PRAIRIE CITY, Calif. — Last Saturday afternoon at Fox Raceway, Jordan Jarvis had 30 seconds to pull into the starting gate and prepare for her shot at the second 250 Class moto of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross.
When Ty Masterpool exited the racetrack after the sight lap, officials gave Jarvis the go ahead to enter the race as an alternate just as the 30-second board was being hoisted.
From there, it was gate drop on 30 minutes plus two laps of racing.
Jarvis finished in 34th position, taking a 40th overall result in light of her DNS for the first moto of the day.
“If I’m being honest, this year I’m kind of getting tired of making it in as an alternate. I want to just make it straight through,” Jarvis said. “But I’ll take what I can get.”
Jarvis rides the No. 301 Yamaha YZ250F in the 250 Class of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. (Grace Woelbing photo)
Jarvis made history the first time she made it into a Pro Motocross race as an alternate, which was at WW Ranch in 2020.
She became the first woman to qualify for an outdoor national using modern qualifying processes.
Ironically, back at WW Ranch, Jarvis only had “maybe 10 or 15 seconds” to prepare for gate drop, as she again wasn’t notified that she was the alternate rider until after the sight lap was complete and the gate was filled.
“It wasn’t a lot of time, but unfortunately, I’m getting used to it,” Jarvis said with a laugh.
However, this season holds new potential for Jarvis, as she is committed to attending every round in the series and remains fueled by her lifelong drive to race.
Her short-term goal this year: make every moto. Her long-term goal: start scoring points.
Jarvis is back on a Yamaha Y250F after a few years riding a Kawasaki KX250F — a team change that occurred in January of this year. Since then, she has spent time learning the bike, riding a few times a week while also maintaining a physical training schedule.
“I definitely feel more comfortable on the bike this year,” Jarvis said. “One or two months ago, something just clicked.”
While being content with her bike setup is certainly a key factor in her performance, Jarvis is also aided by the experience and knowledge she’s gained by having track time in the pro class these past two years.
It’s been a 16-year road of racing for Jarvis, now 21 years old, to end up in the paddock at Pro Motocross as a professional rider.
“When I was growing up, I wanted to be the best woman,” Jarvis said.
Her eye was on Women’s Professional Motocross (WMX), which was still very much alive when she was a kid. As the years passed and the WMX series began to fade, “I kind of had to shift my views and my dreams a little bit,” Jarvis says.
When she was 14, Pro Motocross began to come into play as the next step for her career. By 19, she was making history on the track as the only woman among 40 racers.
Her best finish in the series so far is 27th place — a result she hopes to better this year.
“If I can get to the motos, I can do pretty well. I just have to get to the motos,” Jarvis said.
While her dream of racing in this class of elite riders stays constant, beyond her career in Pro Motocross, Jarvis hopes to see some form of WMX return. For her, the possibility of making a living competing in the pro ranks is slim — even in spite of her record-breaking rides.
“If there was some sort of women’s class to come back, we could have some sort of career out of it,” Jarvis said. “It probably won’t happen in my career, but if I could make this a sport for women again, that would be awesome.”
Despite the uphill battle she has to fight in Pro Motocross, Jarvis is still holding out hope for this season and is anxious to make it straight to gate drop at Hangtown this Saturday.
She added, “It’s my sport, I chose it.”
If this weekend’s qualifying goes as planned, Jarvis will be lining up alongside the best motorcross riders in the country — including the likes of the Lawrence brothers, Jo Shimoda and Michael Mosiman.
And if it doesn’t, then maybe she’ll have 30 more seconds to get ready to ride.
Keyword: Jordan Jarvis: 30 Seconds To Gate Drop