“I’d like to thank my sponsors: Justin my mechanic, best friend and brother, VP Racing Fuels, Signworks Graphics, Fox Suspensions/RMR Suspensions, FMF Racing, K and N Filters, Kimpex Distributors, CNC Crash Co., Moto Tassanari, Tubliss Tires, and Smith Optics.”
The shout outs are a lot to remember, especially in the excitement of winning a race with the adrenaline still coursing through his body, but it’s a routine that Lake Country’s Trevor Pearson, an emerging talent on the national motocross scene is becoming increasingly accustomed to.
Last month Pearson attended the CMA Canadian Nationals in Agassiz. He competed in two categories. In his regular Novice A division he took first place amongst the junior riders in his age bracket. He repeated his victory again in the Sports division in which novice, intermediate and pro riders compete against one another.
On the heels of his wins in Agassiz, Pearson raced at the recent CMRC BCMA Pro-Am in Kamloops. The event drew some of the top riders from across the Northwest. Pearson rode in three events as an intermediate meaning that at just 14 years old he was racing against riders as old as 20. His finishes included two fifth places in the Intermediate MX250 and Youth categories as well as a seventh place in the Intermediate Grand Prix.
Despite his successes, Pearson hasn’t forgotten why he started competing in the first place.
“I like that the competitions are something that the whole family comes to. Everyone has a job to do, my mom does the cooking, my sister takes the pictures and my brother makes sure the bike runs,” says Pearson.
Pearson’s Dad Chris goes on to elaborate that his kids used to play hockey and that games in different towns meant that the family didn’t see much of each other on the weekends.
To prepare for his races, Pearson follows a fitness and diet regimen involving workouts during the week and no sugar after Wednesdays.
“I like the training because the races motivate me to get better and at the level I’m at I know I need to be doing these things during the week if I want to keep up to the other riders,” says Pearson.
Fitness has become even more important this year as Pearson has stepped up to a large 250cc bike that is twice the size of the one that he’s ridden in the past. He says strength and endurance is critical so that he is able to maneuver the bike properly and pick it up and get going again should he fall off.
And falling off is a very real part of motocross that riders must learn to accept if they want to be competitive. The start of a race sees 40 riders lined up shoulder to shoulder. On their cue to go, everyone charges down a straightaway that funnels into a narrow corner with only enough room for a single rider to lead the pack through the turn. Add to this jumps that can send riders flying 100 feet through the air and it sounds like a recipe for broken bones.
“I’ve been pretty lucky so far,” says Pearson. “I’ve had one concussion after a bad landing and I fractured my shoulder once after going over my handle bars. When I know I’m going to fall I just don’t think about it too much. I know it’s going to hurt but you just learn to roll with it.”
Now that he’s racing in the Intermediate category, Pearson is able to try to qualify for the Pro-Nationals. That event draws riders from all over the world and is even televised.
Pearson admits that to make the Pro-Nationals, especially at his age, is a long shot but he’s not relying on racing as a career anyway. The straight A student at George Elliot Secondary is planning on a career in law. Through experiences with his sponsors he’s learned of opportunities to work as a lawyer in the motocross community and he hopes to remain involved in his favourite sport in that capacity.