126 Motocross Performance · mxpmag.com
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O N D N THE RISE A G N U O -Y
Jess Pettis T he Best f rom the W est - B y C hris P o m eroy -
rince George, BC is known for a lot more than motocross. With an abundance of natural resources and a very long winter season, sports like motocross sometimes take a back seat. Thanks to one local dealership, Cycle North Kawasaki, young riders like Jess Pettis have been given an opportunity to become shining stars in this sport. In some ways Pettis is just like every other 16 year-old Prince George kid; he loves the outdoors. Often times when he’s not racing, he and his Dad head out into the bush to go hunting or to just to be at one with nature. When Jess puts his helmet on and throws his leg over a dirt bike, the beast within him appears and the quiet surroundings of Northern BC are a distant memory. Riding dirt bikes came naturally to Jess at a very young age. When he was seven and the snow finally melted that spring, he was let loose on a two wheel machine and the rest is history. The Pettis family learned quickly that if you wanted to race motocross in BC and you’re from Prince George, then you’d better like driving, as most of the big races are at least
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ten hours away. They didn’t mind at all, in fact sometimes the long drives to the races were the best part as the long hours spent on the road brought them closer together as a family. As Jess paid his dues on the BC circuit it became clear very quickly that there was something special about this kid. His style, his speed and the quickness at which he was learning to race put him ahead of a lot of other BC riders. Soon the border of his home province wasn’t big enough to hold him because Jess headed into other parts of Canada to show everyone what he was made of. The first stop outside of BC was the Province of Alberta and the Western Canadian Amateur Nationals in Raymond. Jess was instantly drawn to this track. Over the course of a few years he won numerous championships. With a lot of momentum behind them, the Pettis family continued east. The next stop for them was the TransCan in Walton, Ontario. If you’re a fast amateur and you want to measure yourself against the best, the TransCan is the event to go to. In 2011, Jess not only travelled to Walton and competed, but he proved that he was the fastest 85cc rider in
In 2011, Jess not only travelled to Walton and competed, but he proved that he was the fastest 85cc rider in the country as he took the Super Mini National Championship.”
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G AND ON THE RISE - YOUN
Jess Pettis
When Jess puts his helmet on and throws his leg over a dirt bike, the beast within him appears and the quiet surroundings of Northern BC are a distant memory.” the country as he took the Super Mini National Championship. His family and his main sponsor at the time, Cycle North Kawasaki, were all so proud of the kid from Prince George. With his Amateur career almost behind him, Jess in now in his second season as a member of the powerful Leading Edge Kawasaki team, a team that has won numerous Pro Championships that wants to help guide Pettis to the same success in the future. If it wasn’t for a silly injury suffered off the bike in the spring, Jess would be lining up in the MX2 class for the western rounds of the 2013 Monster Energy Motocross Nationals. But in life and in motocross, everything happens for a reason. So when the Nationals head east this summer and Jess is on the line, perhaps he will be that much more prepared to do battle with his older, more experienced competitors. Whatever happens this year, Jess has already proven that a kid from rural BC can do anything he puts his mind to. The success he has had so far in motocross has made the long hours spent driving to the races the last few years seem well worth it, and at just 16 years old, the best is no doubt yet to come for Jess Pettis.
128 Motocross Performance · mxpmag.com
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2013-07-03 3:44 PM