A Prince George motocross (MX) racer won’t settle for anything less than gold as he eyes redemption out east this Labour Day weekend.
The final round in the Canadian Triple Crown series’ MX Tour is slated for Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 5-6) in our nation’s capital and Jess Pettis currently holds the top podium position after the first four races.
After claiming gold on the opening two tracks, the 22-year-old finished second and first respectively in the third and fourth circuits.
Pettis earned the silver on the Walton, Ont. track, crossing the finish line in second place during both 250PRO heats.
A week later in Ottawa on the Sand Del Lee track, he easily retook the top spot in the overall standings by speeding to first in all three heats.
“It’s been a great season so far,” he tells PrinceGeorgeMatters, “and I’m hoping to keep things rolling [...] to finish out the series.”
In 2019, Pettis was able to finish second overall on the MX Tour, but was forced to drop out of Supercross (SX), the final stint of the three-discipline national championships, due to a torn ACL.
The KTM pilot says that incident motivated him to get even more healthy so when it was time for competition in 2020, he could be as consistent as he already is.
“I have had a long off-season to build my fitness and work on my weaknesses, which has allowed me to come into the series strong and ready to battle,” Pettis describes.
“I’m going to keep my same training program for the next few weeks.”
The final MX track is one that Pettis is all too familiar with as the Canadian Triple Crown Tour decided to stay in Ottawa for Round Five due to the COVID-19 situation in Quebec.
“This season has been weird, for sure, with COVID-19, and our series was cut from eight rounds to five,” he replied when PrinceGeorgeMatters asked about the ‘quieter’ atmosphere in light of the pandemic forcing organizers to exclude fans for health and safety reasons.
However, Pettis’ focus remains on the stakes this weekend if he hopes to complete his 250PRO season with a big $100,000 cheque, and trophy, in hand.
“We have races Saturday and Sunday, which makes for a long weekend of racing, and that’s almost the same amount as our usual year. With no fans allowed, and all the social distancing rules, it has made it feel weird, but I’m just glad I am able to race.”
Pettis will look to tear up Ottawa’s Sand Del Lee track once more on Saturday and Sunday.
A win would give him a great position for the two-round SX Tour at Gopher Dunes in Courtland, Ont.
Pettis currently holds 266 points through four races in the 2020 standings, 48 points ahead of second place and 58 in front of third.
