SANTA ANA : At 11, He’s a Big Wheel in Racing

When he was younger, Larry Cambra dreamed of being the best dirt bike racer in the world. At just 11, he made that dream come true recently during an international racing victory in Brazil.

Larry, who lives in Santa Ana, has been racing BMX bikes, which are specially designed for off-road racing, since he was 4. And although he’s reluctant to brag about his successes, the more than 100 ribbons, plaques and trophies covering the walls and shelves in his bedroom attest to his ability.

Still smaller than some of the huge trophies he has won, Larry stumbled onto the sport about seven years ago, when he and his father noticed lights one night at the Orange YMCA. They stopped the car, saw the dirt track and bike riders, and Larry has been competing ever since.

The competition is fine, he said during an interview at his home on Wednesday, “but I like jumping the most.”

He practices three times a week on the Orange YMCA track, a dirt path riddled with hills and valleys, and has put hundreds of miles on his lightweight racing bike. His mother, Jan, said he also takes time out to help younger riders learn the sport.

“He’s very supportive of new riders and helps them progress,” she said.

At 5, Larry won his first national race. Now he has contracts with bicycle equipment companies, which sponsor his numerous trips across the country and abroad. His father, Larry Sr., said: “He’s been around the country more than most adults have been around the country. And he can check himself into a hotel better than most of us.

“When he got into the sport, the philosophy was ‘just try your best.’ What surprised me is that he did so well. Some kids never get as good.”

During Larry’s most recent international race in Salvador, Brazil, he won first place in the 11-year-old division. He also placed second in the “cruiser class” race, which uses bikes with wider tires, against competitors 13 and younger.

Larry said he was surprised to do so well in that race, considering the older bikers he was up against.

“They were humongous,” he said.

His next challenge, a race in Yorba Linda, comes this weekend, but he’s already looking forward to competing in a national championship in Oklahoma. Beyond that, Larry’s not sure what he wants to do. He hopes to play professional basketball someday, but is unsure whether he’ll make it.

Even if he does, he said that he won’t give up bike racing “because it’s just fun.”