But it's a good start.

Three of the four Newkirk children are into BMX, bicycle motocross racing, with the youngest, 2-year-old Asher, no doubt close behind.

Bennett, 9, Anna, 6, and Charlie, 4, of Cottonwood Heights have been racing pretty much since they could ride a bike, competing in the American Bicycle Association (ABA) in their respective divisions, part of an active, tight-knit Utah racing community in a sport eagerly awaiting its Olympic debut this summer in Beijing.

Bennett started racing at age 6, encouraged by his dad, Curtis, who raced for a few years as a teen. Bennett had seen his dad's trophies and wanted some of his own.

Jeni and Curtis Newkirk took Bennett to Rad Canyon BMX track in South Jordan, figuring he would ride around a little bit and that would be the end of it. But he got hooked, and Anna and Charlie weren't far behind.

Within only nine months, Bennett reached the expert class. Jeni Newkirk says reaching that level in such a short time is hard to do: "Because of the amount of wins needed to progress to the expert level, it is rare that someone does it so quickly."

Bennett captured five national wins in 2006 and 18 in 2007, including a first place in his age group at the Race of Champions at the BMX Grand Nationals in Tulsa.

"He's the most intense and he always wants to go above and beyond," says Arielle Martin, Bennett's strength coach and a USA Cycling member who is vying for a spot on the Olympic team.

Since he started, Bennett also has been in the national Top 10 twice in his age group, finishing in eighth place in 2006 in the 8-year-old expert class and then finishing sixth in 2007 in the 9-year-old expert class. Bennett said his ultimate goal this year would be to get an N.A.G. plate, which would mean taking first place in the standings in his national age-group class.

Anna Newkirk started racing when she was just 4 years old, influenced by watching her older brother. Anna, her mom says, took her training wheels off one day when she was only 3, but got scared and put them back on with a little help from her dad. A few days later the training wheels came off for good.

"She's just really focused," says Curtis Newkirk. "She'll watch Bennett train and wants to do the same exercises."

There is no 6-year-old age class in Utah, so Anna races with the 8-year-old girls and almost always makes it to the main race. She loves to race the older girls because she loves beating them. She hasn't won a national yet, but had more than a dozen second-place finishes, enough to put her in sixth place in her national age-group standings last year.

Charlie is 4 years old and just reached the intermediate level at the start of the 2008 racing season. The Newkirks say he loves being in the spotlight.

Asher, the youngest Newkirk, got a bike for Christmas and, though he can't ride it yet, immediately did a Superman pose, imitating the BMX trick, when he got on.

"We're going to try to do some tricks to get him riding soon," Curtis says.

With the racing schedule, the Newkirks are gone every two to three weeks. "We travel enough that there are certain bags we keep packed," Jeni says. They've visited places like the Grand Canyon and Disneyland, and also try to get some educational experiences in along the way.

"These times are irreplaceable," Curtis says. "With a family there are always challenges when on the road, getting in and out of hotels, mechanical issues while in staging at races, and sometimes even just getting to the races. We would not change a thing, though, and neither would the kids."

The Newkirks have become close with other racing families across the country. Curtis said he could probably be stranded anywhere in the United States and be able to find a family to stay with. The Newkirks run into lots of other families like themselves. Jeni said, "It's a family sport. There are families with grandparents down to babies. Everybody rides."

Bennett broke his wrist in late January when he collided with another rider and went over the handlebars. The family hopes to hit the nationals again by Memorial Day and race in about 10 more nationals by the end of this racing season.

Curtis says, "Bennett has been itching to race again, but he has taken it pretty well. He understands that racers who are national-caliber racers get injuries. He also understands that this is the price to be paid for being so competitive in nature."

jgillman@sltrib.com

BMX racing

ABOUT THE SPORT: The Newkirk children compete in the American Bicycle Association (ABA) divisions. Each race is a winner-takes-all ride once around a dirt track, with turns and obstacles. Races usually last 30 to 45 seconds. Depending on the number of riders, competitors will start with a number of heats to get to the main race, which always consists of eight riders.

ABA TRACKS IN UTAH: Deseret Peak BMX Track, Tooele; Rad Canyon BMX, South Jordan; Sanpete County BMX, Manti.

ON THE WEB: www.ababmx.com; www.radcanyonbmx.com. See video of the Newkirks competing at www.sltrib.com/outdoors.

AST Dew Tour

The world's top action sports tour is returning to Salt Lake City on Sept. 11 to 14. The AST Dew Tour will bring the world's top action sports stars in BMX, FMX and skateboarding back to Utah for a chance to see returning favorites including Shaun White and Ryan Nyquist. Utahns scheduled to appear are Mike Aitken, BMX, Salt Lake City; Tyson Bowerbank, Groms, Sandy; Tim Hall, BMX, Brigham City; and Sean Nielson, FMX, Gunnison. Last season, the Salt Lake City stop broke Dew Tour attendance records. More info: www.ast.com.