Note: This is part of an occasional series produced by AMA Pro Racing to highlight the background of some of our top riders

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2015) – When it comes to riding conditions, Doug Lawrence has experienced it all throughout his motorcycle racing career.

Between having to wipe the pouring sweat from his brow upon finishing a Springfield Mile main event in 100-degree heat, to training vigorously in the offseason in sub-zero temperatures at the place where he calls home in Ontario, Canada, Lawrence thrives in any kind of element. He embraces the scorching Illinois heat in late August and he looks forward to training in the trenches of Canada’s frozen tundra in the winter time.

He’s just a gamer, and that’s precisely what it takes to be successful in AMA Pro Flat Track.

Lawrence got a taste of motorcycle racing just about as soon as he could walk, when his father bought him a dirt bike when he was just 4 years old.

“My father got me into it,” said Lawrence, recounting his childhood. “He asked me if I wanted a little dirt bike when I was 4 years old, and of course I said, 'yes'. He was an amateur racer at the time, both in Canada and in the states. He didn’t race professionally or anything, but he inspired me at a very young age.”

Growing up, Lawrence played many sports. He was an excellent hockey player and played competitively on a travel team in Canada and would play on a weekly basis. However, when it came down to him having to make a choice between his two passions around the age of 16, he decided to put the stick down and take it to the next level with motorcycle racing.

“I was a pretty decent hockey player as a kid,” said Lawrence. “I wasn’t good enough for the NHL or anything, but I was doing it enough to where I was really starting to get good at it. All my friends played and it was really fun for me. But then the time came when I decided I wanted to ride bikes more, and that’s when I quit hockey.”

It’s safe to say National No. 73 Lawrence made the right decision, as he’s found tremendous success in motorcycle racing throughout the course of his career. The 29-year-old Canadian is a fan-favorite throughout the AMA Pro Flat Track community and is respected to great lengths by the very competitors that race against him on a weekly basis in the series.

In 2014, Lawrence finished the season 14th in GNC1 in points. He recorded nine main event finishes, including three top 10s. He ended the season on a high note too, placing sixth and ninth at Calistoga and Pomona, respectively.

Lawrence will enter his ninth season at the professional level when he suits up for the DAYTONA Flat Track doubleheader scheduled to take place this March 12-13.