Santa Clarita Remembers Young Motocross Rider Who Died In 2012

Posted by: KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 in Santa Clarita News January 19, 2014 - 3:36 pm 0 687 Views

Kathy and Phil Tarrant fondly remember the days when going to the Motocross Park Pavilion in Piru was a family outing, but Sunday morning they faced a new reality — it was now the site of their son’s memorial.

Cory Tarrant’s passion for motocross began when he was 2 years old, and the Pavilion was a great place to ride with friends and family, since it was only minutes from his home. He died less than a week after a June 24, 2012 crash on the same track. He was only 17 years old.

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Phil remembers how his son would smile when the family visited tracks together.

“For some it’s a hobby, others a way of life,” Phil said. “It’s what he loved to do, we weren’t going to say no.”

All day friends and family remembered Cory. Usually $25 to ride at the Pavilion, the price was reduced to $13, Cory’s riding number and the date of his birth, Jan. 13.

“He was entertaining to watch,” his mother Kathy said. “He was a good rider, with grace and skill.”

Cory was set to graduate from high school six months early. Kathy said it would have been a year but once he got his drivers license taking himself to the motocross track was too tempting. He planned to get his pro license once he graduated.

While Cory may always be remembered for his love of riding, he had many passions. He enjoyed photography, and whether the photo was of flowers or various scenes in nature, Kathy remembers using his photos for the front of the family’s Christmas cards every year.

Cory also loved to read with his parents.

“Every night, it was a marathon of reading books,” Kathy said. “Even when he got to high school, I’d read his homework to him sometimes. He just liked us to read together.”

This lesser-known passion of his led his family to create The Cory Tarrant Forever Young Foundation.

Three elementary schools were chosen to receive a box of books five to six times a year: Castaic Elementary, where Cory attended, Sandy Hook and Pardeeville in Wisconsin, an area close to the family’s heart and the state in which Kathy and Phil met.

“We just want to encourage the love of reading, which Cory had,” Kathy said.

Donations in Cory’s name began last Christmas at the family’s expense. They have not had time to create a website yet, but say you can contact C and D Motosports, which Cory’s parents and older brother Derek run, to donate funds.

While the past 18 months have been difficult, Sunday seemed to be a day of remembering the life and energy Cory emanated, but Kathy still struggles with understanding what happened the day her son died.

“We work very hard every day to find out why a routine fall could be fatal because it’s very uncommon in this sport,” Kathy Tarrant said.

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