Motocross racers and bull riders play a dangerous game. It's only a matter of time before they get bucked off.
Sometimes they get lucky and walk away unscathed. But all too often those rubber bones and elastic ligaments can't take the strain of an ejector-seat landing and break before they bend.
Jess Pettis was reminded of that Feb. 19 in Pala, Calif., while practicing for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross West series. He hit a soft patch in a muddy track and was catapulted headfirst over the handlebars, suffering a broken collarbone, partially collapsed lung and mild concussion.
After a spectacular debut that resulted in five 250cc top-12 finishes on the pro supercross circuit - the NHL of motocross - that crash in training was a major setback for the 21-year-old KTM Thor Factory team rider from Prince George. A doctor in California plated and pinned the broken collarbone in surgery the next day and the wreck dashed Pettis's hopes of racing the next five events in the supercross series. But he healed quickly and he's been back riding for more than a month already.
"It was pretty painful for a week of so but I did everything I could and went to physiotherapy to get back to riding as soon as I could," said Pettis, from his training base in Tallahasee, Fla., home of his sister Katelyn and brother-in-law Jesse Wentland.
"I've been racing all year round, doing the supercross in the winter and the nationals in the summer, full-time training 12 months of the year and I'm in good shape. It's nice to be back healthy again. Obviously injuries come with the sport but I'm back at it."
Pettis was the only Canadian racing the supercross series and in his first main event Jan. 2 in Anaheim he placed 10th. His other supercross results were 12th (Glendale, Ariz., Jan 12), 11th (Anaheim, Jan. 19) and 11th (Oakland, Jan 26). In Oakland he crashed on the first lap of the main and worked his way back through the 40-rider field to finish 11th.
The best was yet to come. on a muddy track in San Diego, Feb. 2 he finished fifth. That day, he qualified ninth, was fourth in the heat race and ran with the top-five for the duration of the main event.
"I got off to really good start and put in my career-best finish with a fifth place in the main event so that was amazing," said Pettis. "It's the best riders in the world and the biggest stage. Fifth place was something that I never dreamed of back when I was a little kid. It's the highest level and it's cool to look back and see how far I've come in the last year.
"I guess the odds are stacked against me in a way, just being from where I'm from. Prince George is pretty far north for a supercross racer. It's just lot of sacrificing and traveling and doing whatever you can to make it happen. I'm really happy with the progress I'm making and I've still got goals I want to hit - just keep getting better and better."
The San Diego race was plagued by rain and track officials dumped lime on the wettest parts to try to dry the track. But a late afternoon downpour kept the lime from mixing with the dirt and it created a caustic mixture which soaked through the gear the riders wore.
"I had quite a few burns on my body," said Pettis. "I don't like the mud and never really enjoy it but I seem to do pretty decent in it. I think just being from the north and from Canada we ride in the mud more than the riders from California or the hotter states."
Pettis admits getting chills down his spine when he hears the roar of the supercross crowd above the growl of 40 revving motorbike engines.
"When you're on the starting line I kind of take a peek up and look around the stadium and it's kind of crazy when you're the centre of attention with sixty or seventy thousand fans staring down at us," he said. "The bright lights are on us and you just tell yourself, 'this is pretty cool.' It's almost like you've made it."
Pettis had a dominant summer in 2018 on the Rockstar Energy MX Tour and won the 250cc class. That gives him the No. 1 plate to mount on his bike this season and he'll get the chance to race at home. Prince George will host the second of the eight-event 2019 MX Tour on Saturday, June 8 at Blackwater Motocross Park, which follows the season-opener in Calgary June 1.
"Winning that series last year was amazing, a dream come true, and I still don't take that for granted," he said. "It was an amazing thing to check off the bucket list and at the same time I have to put my keep head down and work and try to do the same thing this year. That's what I'm getting ready for now down in Florida, getting myself in shape for the outdoor nationals."
The series also stops in Minnedosa, Man (June 15), Courtland, Ont. (July 13), Ottawa (July 20), Moncton, N.B. (July 27), Deschambault, Que. (Aug. 3) and Walton, Ont. (Aug. 17).
"We're honestly really lucky to have a national race in Prince George, they've cut back quite a few of the tracks for nationals this year," he said. "I've heard nothing but good things about Prince George from the riders and all the team perspectives and it's cool to have that back on the schedule this year. Being only 15 or 20 minutes away from the house, I can't complain."
Pettis had a stroke of bad luck last year at Backwater when he bike quit running one corner away from winning the first moto. He ended up second in the second moto.
Winning the Canadian series wasn't the only highlight of 2018. He was one of three riders picked for Team Canada to take on the world's best riders in the Motocross of Nations event in Buchanan, Mich. Conditions were soggy for the two-day event, Oct. 6-7, and despite crashes both days for Pettis he teamed up with Colton Facciotti and Tyler Medaglia to finish 10th out of 29 teams. Canada was bumped up to 10th from 11th in January when Italy was disqualified for using illegal fuel.
"Being chosen for that was the dream of a lifetime," Pettis said. "It just added to the list of great things last year and that was right at the top. Our team all rode as hard as we could and got a really good result."
As a KTM Factory rider, Pettis is now longer dependent on the bank of mom and dad. He made enough money last year to pay his own travel costs and is now drawing steady paycheques from his main sponsor. That financial freedom comes after about 15 years of his parents, Betty and Doug, footing the bill.
"My mom and dad have sacrificed a lot," said Pettis. "They always wanted to support me to get to my goal as long as I'm willing to work hard and make it all worth it. I feel like that's part of my success nowadays, having that family support and all the hometown sponsors. I hasn't been easy and a lot of businesses and companies in Prince George have stuck behind me and they got me to where I am."
