Number Cruncher: Jason Thomas

August 28, 2008, 2:27pm

Welcome to the Shift Number Cruncher. A couple of weeks ago we had Jason Thomas host The Racer X Motocross Show alongside the infamous Jason Weigandt, and he did a real bang-up job. It’s no new practice to incorporate former or current professionals into broadcasts. Nobody really knows the sport better than the guys who are out there on the track, and every once in a while, a rider comes along who has a personality to match his riding skills. JT$ is a true privateer, and with him it’s all about the passion. We’re devoting this week’s Shift Number Cruncher to him and some of the digits he has used throughout his career. You’ll notice Thomas has been buried in the 30s for most of his career—there is something to be said for cementing yourself that high in the AMA top 100.

Jason has been getting it done for quite some time. Check him out here, back in 2001 and riding a chainsaw. I mean Husky. This team was a pretty cool gig and sported some big-name riders. photo: Racer X Archives
JT$ was quick enough on his Husqvarna to drop his number four spots to AMA #32 for the 2002 season. A guy who has been riding as long as Thomas has knows all too well what it’s like to hit the ground. Jason’s tougher than hell, though. He’s kind of built like Carmichael—you can pretty much throw him out of a car and he’ll just ball up and roll out of it. photo: Racer X Archives
After taking a dip in the rankings in 2003 to #54, Thomas rode well enough to get himself back in the 30s, and he wore the #38 on the new Subway Honda team. Thomas rode particularly well in supercross this season. photo: Racer X Archives
Another strong season, and yet another number in the 30s! Here we have JT$ sandwiched in between Reedy and KW at the Vegas Supercross. photo: Racer X Archives
Thomas was really beginning to hit full stride in his supercross career during this time in his career. He carried his lowest number yet in 2006, #31, and rode strong enough to keep it through the 2007 season. photo: Racer X Archives
Thomas is still getting it done. You may have caught Steve Matthes’ Southwick Observations where he spoke the truth about Thomas. Jason is one of the only guys who can almost match his first and last lap times. When Matthes hit him up about it, Thomas replied, “I like to think that I go pretty slow, but I can go pretty slow for 40 minutes.” photo: Simon Cudby