Out of the Blue | Jamie Astudillo | Presented by Schrader’s

Out of the Blue | Jamie Astudillo | Presented by Schrader’s

By Jensen Amyotte

Name: Jamie Astudillo

Date of Birth: October 16, 2000

Hometown: Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania USA

Grade or Occupation: Sophomore year of university 

Race Number: 469

Bike: KTM 250 SXF

Race Club: FIM MXGP Series

Classes: FIM WMX World Championship

Who/what inspired you to get into the sport of motocross and how long have you been racing/riding? 

I started racing motocross at the age of 3. In AMA, the minimum age limit to race is 4 but my mom went up to sign up and said I was 4 years old so they would let me race, but my dad is who had the riding background. So, I give credit to both of them for getting me into the sport of motocross.

As a racer, are there any obstacles you feel a female racer has to deal with that maybe a male racer does not?

Male or female racers have to deal with a lot, I wouldn’t say there’s any specific thing that a female racer deals with that a male racer wouldn’t. I will say female racers have to deal with more people doubting us and having even more of a hard time finding sponsorships because we don’t have the opportunities that male racers do. 

What is your favourite track and why?

My all time favourite track is Red Bud! I can say this without any bias, USA has the best tracks in the world. Being in Europe the past two years has definitely has shown me we have some pretty awesome tracks in the USA, but on the top of my list is Red Bud. They really take care of that facility and that track is just awesome.

Tell us about your 2021 race season and your plans for 2022.

My 2021 season didn’t really go as well as I had hoped. I started off the year before the season even started with two big crashes that left me in the hospital with internal bleeding issues. Once we got the season underway in Loket, Czech Republic for the first round if the FIM WMX World Championship bad luck struck me in both races that weekend which seemed to follow me throughout the year.

My plans for the 2022 season is to head back over to Europe to again race the FIM WMX World championship with the Jezyk racing team.

What are your biggest accomplishments to date?

My biggest accomplishment to date would be the races I’ve finish in the top ten in the World Championship. I’ve had several podiums at Loretta Lynn’s and in the AMA WMX Series when it still existed but to be able to say I was in the top ten best in the world on those days is really cool to me. But I’m not settling, I’m still working hard for better results and hopefully to run up front more.

What is the biggest lesson that motocross racing/off-road has taught you so far?

Not to give up. Nothing comes easy and there’s always room to learn and improve. I’ve worked my whole life to have gotten to where I am today but there’s still so much work to be done.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

I hope that I still have the opportunity to race and if I’m not I definitely see myself still in the motorcycle racing industry. I am currently studying towards my Bachelors degree in Sports Management, so I don’t plan on leaving the racing world behind when I stop full-time racing.

What kind of track/dirt do you feel you excel at most and why? 

I gel with tracks that have real grippy dirt, big ruts and more technical tracks. That’s what I grew up riding and still train on tracks like that a lot so that’s what I’ve gotten the best at, in my opinion.

If you ever have children will you give them the option to race as well? 

Of course, racing has given me the opportunity to meet so many people and see so many different places. It’s for sure something I would do in the future if I have kids, something I’d like to get them into. 

If you could give 1 piece of advice to a female of any age who wants to start riding what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to try it! Now more than ever there are so many women and girls riding and enjoying motorcycles!

Do you see yourself ever competing in the Canadian WMX Triple Crown series? 

I would love to race in the Canadian WMX Triple Crown series if I could get the opportunity to.  

What are your thoughts on the Canadian WMX Triple Crown series?

My thoughts about the series are that it’s great. They are doing a great job with promotion and turnout. It’s the only well-established WMX Series on this side of the Atlantic. In my opinion, with some good purse money the series could get girls from all over North America to go and compete, which would make the series more competitive and prestigious.  

Who would you like to thank?

I would like to thanks Jezyk racing team, SOBMX.COM, O’neal Racing, Arai Helmets, Scott goggles, Mxtire.com, Dunlop tires, Blud Lubricants, Asterisk, Yoshimura, Guts Racing, Flowmotion racing, Pasion mx, Hinson Clutch Components, Ohlins USA.