BY Jadd Knox
Jadd Knox’s “Circus Jumper” story ran in the August issue of Racer X Illustrated. Subscribe today to read this full feature and for more in-depth stories about the most dramatic hour in supercross history, the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Throttle Jockey’s Davis brothers, an all-female moto campout, and much more.
Jadd Knox grew up in rural northern Illinois and was part of a racing family. Knox has done a little bit of everything in order to make a living on a dirt bike—from freestyle to AX, SX, MX … you name it. Today, Knox makes his living riding circus shows. It’s an incredible story, which you can read more about in the August issue. Here's Knox to tell you a bit more about his story and what it’s like to ride a dirt bike in a circus
After a full year of doctor visits, rehab, physical therapy, and a titanium rod running from my knee to my hip with three screws, I'm fully rebuilt and on my way to Orlando to join one of the oldest circus shows in the world: The Royal Hanneford Circus. It feels like I’m going home and that is why I enjoy riding on the tour so much.
Everyone in the circus is one big family, really. We are some of the most talented people in the world and we all help and encourage each other to perform at our best. The connections you make with the other riders on tour and the entire circus staff, from the animal trainer to the announcer, is special and it’s something that I don’t ever want to give up. It reminds me of my days when I would travel around the country with my arenacross family. So many friends, so many memories.
But now that I’m getting older and my list of injuries continue to grow, people always ask me how long I think I will be able to do this, or what am I going to do when I retire? I try not to think about that because I can say I honestly don’t know what I’ll do and I know it will be a sad day when the time comes to step away for good. Maybe I’ll get lucky and get to write more articles for my favorite dirt bike magazines, but I can’t think about that now because those days, I assume, are a long way away, or at least I hope they are.
If you ever have a chance to come to the Royal Hanneford Circus, you should come see me and my family perform, I promise you won't be disappointed and my family will always have an open seat for you at the circus. For now, you can read about the day where my worst nightmare came true and I was forced to step away from my family for a year.
