Flying at 70 mph isn't a big deal
to many people, but when that involves flying 140 feet in the air at high
speeds on a 250 pound, two-wheeled vehicle without wings, life can become
exciting.
Motocross racing on the weekends
provides the ultimate getaway from the stressors of work for Air Force Senior
Airman Zach Buccieri, an aircraft hydraulics specialist with the 22nd
Maintenance Squadron.
"It's a way of life,"
Buccieri said. "It's one way I feel that I can express myself, and even
though it is a very intense sport, it relaxes me."
Buccieri described the feeling of
hitting a large ramp.
"I am leaned back, my boots
on the rear of the foot pegs to get as much traction to the rear tire as
possible. The throttle is wide open, transmission is in fourth or fifth gear,
pushing the bike as fast as I can and lifting off the ramp," Buccieri said.
"As I'm flying through the air, my jersey is flapping in the wind. It
feels like I'm on a roller coaster."
Early Interest in Dirt Bikes
He became interested in riding at age
seven when he saw his neighbors riding up and down the street on their peewee
dirt bikes.
"I was just crazy about
them," Buccieri said. "I told my dad, 'I want one!'"
There was just one problem, he
didn't know how to ride a bicycle, and his father said he would not get him a
dirt bike until he learned to ride a bicycle first.
For the next couple of weeks,
every day after school Buccieri taught himself how to ride his bike in the
yard. The grass was difficult to pedal in, causing him to fall often, but he
would brush himself off and try again and again.
One evening, his dad came home
from work and suggested that he ride in the street after seeing he was having
trouble in the yard. He rode with ease and the rest fell into place.
Top Motocross Rider
Buccieri took to motocross racing
so well that he was ranked one of the top 15 amateur riders throughout the
nation and sponsored by several companies as a teenager.
When he was 15, his family could
no longer afford to keep him in the sport and had to give up on his passion.
"It was a depressing
time," Buccieri said. "For those eight years that I didn't ride, I
thought about it every day."
After coming home from a
deployment, he bought a 250cc Yamaha dirt bike to be his sidekick in fighting
gravity.
"It brought me out of depression,"
Buccieri said. "It was awesome. I love riding, it makes me feel
free."
For most riders there is nothing
more fun than hitting jumps and winning trophies, but for Buccieri the most
enjoyable thing is sharing memories with others.
"My favorite aspect of
motocross is going out and racing with friends," he said.
"He seems to be in complete
control when others are all over the place," said Air Force Senior Airman
Paul Keith, 22nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. "He has a grace
and style on the bike that is super fun to watch, and inspires less talented
riders like myself to try and rise to that level."
Making Friends, Mentoring
Riding has been a great way to
meet friends, mentor and build friendships, Keith said.
"I have made many lifelong
friends through riding, but none that have shared my military experience like
Buccieri," he said. "I feel very blessed to have him as a friend and
riding coach."
Buccieri has been in the Air Force
for nearly five years. He came in as a combat controller, but was injured after
seven months of training. He was reclassified and has been an aircraft
hydraulics specialist ever since. He primarily fixes or replaces hydraulics
systems on the KC-135 Stratotanker airframe, in addition to performing
inspections and troubleshooting.
Once his contract with the Air
Force is complete, Buccieri plans to follow in his father's footsteps and
become a civilian firefighter.
"The Air Force has given me
great avenues, but I think that the best thing for me to do is separate and
become a Denver firefighter," Buccieri said. "I love being a patriot
and serving my country, but I want to be able to impact peoples' lives more
intimately and immediately."
Even though he plans to separate
from the military he still wants to serve people and plans to ride as long as
he can.
"I would do it all
again," Buccieri said. "Motocross has been a way of life for me for a
long time, it has been an avenue of expression, and it has been there for me
during the hard times.”