We met Morgan Burger at the Dodge Amateur National just a few weeks back. The kid was ripping in the 250 and 450 B classes! He was without a doubt one of the top intermediates out on the track. Morgan had some bad luck and hit the ground a few times during the week of racing, but the kid was railing. He no doubt caught our eye.

PanicREV: Morgan, it was nice to meet you up at Dodge this year. You really shined at Dodge, but to be honest we hadn't heard much about you before that. I know you have had some success in the B class, though. Please take a minute to tell our readers about yourself and your career thus far.
Morgan Burger: Well, I've been riding since I was 3 and just haven't been able to get away from it since! I am 17 years old and have lived in Idaho all my life. We are blessed to be able to ride year round, it gets pretty cold but we have a great local sand track that keeps me training when we can't get to someplace warmer. I love the sport, and I always want to be affiliated with it in some way. I've worked my butt off to get to where I'm at today, with my family's help. I think it's awesome, I'm finally be getting some recognition for it [laughter].

This year has been a really good year for me in the "B" class. I went to Loretta's for the first time and got a top 5 in the 250 "B" Stock Class. I had a lot of fun; even though I was having shoulder problems there, I had a blast! This year seems to be finally coming around for me; I mean I just signed with Fly and WPS and couldn't be happier. Rodney is always there to help me and is an awesome guy to have in my program. As far as bikes go, I'm getting things planned out, working with some dealers, and hoping to get things finalized shortly.

PRev: You had some motos at Dodge where you were really pinned. You also had some hard times too. Please tell us a lil about your week.
MB: The week definitely had its ups and downs. I felt awesome in practice, and my first four motos were phenomenal! I was riding really consistently and felt good until my fifth moto, the Collegeboy Class. I had just made the pass for the lead, coming though a corner, when I found myself on the ground with my left shoulder popped out (Pronto Pics had a pretty good shot of it)! I tried rolling it into place on my own but I just couldn't do it. The EMT's were able to get it back in place and I finished the moto.

Day two was a light day with only a couple of motos. I was sore but finished in the top five. Day three would be disappointing; I had good finishes in my second moto's for the 450 classes taking me into the final with a 2nd place in the 450 "B" Mod and a 1st place in the 450 "B" Stock. It was the 250 "B" Stock class that I was making a charge in. I had fought into second from about a 5th place start and I could see myself catching the leader Jesse Nelson on the last lap. I was going up the hill and hit a bump which jarred my bars just enough to knock my left shoulder out again. The EMT's tried to help but no luck this time; I ended up spending five hours in the ER where they had to knock me out to get it back into place. I had missed my remaining second moto's for the day so my goal was to get rested up and see what I could pull off in the finals of my 450 classes the following day.

The 450 "B" Mod moto would be my first challenge for the day and I was able to pull off a third place finish giving me a Second Place overall. With that race behind me, I knew I had one opportunity for a championship in the 450 "B" Stock Class. I was going in with a 1-2; all I had to do was place in the top 4 or 5. I made it through the first few corners in the top 5 when coming down the hill some mid-pack dude thought it would be a good idea to keep it pinned into the corner and wiped us both out! Once again, I found myself sitting on the ground with my left shoulder hangin' out ... after another visit to the E.R; I decided I should just sit it out Saturday and submit ha-ha. I guess it is all part of the game.

PRev: Popping your shoulder out numerous times must have been gnarly and painful. You showed a lot of drive and heart getting back on the bike each time. Where do you find your motivation?
MB: Yea it's either drive or stupidity [laughter]. I've always been one of those guys that if all my limbs are still intact and I'm not broken, I'm gonna ride. My family and I have put so much time, money, and effort to get to where we are to just call the week off for sore shoulders. We talk things over and do our best to make the right decision. They have never pushed me to ride; it is always the other way around. I have to push them to allow me to ride when the circumstances are "iffy." I'm not trying to sound like a tough guy or anything, but I guess you could say "giving-UP" doesn't come easily for me!

PRev: What is next for you guys?
MB: Well, unfortunately I have to lay low for the next couple of months. I have been scheduled for double shoulder surgery. It doesn't sound like too much fun, but I want to be stable and confident that my shoulders will not continue to be an issue while competing. I'm just going to get into rehab ASAP and train my butt off to come back charging in the spring!

PRev: What are your goals for 2010?
MB: As far as 2010 goes I will be racing the "A" class and I'm hoping to be coming back debuting in the "A" class at Lake Whitney and Oak Hill. I will be attending all the Amateur Nationals I can along with qualifying for Loretta's. That's the gist of it, I might do some WORCS races and some local stuff and maybe try to get down to Cali to do some training. I will also be Graduating from High School - Halleluiah!

PRev: Is there anything you would like to add?
MB: Yeah SURE ... umm how about "Life's a Garden, Dig It"!!! ... and umm "What would Deagan do?? [laughter].

PRev: Who would you like to thank?
MB: Oh man where do I start - My Dad, Mom and brother Kameron; and of course my grandpa and grandma, aunts and uncles -for sure I wouldn't be where I'm at today with out them. My little buddy Braxton Prieto, Gus Walker, Grizzly Sports, Fly, WPS, Devol Engineering, Scott, Acerbis, FMF, EVS, Fuel clothing, and everyone else I forgot, sorry!!

PRev: We will be praying for you this year. Go get umm!
MB: Thanks man! I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity; you guys are doing great work and I am glad you are able to be at the races with us! God Bless.

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