Daily Slideshow: How The Wizard Carved up the Competition in the Lone Star Half-Mile

1. It's in the Blood

Jeffrey Carver Jr., a 26-year-old from Illinois, is currently making waves in the professional flat track racing scene. This is impressive, but hardly surprising when you consider the Carver family's relationship with racing goes back generations. Carver's grandfather and father both raced, which led him to start riding motocross bikes at the age of three. After a few motocross related injuries, Carver turned his hand to flat track racing at the age of 12. Jeffrey hasn't just kept the Carver name alive in flat track racing, he's kept the family's number, too - 23. Jeffrey Carver Jr. is dedicated and, according to him, hasn't "missed a summer" in 23 years of riding motorcycles. 

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2. Different to Most

Carver does things a bit differently to most racing professionals. For many, turning professional frees up certain aspects of their life, meaning they can focus more on training and worry less about finances. For Carver, this isn't the case. He admits that he doesn't "go after" many sponsors and this results in him often sleeping in a hammock or camping at races, which he describes as "grounding" himself. There is only one other member of his team, his engine builder, Ben Evans. Carver can't afford to pay Evans weekly but pays for his travel expenses, accommodation, and food. Carver is often up working on his bikes until 4 am, leading some to call him "a man of, and racer for, the people". 

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3. The Wizard

Carver has earned the nickname "The Wizard," due to his unorthodox bike setup and riding style, stemming from his days riding motocross bikes. As unorthodox as it may be, Carver took first place on his Harley-Davidson XR750 at the American Flat Track Lone Star Half-Mile in Forth Worth, Texas. His talent on a motorcycle is unquestionable but, undoubtedly, his natural sense for bike preparation has also played a part in his racing success. Hopefully, he can take home some more big wins in 2018.

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4. 2018 Hopes

Carver hopes to improve on his success in 2018, specifically, he wants to "go after a championship." He said, "I do it for the fun of it, the love of it, the people that I meet... I'm not out there for all the glamor and stuff." Although this is definitely true, he also acknowledges that more sponsorship will be crucial in helping him achieve his 2018 goals. As he said in an interview, we want to "get a little bit more support so we can get a little bit more money... to relieve some of the burdens on me so I can start to train a little bit more." 

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5. Super Hooligan

The Super Hooligan race series gives amateur racers a chance to get on the track with their own creations. The series doesn't just give racers a chance to showcase their on-track talents, they also get an opportunity to get creative with their bikes, which must still have stock production frames. Carver is a man of the people and the Super Hooligan series is a race for the people, so it makes sense that he's a big fan. In a recent interview, he said,"I think it's really cool... there are a lot of guys doing hands-on work, kind of like the work me and Ben are doing in the garage... it brings the competitive side of the world with the artsy side of the world." Check out this picture of Carver tearing it up on a Super Hooligan racer's bike.

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