Jordan Jarvis has taken her Motocross career to the next level, competing in first ever AMA Pro Motocross Championhip 250 class at High Point, Pennsylvania at the weekend. Finishing 42nd in Qualfying session one, then 48th in Q2, Jordan hit the Consolation Race feeling well inspired to try her best.
And best she did- shaving Q best lap-time of 2.20.494 to 2.19.840 putting #301 in top 5, before incident on track put paid to worthy result.
Was she nervous making such debut performance which would ultimately cap her goals of making first ever Main in AMA Pro Outdoors?
#301: ‘Coming into High Point I honestly don’t think I was that nervous. But sitting in staging for practice I did start feeling it a little bit. I did notice in the first practice that I got a little arm pump so I guess I was a little more nervous than I thought. I was having so much fun being out there that by the second practice I wasn’t even thinking about the nervousness’.
‘Qualifying went well. First practice I was sitting 42nd, by the end of the second practice I was sitting 48th. Coming into this race I was expecting to come close. Being that close at my first race is huge for me’.
And, it’s huge for Women Motocross racers not just today but long into the future. It was back in 1971, America’s Kerry Kleid was the first women to recieve a professional motocross rider license, which was revoked after it was discovered she was a woman. Why? When processing her license paperwork, the registry did not know she was a female because there was no box to tick- that indicated male or female.
When Kerry turned up to race her first AMA Pro Outdoors at Unadilla she was told she could not race because she was a woman. Kerry went to court and eventually won her license back. This was the first time in history when women understod that they could be professional MX riders.
So, yes it is huge that Jordan Jarvis, America’s 2018 WMX Champion and ‘AMA Female Racer of the Year’ has taken on board most challenging year to date.
Not only has she raced 2019 Supercross Futures in 3 classes earlier in year, then onto racing Area and Regional Qualifyers for WMX at AMA Amateur National MX Championship at Loretta Lynn’s and now racing AMA Pro MX Championship Outdoors selected Rounds.
With plenty of verve, spirit and courage to achieve her highest standard of racing against all male-250cc class, Jordan has to be admired for fronting up at Round 4 of 12 Rounds of AMA Pro MX Championship Series.
#301: ‘I was so excited coming into the race. I was nervous, obviously but I wanted to make history and be the first girl to make it. The experience was definitely intimidating but I was ready to lay everything on the line’.
‘The track was crazy rough. I think this was the gnarliest I’ve ever seen High Point. I’ve raced High Point two other times but the track was no where near the same. I crashed pretty hard a couple weeks ago and I haven’t really been able to ride much so it was hard coming into it’.
Having proved ability to clock up comparable best lap-times against the guys, Jordan went into Consolation Race knowing she was capable of running top 5- just the boost in confidence needed given goals are to make the Mains in up-coming Pro-Outdoors Rounds.
# 301: ‘Coming into the race I knew where I stood with my lap-times. I needed a good start and if I did I knew I could run top four’.
‘I’m doing the rest of the Nationals except Washougal and Spring Creek. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m ready to fight my way into some mains’.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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