Webber’s Disabilities Are No Disadvantage

By Steve Yanda

Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 24, 2007; Page E08

RICHMOND — The kid in the red Washington Nationals T-shirt does not always wear his seatbelt when he drives a go-kart. He cannot afford to, really; he needs to lean forward for extra leverage.

As the green flag drops, Dayton Webber aggressively positions his kart right behind the one in front of him, careful not to break the rules with an inadvertent bump. Webber merely rubs the other kart a little to let its driver know he’s about to be passed.

Webber, 9, makes his move now, steering with the insides of his biceps and pounding the pedals through the force of his hips. He squeezes by the opposing kart on the inside, makes a turn and then moves on to his next victim.

“It feels like you’re going to fall out of the kart sometimes,” said Webber, a statement that might be more true for him than for the other students at the Urban Youth Racing School.

Born without a spleen, Webber had his legs and his arms below the elbows amputated when he was 10 months old because of a bacterial infection. He races with prosthetic legs and manages the steering wheel with the sides of his arms.

If you think Webber’s disabilities hold him back, you might want to talk to the handful of drivers he passed on the previous lap. Sure, Webber cannot turn corners as sharply as some of the other kids, but he makes up for it with perseverance and grit.

A native of Charlotte Hall, Webber grew up following in the footsteps of his older brother, Tyler. When Tyler got involved in dirt bike racing, Dayton wanted in on the action. And when Tyler took up an interest in go-karts, so too did his younger brother.

“He’s kind of an extremist,” Natalie Webber said of Dayton, her middle child.

His driving would suggest nothing different.

Dayton receives the UYRS Perseverance award from UYRS Ambassador and actor Mathew St. Patrick on March 18, 2008 at the UYRS 10th Anniversary Awards Ceremony