Typical that CBS's first reaction to a the death of a young racer is to question whether certain racers of a young age should be banned from participating.  Obviously every one of these racers has not only parental consent but support as well.  Who does CBS think it is to intervene?  

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/30/earlyshow/living/parenting/main6818729.shtml?tag=stack

Fuck the media in all venues, they do nothing but sensationalize to make  a buck.

I said it in the other thread––the kid died doing what he loved. Yes, it's sad to see a young life leave this earth so early, but honestly... He was feeling the exhilaration of the race in the sport he lived for.  I can think of worse ways to go.

Very well said!

As a parent, my heart goes out to the family.  And, I understand why they race.  

I loved every second of the 10 yrs I spent road racing.  We all knew the risks.  This young racer knew it too & he had already had major surgery following a previous crash.  He got back in the saddle & raced another day.  Fact is: life is a terminal condition.   If you have to go someday (and we all have a "someday"), wouldn't you rather go doing something you love?   Moreover, who is CBS to tell us how to live or what to ban?

Now its on FOX too.  AND there is another poll - though, glad to see, FOX is at least closer to 50/50 (still, that is half the population that is voting AGAINST racing and or do-it-yourself parenting).

As a former roadracer and father I agree with what's already been said.  

I was at Ims yesterday and it was a horrible freak accident.  I've lost friends to on track incidences also.  The Peter  was doing what he loved and both he and his parents knew the risks.

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I roadraced bikes for a few years, escaped with two torn rotator cuffs from a couple of good crashes, saw one racer die on the grid when he went down and was run over by several bikes, one of which struck his helmet, ripping the strap off and exposing his head. (Moroso Park , 1993, AMA middleweight supersport, IIRC)

I have to say, 12 y/o seems a bit young to me for this sort of competition. As a parent I would let my kids ride dirt for fun or on a closed circuit at 12 years old, but not compete on a motorcycle in a race.

That's just me, I am not going to tell anyone else what they should do. I don't think the government should either.

Peter Lenz was one of the best young guns in the US. All of the MotoGP stars that are racing right now started at a very young age (Rossi and Hayden both started at 5).

Like alot of people that are ignorant, these posters don't know shit about him, his career, or his family and have ended up looking like insensitive idiots.

RIP

Look at his vids on youtube.  This kid was an accomplished rider.  Yes, it is sad he died.  No, we shouldn't stop children from doing dangerous activities.  Motorcycle riding in any form is dangerous and it's not a question of if but when you fall.  I guarantee he lived more in one weekend of riding than the lives of those morons posting comments to the story combined.  
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much,



because they live in that gray twilight that know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt


 

We should all be so lucky to die doing something we love.  So many people nowadays have become so risk adverse that it's sickening, and I'm not surprised that so many people don't get why this kid was doing what he did.  It seems that most people nowadays are more interested in surviving rather than living.

Sorry, a kid dies before the age of 18, something is not right.  The phrase "He died doing something he loved" only applies to adults who make decisions for themselves.

When a kid dies at 12 years old due to causes not related to events out of human control like cancer or genetics, or a freak accident such as an airliner crash, then someone is not doing something right.

Every kid deserves to at least reach adulthood, it is one of a parent's primary jobs to make sure he gets there. As a parent, it is my responsibility and nobody elses to ensure that happens.

Flame away, but that's the way I see it.  I have seen too many kids die because of lack of parental judgement, wheeled too many kids to the morgue that shouldn't be dead.

Agree 100%.  

_DR:  Let every parent decide & keep the gov out of it.  On that we agree, and of course, we agree on the amazing sadness this loss represents.  My prayers go out to the families of both racers involved.

Gov't is in too much of our lives already.  The sporting community can police itself.

I'm gonna be that guy..

Did PETER know the risks? Can a 11, 12, 13 year old really understand what DEAD or a life as a quadraplegic means? It's obvious he was a really talented racer and knew his place in the motorcycle racing world, but you have to remember that behind the eyes in the helmet is a 13 year old buy who should be thinking about his first kiss and hanging with friends, not "Results and not letting his team down".

I'm all for personal freedom, but I am at odds with this situation. Like all of you I enjoyed seeing him ride but now that he is dead and I am looking at YouTube vids I am seeing a 'racer' who has sticker on his bike in the image of his favorite stuffed animal "because Diny is Cool". Can a kid with that kind of Maturity make adult decisions outside the scope of Raw Talent?