Aden de Jager Jacksonville Report

In two weeks prior to Jacksonville Supercross I attended some local Motocross Races. The experience was excellent and was tones of fun riding in different and muddy conditions. The Jacksonville Supercross was my last Supercross Race as I cannot afford to travel to the West Coast for the remaining rounds. Instead I will be participating in a number of Motocross Races to qualify for Loretta Lynns and the MX Nationals.

Qualifying/Practise 1 : The track was tight but a lot of fun featuring a big triple out of a flat corner. I put in a few good laps getting to know the track and sorting out my lines. My fastest lap was a 1:01min making me 16th fastest in my B/C group.

Qualifying/Practise 2: I was a bit more relaxed in my second Practise and was riding smoother and did some faster laps. My goal was to reach under a minute in this qualifying. I set my fastest lap towards the end of Practise in the 59:00’s min and felt pretty comfortable with the track and a fairly solid time. I qualified again 16th out of 22 riders and landed a position in the second heat for the night show.

Heat 2: I was positioned towards the outside on the gates, so I knew I had to sneak up the inside when they dropped to get to the corner. I was in approx 12th position exiting the first corner. Coming up to the first triple the rider in front of me did not jump the triple, and I made the costly mistake of doubling over it. I was riding fairly strong and tried to pass another rider going up the inside of another triple however I drifted a little wide and landed on a tough block on the down ramp resulting in going over the bars. Once I had gotten up and started the bike again, I noticed the handle bars were out of place so I went to the mechanics area to straighted them up. I knew I didn’t have a chance now, so I continued to race and use my Heat race as another practise for the LCQ.

LCQ: Once again I was lined up on the outside due to my result in my Heat race. Sneaking up the inside worked fairly well in my Heat so I decided to do that again to gain a good position heading into the first corner. I was in approx 11th position after the first corner. I was lying just outside the top 10 for half a lap but over jumped the tabletop-single a little causing me to drift wide and roll the first jump in the first rhythm section which allowed two riders to step on-step off beside me. I had a good battle with a Suzuki rider until the end of the race finishing in myself getting the upper-hand. I finished in 15th position for the night.

All of the Supercross Rounds were amazing. The experience was invaluable and I definitely learnt what it takes to make it in the sport of Supercross. I’m really looking forward to being able to race the Australian Supercross with the knowledge and experience I have gained while being over here in America.

I must give a huge Thank You to Roger Dinsdale from Pro-Motion Suspension for his hard work on my bike. The suspension was imaculate for the race and definitely made it that bit easier on the track.

I also have to say Thank You to everyone helping me out; Alpha Motorsports, Yamaha, GYTR, Yamalube,Pro Motion Suspension, FLY, Kali Protectives, No-Toil, Kenda, Stomp, AXO boots Hammerhead Designs, Go Pro, Scott, Ogio, Mum and Dad, without them this would not be possible.

I really appreciate everything you all have done for me while being here. Your support and help was tremendous througout the entire Supercross Series. I look forward to competing in the Motocross Series.