This week’s “Inside Story” is from the world of AMA Women’s Motocross. Jessica Patterson has been a dominating force in WMX for quite some time with six number one plates to her credit. Back in 2009—after Jessica won her fifth title in 2008—a young rookie by the name of Ashley Fiolek entered the game with backing from Factory Honda and stole Patterson’s thunder, as well as her number one plate. In 2010, though—in true champion fashion—the woman they call JP$ came back to retain her title and now sits back atop the world of WMX. Now in her second year with the DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha team, JP$ started off 2011 with a dominating 1-1 performance at the Hangtown National opener and looks to be on her way toward possibly winning a seventh title.
MotoXAddicts gave JP a call yesterday to talk about her career and what her goals are for 2011. This is how the conversation went:
How’s it going, JP$?
Just driving to Texas.
Nice. I’m looking at a picture of you from Saturday holding that big ol’ oversized holeshot check they gave you on the podium and wondering if you have that big thing in the cab of the truck with you?
Actually, yeah, I have it. (Laughs) I gotta go to a big bank to cash it. (Laughs)
I’ve always wanted to see what a bank would do if you walk in with one of those big things and try to cash it.
I would like to see what they really do with it—like “uh, we don’t take those.” (Laughs)
(Laughs) So you’re heading to the heat and humidity of Texas. Where are you originally from?
Tallahassee, Florida. Texas is no big deal. I’m loving it coming back—all the heat and humidity. I’m pretty pumped.
Growing up in Florida, when did you start racing? How old were you?
I started riding when I was 7 and racing at about 9. My dad kind of rode and raced, and I just kind of followed him around and rode with him a lot. I’ve just always been a tomboy ever since I was a baby. My dad always had me in some kind of motorized car or go-carts or something. Anything with a motor on it, I had it. It just went that way. I went to one of Carmichael’s races with him to see what racing was all about, and I started going from there.
In the beginning, I assume you just always raced with the boys?
Yeah, at first there weren’t really any girls’ classes. Every once in a while in a big series—like a state series—there was a girls’ class. In the regular races, though, there weren’t any girls’ classes. I grew up riding with the boys in the first place and racing on the weekends with the guys. That’s pretty much how it all came about. I think that’s how I got to where I am now.
What level did you get to with racing just versus the guys?
I started racing them on 60’s. I never rode the C class; I just went from 80’s to the B class and then raced A class a little bit—then from there, to the woman’s pro class.
How pissed off would the kids get—that you noticed—when you beat them?
Oh man, (Laughs) when I first started it was horrible. The kids would get pissed off, then the dads would get pissed off at the kids, and then they would want to kill me. It was always crazy. Later on down the road—definitely in Florida and Georgia—I started to earn respect, and then it just became kind of funny. The dads would still give their kids a hard time, but it got to where it was like, “Okay, I guess this girl does know how to ride a little bit.” They kind of gave me a little more respect as it went on.
Yeah, when I was racing 80’s, I once got beat by a boy with long hair and pink racing pants, and I remember to this day my dad yelling at me saying, “How could you let a long-haired kid in pink pants beat you!?” (Laughs) That was a boy, so I could imagine how it would have been if it was a girl.
(Laughs) I heard all of that stuff before. When you’re around the kids and you hear the dads yelling at the kids—and the kids are crying—you’re like “Oh, man!” (Laughs) You feel bad, but then you’re like, “Oh, well.”
I know you’ve been at this a long time. What year was it that you went pro?
I actually went full time pro in 2000.
Were you successful right away as a pro?
I won my first year—that went good—but the next three years I went through injury after injury. I could never come back fully recovered at 100%. At that point, I was young still and making stupid mistakes trying to come back too early. Then from 2004 on, I started winning again. I won four straight years after that, lost two and then won again.
I’m curious because back in like ‘97 thru 2000 I remember the Women’s National Champion riding the boys local C class where I raced and not winning. Now, though, the top girls are running lap-times that put them close to the top 40 at an AMA National. How much do you think the talent level has progressed from 2000 when you started until now?
Oh man, it’s a huge step up. The whole Women’s MX thing has just moved up big—sponsorship-wise, support-wise—and you gotta be on your game now. I remember before you could just do a little bit of training here or there and maybe ride after school or whatever. Now it’s reached a whole new level, and it takes extra of everything. You gotta put in the training and the time on the bike to make it a complete package. To be up there winning, you have to take it serious now.
A lot of fans don’t realize the top ladies now are genuine pro speed and there were a couple nationals last year—like Pala—where you were 100ths of a second from qualifying times.
Yeah, I guess we had a couple close times. At Pala, it was like .2 of a second I didn’t do it by.
It was close! Have you thought much about trying to qualify for an AMA National with the guys?
You know, I’ve wanted to, and I’ve talked about it. It’s something I’ve really wanted to do, but right now—with things being as serious as they are—Yamaha and the team [DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing] aren’t too pumped on me trying to do that and taking the risk right now. I would love to and that’s kind of what my goals are right now. This year, even though we’re not in the same practice, my goals are to get my times as close as I can to the top 40 guys. Hopefully, eventually I’ll get to that point, but right now they just want me to concentrate on what I’m doing now.
I think it would—to put it bluntly—shut a lot of people up if you qualified. (Laughs)
(Laughs) Definitely, that’s why I would love to do it. I know there are people out there that say our times aren’t even close. They also got to remember they’re a practice ahead of us, they’re out there with a faster pace of people, and that makes it easier to go faster.
In practice, your times are just off the top 40, but in the actual races your fast laps are often faster than a handful of the guys’ fast laps. I haven’t checked this week, but at Pala I remember you were faster than a handful of guys.
Yeah, even this past weekend I had close times to about the twentieth guy.
You were on a gnarly track this weekend.
Oh my God, was it gnarly. It was definitely crazy for sure, definitely a tough way to start out the Nationals. It’s usually pretty smooth from last year, but this year started off gnarly. It was good, though, and it made for good racing, that’s for sure.
I want to go back a little to 2009. What was it like to have Ashley come up and, as a rookie, take the title from you?
It was pretty horrible, actually, but it’s to be expected. You know, you want to stay on top and win as long as you can, but you would hope somebody is going to take that next step, push it, take you off and win. Some people want to see a new winner. It helped me be a better rider, and I learned a lot of things that kept me pushing. It was horrible, but it was good at the same time.
I’ve noticed ever since you got some big-time bike sponsorship that you have been pretty dominant again. How much of it do you think was bike in 2009, with Ashley on the Factory Honda and you on the privateer bike?
It was a pretty big deal. In 2009 on the Hondas, I was pretty much right with her until I crashed. The crashes and mistakes would come from me having to push that extra little bit to stay with her. I think getting that bike and making up that little bit that I needed helped me smooth out all the little mistakes.
I would hear you comment on the bike back then and thought to myself that she’s maybe just using it as an excuse, but from the time you got on the GEICO bike—and then on the Star Racing bike—you’ve been dominant. So, you made a believer out of me. That’s for sure.
Yeah, before I got that whole GEICO Powersports deal, I had been good friends with Ziggy and those guys, and Factory Connections has done my stuff for awhile. They said, “Okay, since she’s complaining that she needs a better bike, we’ll take it and see how hers is first.” So they took my bike, didn’t say anything at first, and they gave me a new motor at Washougal and said, “Here, put this in.” From that time on that year, I didn’t lose a race. All they said was “she’s definitely complaining for a right reason.” That’s all they said, they didn’t say anything else about the motor.
So how’s the DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing/Yamaha team going?
Oh, it’s awesome! I couldn’t be more happy than I am with them over there. Everybody on the team has been super supportive. I have the same bikes as all the guys, and they’re not holding me back just because I’m a chick. Some people think we’re just sideshows or whatever, but they take it serious—and they’re just as pumped with everything. It’s been really good, so I’m pumped with the team! We’ve done a lot of testing this year that we really didn’t get to do last year because it was all kind of last minute. It’s awesome!
I know you went 1-1 this week to open the series, and that in itself was awesome, but this week had a little icing on the cake with the FIM WMX Woman’s World Champ, Stephanie Laier, on the line. How good did it feel to be able to beat the World Champ in both motos?
I’m pumped! I raced her back when she came over before—back in 2001, 02, 03 when I was hurt. I had one injury after another and tried to come back just to beat her. That was a stupid mistake. Then, the last couple of times she came over, I beat her. That was seven years ago. Having not raced her in a long time and her coming back on top and winning over there while I’m winning over here, it was really cool to see exactly where we were. I was pumped with it, and it gave me a lot of confidence. I’m excited, and I think it’s come a long ways. We’ve both stepped up since the last time we raced.
Yeah, it was definitely a Carmichael vs. Everts type deal. She is a beast in the GP’s right now and dominating everyone, so I was definitely impressed that you and Ashley handled her.
That’s why I was pumped she was there. People were like, “Oh no, she’s here!” I was saying “That’s a good thing! I’m pumped she’s here.” It’s good for me because I’m always up for a new challenge, and I wanted something to push for besides just me and the 67 the whole time, so I was pumped that she came, and I wish she could have stayed longer and gave us all a race.
I was going to ask you what your goals are for 2011, but with six title’s in the books I assume the only result you’ll be happy with is number seven?
Yeah, seven! That’s what I’m after. That’s what I’m looking forward to, and that’s all I’ll be happy with. My only goal besides that is to get my times close to the guys. That’s all I’m really trying to do during the week now.
One last question: I logged on to a message board today and saw a thread titled “Anybody want to talk WMX?” The thread was filled with comments saying the ladies don’t belong out there. What do you say to people that act like that?
Those are just the idiots that don’t ride. (Laughs) It’s just a bunch of junk on the computer. When those guys show up and ride with us, then they can talk. (Laughs)
(Laughs) Perfect! Alright, JP, thank you for doing the interview. It’s been fun. Good luck on number seven!
Thanks! No problem.
