in Florida and qualified for 4 classes, 65 standard, 65 modified, 85 standard and 85 modified. We return back there in the June where he qualified through the regional finals in North Carolina. Cody chose to ride in the 65 and 85 standard class in the main event in July. Finishing 11th overall in the 65 class and 25th overall in the 85 class.
From the experience he received from competing at Loretta Lynns Amateur National Motocross Championship, training at Millsaps Training Facilities along with his dedication and determination he went on to win the 65 Australian Junior Motocross title in Bunbury. Along with finishing 1st in the endure series, 1st at Hattah desert race, 1st on 65cc and 2nd on 85cc in the WA State Rounds.
Cody has a genuine love for this sport, his determination to achieve shows through his dedication to train and become the best motocross rider he can be, I hope this gives people an idea of the kind of person Cody is and the great role model he is becoming”.
Pic: Brent Verheyen
