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. 23, 2015) – Henry Wiles has heard it all in his motorcycle racing career that started on ice before blossoming into a successful life in flat track.

Like any racer, there’s often that “you’re crazy” look when Wiles tells people riding motorcycles is his life’s work. But which discipline, his ice roots or dirt career, draws the biggest reaction?

“That’s pretty much a tossup,” Wiles said. “One-handed Mile tuck, drafting a guy inches away from his motorcycle at 130 mph (on dirt), or you’re riding maybe 100 mph on ice on literally a buzzsaw for wheels. That’s a tossup.”

Growing up in Central Michigan, starting on the ice, rather than the dirt was natural for Wiles. In fact, his current home is situated just a half mile away from the first lake on which he raced.

“My dad got me started,” Wiles said. “He raced on ice and raced motocross. When we started in dirt track, when I was about 8, we went to a couple TTs.”

Showing a natural ability in both motocross and flat track, Wiles and his family reached a point where they had to decide which direction to focus their attention. Flat track seemed like the more realistic of the two goals with all factors considered.

“Amateur nationals came a couple years after that, and that showed us where we were on a bigger stage,” Wiles said. “Compared to motocross, the reason I didn’t go that route as much, we didn’t have a lot of resources. … It was easier to go out and race in the front of flat track nationals. I never went to Loretta Lynn’s (Ranch for motocross), I didn’t do a lot of those top races. If you’re going to do it and do it right, you have to have your bikes good and done, and we would show up with stock bikes all the time.”

Lower budgets allowed rider talent to shine through easier in dirt track, and Wiles quickly forged his path through the flat track ranks.

During his time with AMA Pro Flat Track, Wiles has become the name to pit against the entire field when predicting TT (Tourist Trophy) events. He swept both of 2014’s TTs and is currently riding an unprecedented streak of 10 straight Peoria TT victories. His 26 overall GNC wins ranks him 10th all-time, and 11 of those victories have been at Short Tracks (nine) and Half-Miles (two).

Racing is such a way of life, it’s hard for Wiles to even think about what he’d be doing with his time if he wasn’t focused on flat track racing.

“I think after being self-employed for so long, I’m not making a career out of working for somebody,” Wiles said. “If I never raced or whatever, hopefully I’d get out on my own and do my own thing and own a business.”

Surely whatever Wiles would be doing for work wouldn’t draw the same reaction as being a motorcycle racer, regardless of what the race surface is.