Dedicated to his sport

Times Reporter

 

One Strathmore area resident has been working at making his dreams come true and was recently awarded the Top Award for the Western Canadian Amateur National Motocross Races. The races are held every July in Raymond, Alberta. The Bronze Boot Award, which is sponsored by Parts Canada and Alpinestar, is awarded to the top rider of the week.

Jared Petruska, 17, was the top rider of the week. He raced the 450cc Intermediate, 250 Intermediate and GP Intermediate classes, and won a total of 8 out of 9 races in the event.

Petruska started racing when he was six years old, but started seriously racing when he was twelve. 

“My dad bought me a bike when I was six, and we started out just riding out in the mountains, then I went on track and I turned out to be really good at it,” said Petruska.  

“We live on an acreage so I ride out there a bit and there’s a pretty good track in the city, in Calgary so I go there quite a bit.” 

This past season Petruska also began racing in some of the National Pro Races. During the Canadian Motocross Racing Association series, Intermediate Amateur racers are allowed to run qualifying races, and race the main event if they do qualify.

There are 600 riders from across Western Canada, who must qualify for the event. Forty racers line the gates in each class. Each class races a series of three motos and point totals are given per place of finish. 

After gathering a certain number of points as an amateur, a racer must move up to pro for the next season. 

“Last year was my last year as amateur and I’ll be pro next year,” said Petruska. 

Recently Petruska made headlines in a couple of motocross magazines. He appears in the Amateur Profile of the October 2010 edition of MXP Magazine; as well as appearing in September 2010 Inside Motocross Magazine. 

Even though he is quickly becoming a top rider, he has had his share of injuries that seem to go hand in hand with the sport. 

“I’ve broken collarbones, arms, elbows, feet. I’ve had really bad head injuries which is probably the worst,” said Petruska. 

Not that the injuries have deterred him in any way. Motocross hasn’t made it as big here as it has around the world, and Petruska said he has been to the States for a few competitions. His favourite part about his sport is  “definitely jumping, and whipping.” Whipping is when a racer goes off a jump and goes sideways or flat in the air. 

In the summer he is on his bike four to six times a week and during the winter he is in the gym every day to keep in shape. “I want to race AMA Supercross in the States, that would probably be my dream,” said Petruska.