Courtesy Photo Kameron Clark of Ossineke is pictured on the bike provided to him for the KTM Junior Supercross race at Ford Field on Saturday. Clark was one of 15 kids chosen out of 700 from across the continent to participate in the event.

ALPENA — Seven-year-old Kameron Clark from Ossineke raced in a once-in-a-lifetime supercross event at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday.

His dad Kevin Clark said that Kameron was one of 15 kids picked for the event, called the KTM Junior Supercross Program, with over 700 entries. The racers came from all over the country, and there was even one racer from Canada, Kevin Clark said.

Kameron Clark got to do more than just race, his dad said. They arrived at Ford Field at 9 a.m. for two rounds of practice and had the chance to meet a number of professional supercross racers. The race was not until 8:30 p.m.

Kameron said he was not too tired out by the long day.

“We went and it’s like you’re a professional for the day, all the way from what we’re wearing to how you’re treated,” Kevin Clark said.

Racers received helmets, pants, jersey, gloves, chest protector and neck brace along with other sponsor products when they arrived. They also rode on dirt bikes provided by KTM for the race.

“I got to get new gear, I got to walk the track and look at my bike,” Kameron said.

Kevin Clark said that some of the kids there are very committed to the sport and are homeschooled so they can race year round. Kameron is a regular second grade student at Sanborn Elementary, but he has been riding a dirt bike since he was three years old, his mom, Kristi Clark, said. This was his first time riding on a real supercross track.

Kameron Clark was proud to represent northern Michigan at the race. Before the race started, he got to announce where he was from, his name, and his age. He got off to a great start in sixth or seventh place going around the bend, his dad said. Mid-race, he jumped into another racer, went down, and took a while to get back up again.

Kameron said his favorite part of the day was racing. He liked riding on the straightaway, the corner, and the tabletop, which are all parts of the track.

Kevin Clark said he encouraged his son to go out there and have fun.

“I tried to stress to him it doesn’t matter what place you get,” Kevin Clark said. “Just getting here is okay.”

Kameron got to see himself all over the jumbotron and raced in front of a crowd of 36,000 people.

Kevin Clark said that after the race, Kameron had a big smile on his face and fist pumped. He is still riding the high of racing at Ford Field.

“Yes, I really want to try it again,” Kameron said about racing again in the future.

His mom added that they are signing him up for some more races around Michigan this summer.

Mid-American Salt, SC3, O’Neal, Biggby Coffee, the Suite Salon Spa, and TCD sponsored Kameron for the race.

When asked how much fun he had on a scale of one to 10, Kameron gave a confident 10. It was the best day of his life, and hers, Kristi Clark said.

“I don’t think there’s anything better, I know there isn’t anything better,” Kevin Clark said.

“We won just by being there,” Kameron’s mom said.