INTERVIEW
AMA SUPERCROSS 250 WEST POINTS LEADER JASON ANDERSON
P72
Pala I was like battling with, not
really the top guys, but fourth
through eighth. So, they saw
something there. They saw the
progression and saw me work
through everything that I strug-
gled with and they were willing to
give me a second chance."
He learned his lesson, and
perhaps more importantly, he
learned about the danger he re-
ally faces in his sport of choice,
and he has worked his way past
that fear.
"I guess it is crazy to think of
racing like that [that it's danger-
ous], but at the same time, you're
doing what you love and I wanted
to keep doing it," Anderson says.
"You know, we risk quite a bit out
there, but we have so much fun
doing it and living our dream that
I think it's worth it. So, I guess
that's kind of what I realized, and
now I've buckled down and just
been going after it since then."
>>GETTING IT TOGETHER
Racing is about a lot more than
just being fast. The best racers
aren't just fast, they're fit, and
they're confident. And the latter
two often come as a pair.
"It's taken a lot to do what I'm
doing," Anderson says. "I mean
with the preparation and every-
thing. Just being a guy who can
buckle down and do their deal. I
mean, when we're 18 years old,
we moved out to Southern Cali-
fornia. There's a lot going on out
here that can easily make you
not want to train during the day.
There's a lot of other things than
just getting rides and doing all
that stuff. It takes just the whole
lifestyle. You've got to turn train-
ing and riding into your life, and
that's the toughest part of racing
at this top level. It's more of a life-
style than it is a job. It's not like
you can get off work and go have
a beer and get wasted or whatev-
er. It's every day, 24-hours. Your
body is your job. I think that's the
most difficult part about it and I
think that's what some guys miss.
That's why they don't get to where
I'm at now."
Anderson really started com-
Anderson's first three
wins this year have
resulted from him
making last-lap passes,
proving that he never
gives up.
