23rd Annual
Roadracing World Young Gun Honors:
By
David Swarts
Roadracing
World started this exclusive special feature recognizing the most promising
young road racers as an answer to pessimists who claimed America had no new,
up-and-coming young racers. This edition of the Roadracing World Young Gun
Awards marks the 23rd consecutive year of showcasing an abundance of new
talent.
Roadracing
World Young Guns have won:
FIM
MotoGP and FIM Superbike races and World Championships;
AMA
Pro races and Championships, including eight AMA Pro Superbike Championships;
A
KTM RC Cup World Final race;
The
Daytona 200 (8 times);
WERA
National Endurance Championships and WERA National Challenge Championships;
ASRA/Formula
USA Grand National and CCS National Championships;
AMA
Road Racing Grand Championships and Horizon Awards;
USGPRU
National Championships;
Many
regional and local titles.
The
competition has continually become more intense as more – and younger—racers with
higher levels of accomplishment are nominated, and the level of achievement
required to make the grade keeps getting tougher.
We’ve
spent the last several months accepting nominations and evaluating road racers
between the ages of 11 and 17 (as of the start of the 2019 season) who have, at
a minimum, won Expert-level road races and/or Championships on a 125cc
two-stroke/250cc four-stroke or larger racebike or had outstanding results as
an Amateur/Novice. Most of the Young Guns selected have done far more than the
minimum.
The
young riders recognized are the most promising young road racers in North
America. All have earned the title of Roadracing World Young Gun.
We will feature one Young Gun per day, presenting them in alphabetical order.
(Above) Jackson Blackmon. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.
Jackson
Blackmon
Age:
17.
Current
home: Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Current
height/weight: 5’6”/130 pounds.
Current
school grade level: Graduated high school.
Began
riding at age: 9 years.
First
road race: 2010, Elgin, South Carolina, SEMRA, 3rd place.
Current
racebike: Yamaha YZF-R3.
Tuners/mechanic:
Chuck Blackmon (father).
Primary
race series: MotoAmerica Junior Cup.
Top
sponsors: RiderzLaw, Blud Lubricants, Graves, FlashTune, HJC, Dainese, Motion
Pro, SBS Brakes, Drippin’ Wet, Rock Hill Powersports.
Recent
racing accomplishments: 2018 season, placed 6th in MotoAmerica Junior Cup
Championship (2 podiums, 6 top-5 finishes); 2017 season, placed 4th in
MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship (3 wins, 7 podiums), placed 16th and 19th
in KTM RC Cup World Final races at Jerez, 3 wins and 9 podiums racing with
WERA; 2016 season, placed 7th in MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship, won
Yamaha bLU cRU R3 Cup Final; 2015 season, named AMA Youth Rider of the Year,
won AMA Moto3 Grand Championship, won WERA Moto3 National Challenge
Championship
2019
racing goal: Win MotoAmerica Junior Cup Championship.
Racing
career goal: Race in one of the World Championships.
Racing
hero: Nicky Hayden.
Favorite
track: Barber Motorsports Park.
Favorite
hobby: Golf.
If I
wasn’t racing I would be…: Learning to be a mechanical engineer.
Roadracing
World Young Guns who have gone on to racing success in National or
International series include:
2017
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Jason Aguilar; 2013 AMA Pro SuperSport East
Champion Corey Alexander; AMA Pro Daytona SportBike and British Superstock 1000
National race winner Tommy Aquino (R.I.P.); 2016 AMA Road Race Horizon Award
Winner Jody Barry; two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion J.D. Beach; three-time
MotoAmerica Superbike Champion Cameron Beaubier; two-time Canadian Sport Bike
Champion Tomas Casas; 2014 Canadian Superbike Champion Jodi Christie; 2011
Daytona 200 winner Jason DiSalvo; two-time AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion,
two-time AMA Pro XR1200/Harley-Davidson Champion, and four-time Daytona 200
winner Danny Eslick; MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 race winner and MotoAmerica
Superbike podium finisher Bobby Fong; 2010 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Champion, and 2015 MotoAmerica
Superstock Jake Gagne; two-time MotoAmerica Supersport Champion and MotoAmerica
Superbike racer Garrett Gerloff; 2014 AMA Pro SuperSport Champion Hayden
Gillim; 2002 AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2006 FIM MotoGP World Champion and World
Superbike race winner Nicky Hayden (R.I.P.); 2007 AMA Pro 600cc Supersport
Champion, 2014 AMA Pro Superbike Championship runner-up, and 2017 MotoAmerica
Superbike Championship runner-up Roger Hayden; eight-time AMA Pro Superbike
race winner and two-time AMA Pro Supersport Champion Tommy Hayden; 2013 AMA Pro
Superbike Champion and 2016 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000 Champion Josh Herrin;
former MotoGP and World Superbike regular John Hopkins; 2015 FIM Supersport
World Championship runner-up Patrick “P.J.” Jacobsen; 2014 AMA Pro Daytona
SportBike Championship runner-up and 2017 MotoAmerica Superstock 1000
Championship runner-up Jake Lewis; two-time MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Championship
runner-up and MotoAmerica Superstock 600 race winner Anthony Mazziotto; MotoAmerica
Superstock 600 race winner Nick McFadden; AMA Pro SuperSport race winner
Stefano Mesa; Elena Myers, the first woman to win an AMA Pro SuperSport race;
former AMA Pro SuperSport Champion Huntley Nash; MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup race
winner and MotoAmerica Supersport race winner Braeden Ortt; 2012 Daytona 200
winner and 2010 AMA Pro SuperSport West Champion Joey Pascarella; 2016
MotoAmerica Superstock 600 Champion Bryce Prince; AMA Pro and Canadian National
race winner Chris Peris; two-time AMA Pro SuperSport National Champion and
British Supersport podium finisher James Rispoli; 2015 MotoAmerica Superstock
600 Champion, MotoAmerica Supersport race winner, and Moto2 World Championship
racer Joe Roberts; former MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup Champion Benjamin Smith; former
Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup Champion and FIM Moto2 European Championship racer
Benny Solis, Jr.; three-time AMA Pro Superbike Champion, 2009 Superbike World
Champion and MotoGP race winner Ben Spies; MotoAmerica Twins Cup race winner
Kris Turner; multi-time AMA Pro race winner Chris Ulrich; French Supersport
race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher Jayson Uribe; Chinese
Superbike Championship race winner and MotoAmerica Supersport podium finisher
Cory West; MotoAmerica KTM RC Cup and Junior Cup racer winner Ashton Yates;
Canadian Superbike race winner Ben Young; and two-time AMA Pro Superbike
Championship runner-up Blake Young.