At the age of 15, sophomore Jacob McPherson is already living life in the fast lane. The Ravenna sophomore will prepare for the biggest motocross race of his life after qualifying for the 43rd annual Monster Energy Amateur National Motocross Championship, which takes place from July 29 through Aug. 3 at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN.
“It means a lot because I am a woods racer so I do not race motocross all of the time,” McPherson told The Weekly Villager on July 2. “Only 42 people in the whole country go and I am one of those 42 people.”
McPherson needed to qualify in two races in order to clinch a berth to the AMA Championship. He needed to finish in the top nine in an area qualifying race, then place in the top six at a regional qualifier. He achieved that feat in both races and will compete in the biggest national motocross race in the country.
“You just have to be consistent and be smooth when you ride,” he said. “I was toward the top in all of them and just got good starts and stayed up top.”
While at the AMA Championship, he will compete in a pair of two “C” divisions, designated for the slower riders. He will race three times in each “C” division and his three scores in each division will be added together to make his final score. In motocross, a racer wins points depending on their finish. If a racer wins, then they receive one point so the fewer points a racer has at the end of three races, the greater chance they have to win the individual title.
McPherson acknowledged that the competition will be stiff but will take this upcoming race as a big learning opportunity. A lot of his competitors are more experienced racers, having lived at training facilities year-round. Although this will be his first AMA Championship, he believes he is capable of hanging with the best and finishing in the top ten.
Although McPherson is racing in the “C” Division, he is accustomed to riding in “B” races given his extensive experience in woods racing. In that specific type of race, the course runs through the woods and it is something that McPherson has become proficient in.
“You have to dodge trees and sometimes you hit them in woods races,” he said. “I have raced woods my whole life and I just started doing motocross not too long ago”.
McPherson said he started riding when he was only 7, as it was a family hobby he shared with his father and uncle. He said he enjoyed it immensely because it got his adrenaline pumping.
McPherson did not compete in any national races but during the weekends, he would do woods racing with his father as an extracurricular activity. He said it was a great way them to bond.
“It has bonded us really well because we are with each other all of the time during the weekend and he is like my best friend,” he added.
McPherson did not start competing in actual races until he was 10, but it served as a great way for him expand his horizons as he is home-schooled. He noted that competing in these races has helped meet a lot of different people and some of his closest friends also race motocross.
“All of my friends race it,” McPherson noted. “They are fun to talk with about racing, because they can all relate.”
Although it is a high-speed race, McPherson said he has received great support from his parents especially during the last month as he has trained harder.
While the upcoming AMA Championship will be McPherson’s first one, he has not ruled out competing in the future but he has not committed to returning next year. But for now, he is just taking in the moment.
