ICYMI | Catching Up with Jack Wright
By Billy Rainford
Jack Wright is the rider who should be out there representing the #34, but he suffered a pre-season crash that resulted in a broken leg. The injury has kept him away from the races, but he’s getting ready to start back soon.
Jack will always be the guy who decided to drive all the way out to California with me on an hour’s notice. How hilarious is that?! It was a great road trip and I was happy to have his company.
Jack was able to travel the entire series in 2019. For many riders, that’s the number one goal of racing Pro Motocross in Canada. Jack can now check that one off his bucket list.
Here’s what he had to say when we got in touch with him this week:
Direct Motocross: Hello, Jack. Since we haven’t seen you at the Nationals this summer, let’s go back over your history so we can hang out a little longer with you. Could you tell us how you got started in Motocross in the first place?
Jack Wright: When I was five I got a PW 50. I rode that around my house hitting a driveway jump until the suspension couldn’t handle the abuse any more. After that I graduated to the PW 80 and raced that on the ice. The following spring we got a KX 65 and I went racing at OCMC every Tuesday Night. I was hooked from then on and never looked back!
And what was your first number and how did you choose it?
My first number was #12 when I was on my PW 80 because my birthday is 12/12/95. Then when I started racing OCMC that number was taken so I went with #211 so I could be “team mates” with my best buddy who took #210.
Who did you come up through the ranks with?
My last year or two on an 85’s I really started to gain some speed and can remember having some good battles with Justin Roney and Travis Roberts at the CMRC races. After that I can remember having battles with the MMRS gang… Ty Shemko, Bennet Amyotte, Brody Brown, Dawson Tracey, Nick Jones, Kyle King.. the list goes on! We all progressed together it seemed like and we really pushed each other every weekend!
You’ve always been a very stylish rider. Is this something you worked on or is that just something that came naturally?
I think I picked it up my last year on my 85. I can remember scrubbing through the “6-Pack” at Cochrane’s to gain some extra speed and it worked! I started watching Vurb Moto around then and I think that’s where I gained some knowledge and style points from! Once I got comfortable on a big bike the sky was the limit!
Who was your motocross hero growing up?
Blair Morgan was my moto hero growing up! Being able to race in 2 different professional action sports was pretty sweet back then! And my dad (Johnny Wildcat) was huge into sleds back then so it was only natural to follow Blair’s Success.
How did your 2019 racing season go? You hit the majority of the races and finished 18th overall in the 250 Triple Crown series.
2019 was a struggle for me racing-wise. I had great bike support, but just couldn’t put all the pieces of the puzzle together. On the bright side, I got to tour our amazing country with my girlfriend and some great friends!
And then this season would have really cut down on travel costs but it didn’t happen. Can you tell us what happened?
Yeah, exactly. I was looking forward to an east only series! About a month away from the first round I was practicing at a friend’s track and ended up hitting a tree when I was in the air. Right away I knew my leg was broken and saw my season and all my hard work flash before my eyes. Just like that, it was all gone. Surgery was needed to put a rod in my tibia, and recovery was started.
And how are you doing now? When can we expect to see you back?
It was, honestly, a huge struggle the first few weeks mentally, as every motocrosser knows. Time does heal just about everything and, lucky for us, our bodies don’t remember pain either! I’m feeling great now, sitting at about 6 weeks post surgery. Just waiting on the go ahead to start walking on it. I won’t be back to racing this year but I hope to be back out on the bike before the snow flies!
What does the future hold for you?
Well, right now I think life has caught up to me. Kelcey (Jones) and I are trying to save up for a house, eventually, and I am taking a few courses to widen my range of knowledge!
I am also training a few kids and would love to do some more of that!
Next year, I can see a whole ton of fun being had racing a 125!
Is there one thing you’d like to accomplish before leaving Professional racing?
Finishing in the top 10 was pretty high up on my list before I hung up the Pro boots. But I really don’t see that happening unless someone wants to pay my credit card bills or I win the lottery. Lol! I did get an 11th in a moto at PG (Prince George, BC) last year, so that will have to do!
What has been the highlight of your career?
The entire thing! I loved every minute of the racing I did over the past 14 years! Keeping it fun and low pressure is so important!
I guess you’re not too upset that you’re not doing repairs from Walton 2 last week, eh? What did you think of that?
Ya, that’s just nuts.. 4 full-length mud motos in a row is enough for me to say I wasn’t upset I missed this season! I was happy to be laying on the dock up at the cottage!
OK, thanks for taking some time with us and all the best with your recovery. See you soon, and who would you like to thank?
Thanks, Billy! I have to thank my family, Kelcey, the Jones family, Hero Goods, GP Bikes, GPP, Troy Lee Designs, Matrix Concepts.
And a Huge shout out to my guy, Tosh Hero! He has been in the hospital for more than 3 months and is in need of a heart transplant! He kept my spirits high when I was struggling after my crash. He is someone who I can always go to, and has kept me going! He is my HERO! Thanks for being you, Tosh!
