Think of what it's like to be 17. You're not old enough to drink-by a long shot-or vote, or join the Army or rent a car, and in many states you can't even drive a car at night. You're probably a year or so from graduating high school. Basically, society has decided you're not ready yet for the big responsibilities life dishes out.

And now consider Trey Canard, who at 17 years old has the responsibilities of a nationally ranked pro rider. As the youngest member of the Torco Racing Fuels Honda team, Canard is in an interesting spot. Most young riders would give their eyeteeth to be hooked up with the ultimate bike on the ultimate team and riding the nationals at this age. But then most of them couldn't handle the pressure, either.

Canard has already faced more adversity than most people do in a lifetime. Four years ago, his father died in an accident while preparing Trey's practice track back home in Oklahoma. The two were a team who shared a dream of someday making it to the professional ranks and winning a championship. Now Canard is pursuing that dream without his father, but with a single-minded dedication most people can never muster.

"I was really lucky to have an awesome dad who cared about me a lot. You know, I just want to go out there and do the best I can for my family. I don't take anything for granted or pass things by anymore. It's been tough-I've had to grow up a lot. Motocross has helped me a lot to struggle through some things, and I put all my time and effort into something I love."

Canard won just about everything in sight when he was an amateur. (AMA rules say you can't turn pro until you're 16 years old.) In 2006, when he was still 15, he won 17 out of 18 motos at Ponca City, Oklahoma, and rode off with six championships. A perfect six-for-six performance at Loretta Lynn's in late July earned him two more titles. At the 35th Annual Winter National Olympics in Gainesville, Florida, he won the Pro Circuit Platinum Pipe Award, followed by the Dunlop Silver Tire Award.

In 2007, Canard won all of the classes he entered at Loretta Lynn's along with the prestigious AMA Horizon Award, given to the most promising amateur rider in the country. Turning 17 at the end of last season, Canard raced as an AMA pro in four Motocross nationals on his Honda CRF250R. Caught in a pileup in his first race, he still managed to finish fourth at Millville in the second pro moto of his life!

What about that first race as a pro? "It was huge, but it's obviously something I had looked for and been working toward my whole life. When it happened, it was just unbelievable. It was hard to keep a smile off my face. It was awesome. I'm really happy to be here. I can't thank everyone around me enough. I'm just really fortunate.

"I was training super-hard and doing the best I could. I wanted to come into the last rounds of the AMA series and learn things and try to get some confidence. I got a 10th and 11th overall and a fifth in 2007. I'd like to be closer to the front guys, but I understand 2007 was my debut as a pro racer and I have a lot to learn.

"The tracks are a lot tougher at the nationals. You're riding for 40 minutes, and those guys are ruthless. So it's a huge step, and I'd really like to be on the top of it someday. I think sometimes I work maybe a little too hard, but it's been my dream and I'd really, really like to accomplish my goals."

Trey's whole reason for riding those last few races of 2007 was to gain confidence on his CRF250R at a professional pace and to get a feel for the national scene before the 2008 season started. "It definitely helped with the confidence. It's something I'd looked forward to my entire life, and then once it was there, it's just like-I didn't really want it to go away."

What does Canard do to train? Like so many other pro riders, he has both a personal trainer and a riding coach. Canard spends a lot of time on a road bike, and he does the usual high-intensity gym workouts. But in addition to the physical strength, there's a lot of deeper, personal strength in this young man, too.

Mature beyond his years, polite, soft-spoken, dedicated and brutally fast, Trey Canard is already a champion in our book.