Family, military service motivate motocross racer Bryant Hufenbach

MEDINA — For Litchfield Township resident Bryant Hufenbach, motocross is all about connections to the two most important things in his life: family and military service. Hufenbach grew up following father Rex and brother Matthew's racing footsteps, first competing at the Medina County Fair in 1997. Now his 2-year-old son, Myles, is starting to show an interest in the family passion. Monday was supposed to be a full-circle moment of sorts. Hufenbach had planned to compete in the 30BC class at the fair on his Suzuki 450cc for the first time since 2001. Mother Nature had other plans. A strong thunderstorm that rolled through the fairgrounds beginning at about 6 p.m. interrupted practice runs until the event was called off at roughly 8:10. Rain and lightning continued, flooding the track. "The best part about racing, especially locally, is the family aspect," Hufenbach said prior to the practice runs. "I've got my wife (Marilee), my kid and my parents here. It's just a big family affair." Along with his wife, son and parents, close friend Nick Ester was on hand to help Hufenbach with whatever he needed as his mechanic. Now, Myles gives him the biggest reason to continue to compete. "At this point in my life, I'm just trying to lead by example," he said. "My son seems to enjoy being out her at the races and around it." The Black River alumnus enlisted in the Army in 2011 and took a hiatus from the sport until returning from his final deployment to Iraq in 2020. He is still an active member of the National Guard. Hufenbach draws a lot of parallels from his military career to his motocross career, which now spans many of the bigger circuits that take him all around Ohio and other areas. From the adrenaline of hitting the starting line to self-reliance, motocross feeds his fire. "A lot of my motivation is the mental mindset that translates over from my military service," he said. "Motocross is all on yourself. There's no one to blame. It's all about the effort and work that you put in." Monday marked the first time in nearly a quarter of a century that his schedule allowed Hufenbach to return home to where his motocross career began. He estimated that Monday was going to be roughly his eighth fair since he was 5 years old. "Today worked out with the schedule," he said. "So, we're here and we (were hoping) to have some fun." The fond memories of the fair go back to the late 90s, when the rules for motocross at the fair were a little different. "I remember the late 90s, when they'd do the big freestyle race," he said. "Trevor Bynes and some of those guys would be out here. Those were always good memories." Along with serving in the National Guard, Hufenbach keeps his military career tied closely to his motocross career by serving as a regional administrator for Veterans MX, a national non-profit organization that helps veterans make connections and compete through motocross. "They do great things for military veterans and helping us out," he said. Earlier this summer, Hufenbach got to see how closely the motocross world can aid the military and came out victorious at Amherst as well. "They put on a big military, police and fire benefit race," he said. "We were able to go there, support that and walked away with first in (the military veteran) class there." That success wouldn't have been possible without a family tradition that led to a racing career for Hufenbach that now spans parts of four decades. "I got into motocross as a kid. I grew up in it," he said. "It's kind of a family affair." Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com.