It’s been a very busy successful racing season for Cree moto-cross sensation Nathaniel Bosum, a youth. Bosum, a youth from Ouje-Bougoumou, was the 27th ranking racer in the 50cc class at this past summer’s World Amateurs National. Only 42 racers qualified in North America. There were 1,500 racers from all over the world. The other four races that Bosum participated in in the U.S. were qualifying races for the Amateurs National. Bosum qualified for the 50cc class but didn’t make it for the 60cc class.
“That race was where you have the top riders from all classes,” said Abel Bosum, Nathaniel’s father. He said the competition was fierce. “Nathaniel made friends wherever he raced in Canada but in the States it’s serious.”
Neither of the Bosums had a chance to see country singer Loretta Lynn during the race, but they went on a tour of her ranch in Tennessee and the Loretta Lynn museum.
“Apparently she’s a farmer, was married to a farmer, and I think moto-cross started with all these farmer boys competing outdoors,” said Bosum, talking about the connection between Lynn and motocross.
Bosum also mentioned that the Canadian National Moto-Cross Association has decided that Ouje-Bougoumou will host a national race next June. This is one of the two in Quebec and one of the nine held in Canada each year. Bosum attributes this to the quality of organization they have in O.J. and the overwhelming response from all the racers. He said the racers felt the O.J. track compared favorably with tracks in the U.S. On November 14, Ouje-Bougoumou won an award for “best track” in Quebec. This award is voted upon by the racers themselves and 80 per
cent voted for O.J.
Nathaniel Bosum’s busy season saw him in 13 races in Quebec, five in the States, including the Amateurs Nationals (at Loretta Lynn’s ranch), six Ontario competitions and five arena-cross competitions in Quebec. In each of the events Nathaniel competed in both the 50cc and 60cc bike classes.
Overall the hard work has paid off for this racer. Besides being the 27th best in the world, Nathaniel captured the Arena-Cross Championship for the 50cc and 60cc classes in arena-cross. The arena-cross competitions are tighter and more technical than the outside race tracks.
In the Quebec provincial motocross, Nathaniel finished first in the 50cc and came fourth in the 60cc class.
Katejun Coonishish, also of Ouje-Bougoumou, finished third in the 60cc. “Both the boys, mine and Sidney’s, they dominate in Quebec and parts of Ontario,” said Bosum proudly.
Nathaniel ranks 6th in the Canadian Nationals (50cc PeeWee Class). The first five were American kids, so Nathaniel was actually the fastest Canadian in the race.
“In fact we had a great shot at being first,” said Abel Bosum. “He was tied in first place with the other five kids. The kid who won the last race would be the champion. Nathaniel was leading and his bike broke midway.” Bosum looks back at his son’s loss as
just one of those things you can’t predict or control. “Even so, my son was still very happy to finish 6th,” he said. “Nathaniel had his strongest year. This summer was an exceptional year for him. I did not think he would go this far but when the season opened we were ready,” said Bosum, adding that going to the States helped. “That’s where we really met the competition.”
Bosum says that next year the 60cc will be Nathaniel’s main bike and he will be trying out the 80cc. “It’ll be a new experience for him.”
Bosum thinks that Katejun and Nathaniel have opened the doors for other Crees to start racing. “Even though we have a lot of snow, we have kids who are very talented,” said Bosum. “They could easily penetrate into these competitions.”
Bosum says he and his family started racing as a way for the family to get together to do something. He recommends parents come out to see the sport to determine if they want their kids in it. Bosum said parents would be surprised at how well the kids are protected and how exciting the sport is. He says you start the kids off as early as possible. “They can develop some of the techniques at a young age and grow up with them,” said Bosum. He said that moto-cross schools help. Chapais, Chibougamau and O.J. all have moto-cross tracks where you can practice and pick up tips.
Bosum remembers when they started Nathaniel off on a small 50cc bike. “We could control it,” he said. “We tied a string to the back of the bike to control its speed. After a while, though, we had to turn him loose.”
