SOUTHWICK, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Alex Mechachonis won three championships before he turned 18 years old. Now, the motocross community is remembering the 17-year-old racer who was known as much for his character off the track as his skill on it.

Mechachonis had been racing for years, quickly rising through the ranks to win three championships. About a month ago, he joined the crew at Wick 338 track in Southwick, working to prepare for upcoming events.

Rick Johnson, a Wick 338 track family member, said Mechachonis made an immediate impression. “And in a very, very short time, showed us what a wonderful young man he had been…and very conscientious, very hardworking, well-spoken, and inquisitive. One of those kids you want your son to be just like,” he added.

Mechachonis was at a practice track when the accident happened. The accident did not happen at the Southwick track. Johnson said he is confident Mechachonis did everything right. According to others in the motocross community, Mechachonis had the proper helmet, chest protection, boots and all the gear. The track conditions were fine and there were reportedly no outside influences.

“Just the fact that, unfortunately, having lost him, it’s a tragic thing, but knowing that he did leave us doing something that he positively loved and knowing that he did so under the safest of conditions,” Johnson noted.

The community is rallying around the family. A GoFundMe has already raised thousands to help with funeral costs. “Motocross is a family. It’s a very tight-knit family and the response to the loss of Alex has been heartfelt and very warm throughout all of his New England racing family,” Johnson explained.

At Wick 338, the gates will still open and the engines will roar. When they do, the racing family will carry with them the memory of number 55.

Friends and family are warning the public about scams. The only official GoFundMe is the one organized by Elizabeth Loney.