From chassis to competition

Taylor Langdon learned to weld at age 9 and was fixing bikes for neighbors by age 10.

“He always tore stuff apart,” his father, Tony Langdon said. “He wanted to fix and rebuild. As he grew up, he moved from bikes to motorcycles, to four-wheelers.”

When he turned 12, Taylor took on the task of building his own race car, with the help of family and friends. Now, at 16, he’s racing in the Sportsman Class, in the car he built himself.

Spend a summer weekend at the Madras Speedway and you’ll likely see Taylor’s extended family cheering him on from the stands.

His grandfather, Larry Langdon, is one of Taylor’s biggest fans. Larry is enjoying retirement after a career of maintaining heavy equipment. He has a well-stocked shop and the ability to fix most anything. Given Larry’s skills, you might assume Taylor inherited his grandfather’s mechanical aptitude. But Larry refuses to take credit for his grandson’s abilities.

“Taylor is self-taught. It’s just something in his blood,” Larry said.

Regardless of where his skills come from, Taylor is no ordinary tinkerer.

Indeed, Taylor is no ordinary young man. At age 11, family friend Frank Hazen and his son, Corey, introduced Taylor to go-karts, sparking what has become a passion. Frank raced cars himself, loves to work on them, and encouraged the boys to become competitive drivers.

When Taylor asked his dad if he could build a go kart of his own, Tony had a better idea.

“I suggested we build a race car instead. Something we could grow on.”

Kids can move from go karts to cars at age 12, and Tony felt certain that Taylor would want to move up with his peers. Undaunted by the scope of the project, which ultimately took 18 months, Taylor jumped in with both feet. His father, grandfather, and their friend Frank pledged their support.

“We all contributed money and labor, but let Taylor do as much of the work as possible,” Larry said.

The project started with a junkyard motor, to save money and give Taylor a start-to-finish building experience.

“We tore the engine down and rebuilt it,” Tony said. “The car itself started as wheels and a chassis. Frank acted as a mentor along the way.”

Working after school and on weekends on the car, Taylor still finds time to compete in wrestling. He gave up baseball, BMX racing, and football only because there wasn’t enough time to do it all.

“Taylor has more passion in mechanics, metal fabrication, and racing than anything,” Tony said.

Racing is financially demanding, as well. Taylor spends nearly $200 per race for entry fees, gasoline, and repairs. He has offset costs through sponsorship from local businesses.

“He put together this scrapbook of photos, as he built the car,” Larry explained. “He took that book door to door, asking for support.”

Taylor’s persistence paid off: Bend Burger Company, Vern Sampels Landscaping, Central Oregon Bobcat, Bickler West Orthodontics, Harry and Neil Fagen Well Drilling and Wade Fagen Tree Service have all pitched in funds.

Because the family’s suburban home doesn’t include space for a shop, Taylor did most of the building in his grandfather’s shop in Tumalo, and worked on the the sheet metal decking, exhaust, and motor tuning in Frank’s racing shop in Bend.

Larry loved working with his grandson in his shop, but only offered help when Taylor asked for it. With five children and 12 grandchildren, Larry’s learned to respect different learning styles.

“Taylor has his own way of doing things,” Larry said. “When he had a challenge, he just worked through it.”

Larry is proud of his grandson’s accomplishments.

“The mechanical problems he’s solved have given him skills he could take on to college,” Larry said. “Knowing how to race a car and build one could be a real asset in designing cars.”

As Taylor was putting the final touches on his car, Larry found a trailer frame, which Taylor then finished so it could be used to haul his car to the Madras Speedway on his first racing day.

The car’s pristine paint job and professional finish didn’t last long once it hit the track that day. Tony took the car out for its first run, as a safety precaution, and in its first lap, it was bumped, spun, and dented, but ran fast and true. Then it was Taylor’s turn.

“It was an exciting night for all of us,” Larry recalled.

“I had the confidence in him, but it was extremely nerve racking,” Tony said. “Once he could control a drift I was much more comfortable.”

After so much work, Taylor didn’t want to risk damaging his car too much.

“I was kind of nervous in my first races and drove slow,” he admitted.

He took his time getting to know his car and how it handled the track. After several races, Tony told Taylor to quit worrying about the car.

“I told him to open it up,” Tony said.

“When his dad told him to go for it, he started winning,” Larry said.

Soon Taylor was winning in the Junior Division, reserved for racers age 12 through 15. As his skill and experience increased, he moved up to the Sportsman Class, where he competes against drivers of all ages for cash prizes.

“I’ll tell you what, adults don’t like losing to a teenager,” Taylor said with a smile.

While Taylor took to racing naturally, it wasn’t always easy for his mother, Theresa Langdon.

Despite safety precautions, including a helmet, fire suit, and harness, Theresa said she found it was really stressful, especially when Taylor was younger.

While the Langdon family enjoys the friendly feel of the Madras Speedway and sense of community they find among drivers and fans at the track, racing is a demanding sport, leaving little time for other family adventures and interests. However, the challenges and time commitment have been an important part of the experience, as have the successes. Taylor’s confidence and skills have grown from working side-by-side with his father and grandfather.

“It strengthens you as a person,” Tony said.

Taylor works continuously on his car, repairing it after every race.

“I’m getting more competitive,” Taylor said, “I definitely want to continue racing — if I have the money.”

He’ll race this car as long as he can and hopes to build another one eventually. To support his passion, he has a summer job working alongside his dad at Vern Sampels Landscaping and hopes to find a part-time job that fits his school schedule this fall. Throughout the summer, races are held nearly every weekend — and Taylor hopes to be there.

On the surface, racing looks like it’s all about driving fast in a circle. In reality, to succeed you need more than a fast car: lightning-quick reflexes, dedication, and mechanical skills are a must. Add in a supportive family, such as the Langdons, and you just might find yourself in the winner’s circle.