250 Words: Budds Creek

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Jake Weimer and Ryan Dungey weren’t destined for greatness in motocross. Eyebrows raised when Suzuki plucked Dungey out of the B class to race in the pros and centered an entire TV commercial campaign around the kid from Minnesota. But in his three pro seasons, Dungey has proven the doubters wrong, and now he will represent AMA Team USA in the premier class at the Motocross of Nations, on a 450 in MX1.

Weimer is also a member of AMA Team USA, and he didn’t make huge headlines when he was an amateur, either. He rode solid races as a member of Suzuki’s program, and then Factory Connection Honda took him as a fifth member of their team when he turned pro. That move was a bit of a surprise, too. Weimer finished 13th in his rookie supercross season in 2006, and a whopping 36th in the Lites class outdoors.

But Jake never gave up. He rose to prominence with a Saturday night win at the U.S. Open in 2007, beating the world’s best 450 riders while riding a 250 (granted, Chad Reed took most of the 450 comp down in the first turn). He won his first supercross last season, and charged to a solid fourth in the motocross tour.

Weimer didn’t explode in the pro ranks. He has mounted a steady climb, and now he has won three AMA Pro Motocross overalls. At Budds Creek, he earned it by holding off Dungey in a straight up duel in the first moto, and then winning a muddy moto two.

{LINKS}When you think about it, all three Team USA members are riders who made their names as pros through hard work and a never-give-up spirit. Now Weimer is in the record book as a three-time race winner and a member of Team USA. That’s encouraging news for the riders who aren’t lighting it up yet and winning every race yet. Weimer proves that with patience and hard work, the wins and accolades can come.