After 13 professional seasons, Jake Weimer has made the decision to retire. Jake raced the 2018 season with Smartop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda, but spent most of it injured. He didn't point to the injuries as his reason to step away, simply saying in his announcement on Instagram, "I thought long and hard about when it was time to hang up the boots and the simple answer is one day I just knew."
Weimer, from Idaho, came through the amateur ranks as a Suzuki prospect, but was picked up as a professional with the GEICO Honda team. He transitioned over to Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and experienced his greatest successes during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, battling Ryan Dungey during the '09 Monster Energy Supercross Lites West campaign and also winning 250 Nationals in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, leading to a spot on Team USA at the Motocross of Nations. That team went on to win the event.
Weimer stepped up even further in 2010 to win the Supercross Lites West Championship. He stayed with Kawasaki for the majority of his 450 career, riding for the factory Monster Energy Kawasaki team and generating 450 podiums both indoors and out. His best season might have come in 2012, when he finished fifth in the final 450SX standings and third in 450 Pro Motocross.
Weimer has informed the AMA that he will not need his AMA National #12 for the 2019 season.
Respect for Weimer goes beyond his results, though, as he was a hard worker who wasn't pegged as a can't-miss prospect in his early days. Instead, he built his speed and results steadily through the years. He was also forthcoming with his thoughts and emotions, and fans always appreciated his honesty.
Weimer's full retirement announcement—and video—is below. Steve Matthes also caught up with Jake for an interview here at Racer X regarding the retirement decision.
