OUR MISFIT ROOTS
The Misfit story began on May 2nd 2018, when McKenzie Kaufman opened her trunk and surprised her boyfriend, Mason Pittman, with a (very used) Motovox minibike for his birthday.
Knowing nothing about minibikes at the time, other than Mason wanting one, she set off on a two hour trip to NC. When she arrived, an old red minibike (which looked arguably worse in person), two lawnmowers, a Pitbull, and a heavy set man were in the front yard waiting.
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After exchanging hello's, she asked the only question she knew to ask, "Does it run?" In response, the man pulled the rewind starter on a 5HP Briggs and Stratton, and much to her surprise, the bike roared to life. Without hesitation, the man jumped on and took off down the road, disappearing into the horizon.
If the Motovox firing up and carrying his 6ft. 350lb. frame into the distance didn't already have her sold, seeing the man return from his brief joyride with only one shredded Croc sandal definitely did.
She handed him the cash, joked about him putting the money toward a new pair of shoes, loaded the bike, and hit the road back home to Georgia.
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To say Mason was happy with his birthday gift might be an overstatement, but who could blame him? It was ugly, missing some parts, and needed A LOT of work; especially after McKenzie whiskey throttled it up a tree in their backyard.
They say that sometimes Fate works in mysterious ways, and when it comes to the Misfits, that saying rings true. All the countless hours spent together learning, riding, building, testing, tuning, racing, and ultimately transforming that old Motovox was the catalyst that sparked their love of minibikes. They had discovered their true calling, but now what?
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Flash forward to early 2019. By now, Mason had won his first race during the Angel City Fall Rally in Unadilla, GA; had acquired quite a few more minibikes; and was eager to win the next race. That's where a big problem arose, there weren't any. Now what?
Georgia didn't have a large minibike following, at least not an organized one like they did in Texas, and sanctioned minibike dirt track races were practically unheard of. That got Mason, McKenzie, and by this time, Mason's longtime friend Daniel (that "Minibike Bug" they talk about is contagious), thinking that if it was popular elsewhere, why not here? After all, Georgia is renowned for it's slick red clay, inadvertently creating some of the most unique, unpredictable, and challenging riding conditions in the United States.
This realization got the ball rolling, and Daniel and Mason started making the calls; dirt ovals, go-kart tracks, fields, you name it, if the owners agreed to let them race, they would not be disappointed. The potential for major growth was there, the track just had to have a little faith and take the plunge.
That's where problem number two began to take shape. Nobody knew what the guys were talking about, primarily because they had never seen or heard of anything like it before. "What's a mini-bike? Like the kid's toy? It will probably tear up the track. It's too dangerous." Or more commonly, laughter.
Nothing in life comes easy, if it did it wouldn't be fulfilling. The trio decided to keep pushing, but they knew they needed to become something more, something unified, something professional.
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Remember that little thing we mentioned earlier about fate? It's quite possible that Mason meeting Cory McMichael, owner of Monticello Kart Racing (MKR) was God's plan all along, it just took a little bit of time, and a lot of let-downs before He made it happen.
Like Mason, Cory was hard at work fulfilling his own destiny, neck deep in dirt. His dream was simple; to build a dirt track with purpose, to unify and help his community through a mutual love for racing, and to be a positive influence in the lives of the youth and their families by setting a good example.
Cory was the man the Misfits had been looking for. He not only believed in what they were building, but wanted to be a part of it. After the track's completion in the Spring of 2020, it's grand opening soon followed. The Mini Bike Misfits held their first inaugural race (yes, Mason won), and from that point forward, they knew MKR was their home.
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Out of the dust from a dirt track, the Mini Bike Misfits were born; and a professional race team materialized in it's wake.
It's funny how something so simple, like a name, can manifest itself into something so much bigger. It gives you purpose, it gives you something to be remembered by, it defines you. It opens up doors that once never existed, it allows you to become who you were always meant to be.
For us, we're Misfits.
Our minibikes don't "fit in" at any track, we weren't accepted until we proved we deserved to be, and we refused to quit or give up just because we were different. Some people still laugh when they see us at a track for the first time, but it's those same people in the front row, eye's glued to the track when we pull up to the starting line. Chalk it up to human nature, but we're always intrigued by something new, something different, and the Misfits are no exception. After watching us race; going 50+ MPH, three wide, flat-tracking a 3 foot long steel frame, suddenly the laughter stops; suddenly everyone wants to be a Misfit.
That was our goal all along, right? To create something much bigger than ourselves, to grow and pioneer our sport, to get the recognition we deserve in the racing industry, and to live our lives doing what we love.
We can't all fit in, so embrace your inner Misfit.
We sure do.
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Fun Fact:
Every first place trophy Mason has taken home, (which is almost all of them), has been earned with his race bike "SMOKE."
A.K.A: "That same beat up old Motovox McKenzie surprised him with for his birthday back in 2018."