Landen Powell races with thoughts of fallen friends

SOUTH JORDAN — Watching 8-year-old Logan Emerson work the track, whether it was racing that 85 cc motorcycle or exchanging pleasantries with the other riders, always made Landen Powell smile.

"I understood him," said Powell, now 18 and a professional who will compete in this weekend's supercross event at Rice-Eccles Stadium with thoughts of honoring Logan in his head. "I was pretty much doing the same thing when I was his age. He was an outgoing kid; he wasn't afraid to say anything. He was a really funny little kid."

Powell was at the starting line of his race when Logan was involved in the accident that killed him last June at Rocky Mountain Raceway.

"I was on the starting line, getting ready for my race," he said. "There was a big holdup. I saw it was Logan's bike on the ground. I knew right away things weren't good."

He made his way to the area where medics worked on Logan, an enthusiastic rider who loved talking shop with the older competitors. Logan was flown to Primary Children's Medical Center, where he died. The remainder of the races were canceled, something everyone appreciated.

"I definitely didn't want to race that night," said Powell, who will wear Logan's number on his helmet and his bike when he competes at Rice-Eccles this weekend. "It was a weird feeling that night."

Logan's death was difficult for Powell. Not only did the youngster remind Powell of himself, but it happened doing the sport they all love.

"It happened on the track," said Mark Powell, Landen's father. "Afterward, he seemed OK, but he (and his brother Casey Powell) were a little quiet at the races after that. It was just a little sadder; no one seemed as happy."

Then, a month later, the motocross family lost another member. This time, it was one of Powell's best friends, Dacoda Sorochuk, of Randolph, Rich County.

"When I found out Dacoda died, I was still in shock about Logan," said Landen. "I really struggled."

The motocross community is tight-knit, more of a family than a business. Riders might battle it out on the course, but they help each other out in the pit and on the road. The older riders offer advice and oftentimes mechanical help to younger riders, and the families of all of the riders are involved in almost every aspect of the sport.