Solly Mervis ‘23 has been making waves through the motorcycling world since he began racing in 2020 and now that he is graduating high school, he is looking forward to the future of his career. 

While most seniors will be going off to college in the fall, Mervis has decided to postpone college until the 2024 school year to focus on racing. He will begin his gap year by going to Pittsburgh. “The goal there is to just get as much track time as possible and get the bike set up as best as we possibly can so we can record as much data as possible.” 

Mervis is hoping to improve before he takes the track for the first time at MotoAmerica this June. “For the first time, I’m just hoping to have a great time. It’s gonna be a different weekend from every other weekend. I’m gonna be on television for the first time. I’m just excited to actually go there for the first time and be with everybody else,” he said. Mervis said his goal at MotoAmerica is just to qualify for the race for the junior cup.

 With all of this excitement, it is no wonder that Mervis needs a gap year to accomplish everything; however, this does not mean he will stop learning entirely. Mervis plans on using his time off to study calculus and physics. He also plans on working at a machine shop that specializes in racing motorcycles. “I really want to build a resume that shows how hard I’ve worked. I want to start working (at the machine shop) by washing parts, and then eventually, help weld parts,” he said. 

After his gap year, he plans on majoring in mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman University. Mervis said, “It’s really important for me to learn how each of these components are put together before I go to college. Good hands-on experience is extremely important and will help me in my studies.”

Mervis believes that earning a mechanical engineering degree will also help improve his understanding of the bikes that he works with so frequently. He said, “I think that mechanical engineering will help me understand the geometry of the race bike and most importantly, I think it’ll help me understand the physics behind how the bike works and understand how to set up a bike for the race weekend.”

Mervis said his hopes for this year are simply to explore himself and racing. “ I’m excited for this year and the racing season. I’m just going to take this year to explore myself, explore the world, explore what I possibly want to become, and try and develop myself as a human being and as a racer.”