Given his last name, you might expect Gus Rodio to be a basketball player.
His family is related to legendary St. Augustine Prep coach Paul Rodio, who is the only coach in South Jersey with more than 900 career victories.
Instead, the 14-year-old Hammonton resident is making a name for himself as one of the East Coast’s top young motorcycle racers.
“He tried other sports, but nothing really took,” father Kevin Rodio said. “Racing motorcycles is all he’s ever wanted to do.”
He got to do it again last weekend.
Gus Rodio was aboard his Kawasaki Ninja 400 at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville on Saturday and Sunday.
He competed in the Liqui Moly Junior Cup division of MotoAmerica’s Championship of New Jersey. He finished in ninth place in Saturday’s race.
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MotoAmerica is considered the top racing circuit in the country. Millville was the ninth stop of a 10-race series that culminates with the Championship of Alabama on Sept. 20-22.
“I’m pretty excited to be racing here because it’s my home track,” Gus Rodio said last week. “This is where it all started for me.”
Gus started riding a dirt bike at age 7. A few years later, a friend of his invited him out to the Millville track, which had rental bikes available.
By age 10, he was competing in New Jersey Mini GP races. This year marks his first season in the MotoAmerica Liqui Moly Junior Cup, which is for racers aged 14 to 25.
Depending on the class, racers can reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour. Gus routinely tops 100, with his top speed being 131 mph at Daytona International Speedway in March.
“I’ve just always enjoyed going really fast,” he said. “I’ve always liked being the fastest one out there.”
Because of his travel schedule, Gus, the youngest of three children, is being home schooled for the first time this year by parents Kevin and Stacey Rodio.
The couple owns Spellcaster Productions, which provides audio-visual services for concerts and shows such as the recent Warped Tour concert in Atlantic City.
They also own the Kathedral Event Center in Hammonton, which was an old church they converted into a concert venue.
Previous shows have featured the Platters and the Drifters. The Midtown Men: Stars of the Original Broadway Cast of Jersey Boys are appearing on Friday, Sept. 13.
“Gus was going to be a freshman at Hammonton High School this year,” Kevin said. “But because of his racing schedule, it makes more sense for him to be home schooled. He’s racing almost every week all over the country. We load up the RV and go.”
Because son Max (20) and daughter Natalie (18) are older, Stacey is now able to travel more with Gus and Kevin.
As his mother, Stacey admitted to occasionally experiencing a twinge of fear when Gus first started racing, but now is confident in the fact that Gus has both the knowledge and the experience to deal with going faster than 100 mph.
“He’s doing what he’s meant to do, and as a mom, I had to embrace that,” Stacey said. “It’s part of his DNA. It’s his passion, and Kevin and I have always done our best to help cultivate that with all our children.”
Grandparents Mark and Rose Rodio are also along for the ride.
The Hammonton residents attend every race, whether it means driving six hours to Virginia or flying to Florida.
“We’ve been going to all his races since he first started,” Rose said. “We just love being there. It’s very exciting, to say the least. Watching those races is something you really can’t describe until you experience it in person.
“It’s more than just the racing. The competition is one thing, but the racers are also like a family. They bond with one another, root for one another. We’re just so very proud of Gus.”
