Wantage tyke a national champ at 7

When a child knows his passion, a family works with him, By Pat Morris Wantage — Some people spend the better part of a lifetime discovering their passion; some never do. For one youngster, however, that passion emerged when he was 4 years old. And it turns out, it’s his talent, too. Three years later, D.J. Bassani is a national champion ATV racer. The second-grader at Clifton E. Lawrence School won the 2009 ATVA 50cc Limited, racing against many older children. Now he has sponsors, a resume and a Web site along with his trophies. As a small child, says his mother, “He was always bothering me: ‘I want to race; I want to race.’” Tanya Bassani, D.J.’s mother figured it may have been linked to the family interests. “My husband had quads, and there was always debris in the basement — it was here before D.J. was born.” Tanya and her husband Don had a friend who raced ATVs, and D.J. picked it up from there. The Bassanis decided to let D.J. give it a shot. Good from the get-go He started racing and never stopped. He quickly began piling up an impressive “racing sheet.” In 2007, D.J. won the District 34 Championship and the 4th Annual TV Fall Classic Championship; in 2008 he won seven championships, including becoming the National Winner at Unadilla and Pleasure Valley and Winner of the Tri-State of Champions; and this year he won the ATVA National Motorcross in the 50cc class and took eighth place in the 70cc CVT class, which was the first time he competed on that machine. He was racing against children up to 12 years old. “He beat the fastest kids,” says Tanya Bassani, who admits that the love of powerful machines runs in the family. She and her husband own and operate Bassani Power Equipment in Wantage. When Don was 15, his brother took apart Don’s dirt bike, which he then had to reassemble from scratch. His affinity for small engines has been passed down to his D.J. “He has a good mechanical ear, like his Dad,” says Tanya. Although, like any mother, Tanya has white-knuckle moments when her son is racing. Her videos of his races are not that great, she says, because her hands are always shaking. Despite her motherly concerns, the family decided to let D.J. take his talent and his passion as far as they can get him, for as long as he wants. Traveling for the races In their case, that now means extensive travel — and expense — to get their child to national events, such as a recent trip to Alabama. Tanya homeschools D.J. while they are on the road and the champ has acquired some sponsors to help with the costs of competition. They cannot accept money but can accept equipment, help with the Web site, and related support. As his talent has so quickly taken D.J. to the national level, the family is enjoying the journey. “We found people (at the national competitions) to be more friendly, much more cordial,” Tanya says. Competition, she says, stays on the track. And, when it’s not time for a race, she says the young competitors are still children. “The kids stop to play.” While he is champ for now, though, D.J. may find himself one day facing some stiff competition: his brother Brandon, 4, has caught the bug and embarked on his own racing career. The impetus, their mother stresses, comes from the boys themselves and their passion for their sport, which is now truly a family affair.

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