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Riding Out The Storm

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By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2008

MANGO - On a late afternoon, the rumbling of a motorbike carries across an old landfill.

As the sound approaches, dust rises. The rider, dressed in blue, emerges into view as he leaps from a 50-foot tabletop ramp on his mustard-yellow dirt bike.

A skull, surrounded by red flames, adorns the front of his bike. His helmet displays a red dragon, crawling on all fours.

As he removes his helmet, the rider reveals his sweat-soaked blond hair and face dirty from the dust.

His name is Justin Jackson, an 8-year-old motocross prodigy from South Tampa.

The Mabry Elementary third-grader has competed in races from Bartow to St. Petersburg. This year, he plans to enter the Mini O's in Gainesville, the state's largest meet for amateur motocross riders. Next year, he might consider competing at the Loretta Lynn AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships in Tennessee, the nation's largest amateur contest.

He won the last two 50 cc championship series for ages 7 to 9 at Sunshine Motocross in St. Petersburg. The series champion is based on points earned in 14 races.

Justin, who goes by "JJ," started riding at age 4 when his father put him on his first motorbike with training wheels. By age 6, he was competing. He finished second in his debut.

"He told me he wanted to race," said Frank Jackson, a former amateur racer. "I said, 'You're sure?' and he goes, 'Yeah, and I'm going to win, too.'"

"It's really, really fun," said Justin, who wants to be a professional rider.

His trophies and plaques number at least 60; he and his father are struggling to find storage space.

"I have a bunch of trophies over my bed, and whenever I jump on my bed, I break one," he said. "I keep on thinking one is going to fall on my head in my sleep."

Justin can change the oil on his bike, secure the chain links near his tires, unscrew his seat and, if he wanted to, disassemble an entire bike. His father, however, takes care of most of the upkeep and maintenance of the bike.

Justin's mother, Laura, died of pancreatic cancer four years ago, and it has been tough for the family, which also includes son Drew, who serves in the Army.

Motocross has brought Frank and Justin closer together.

"It was something we could both do together and have fun," said Frank Jackson, now a stay-at-home dad who pays the bills by building motocross racetracks and doing construction jobs here and there. "It's good exercise, and he can get his mind off of stuff. I try not to put any pressure on him."

Although he knows his son is talented, Jackson still worries during races.

"It's amazing how fast these kids go," he said.

During a race in Dade City, Justin was thrown off his bike, which flipped several times and landed on him. The bike weighs about 80 pounds.

"It landed on my hip," he said. "I couldn't walk for two weeks."

The injury didn't dent his enthusiasm.

"I wanted to keep racing," he said.

Justin, an A student whose favorite subject is math, likes SpongeBob SquarePants, baseball, tennis and football.

But his room is decorated with posters of his favorite motocross riders, primarily Ricky Carmichael. Last year, he rode with superstar motocross rider and X-Games champion Travis Pastrana, who was visiting the clay track in Mango and was astonished by then 7-year-old Justin.

"He was standing over here and he said, 'Look at this kid riding,'" Frank Jackson said. "He said, 'Man, that kid has some potential.'"

"He was really cool," Justin said.

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 865-4848.

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