Jason Anderson
By: Brent Stallo

Will Jason Anderson be the next Ricky Carmichael? How about the next Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, James Stewart or Tim Ferry? Or, will Jason Anderson be the first Jason Anderson? 

The lanky New Mexican is hitting his stride right now and is making tsunami-like waves in the tight knit world of amateur motocross. His style is unconventional, his attitude full of confidence and his track record flawless. A garage packed tight with 6 foot trophies marking his numerous national titles doesn’t do this kid justice.

After earning four titles at the 37th Annual Thor Winter National Olympics in November, Jason has been taking some much deserved time off. We hooked up with the decorated KTM hot shoe after throwing down a snowboard session in his home state of New Mexico. What started out as a routine interview quickly turned into a groundbreaking discovery. Read on to find out more. Trust us; you won’t want to miss this.

Jason, what’s been going on since Mini O’s?
Just been taking some time off. We actually just got done snowboarding in Santa Fe. I’ve been in New Mexico for the last few weeks.

You’re originally from Edgewood, New Mexico, but have been spending a lot of time in California. Have you made the move permanently?
Yeah, pretty much. Like I said, I’ve been in New Mexico for the past few weeks, but we’ll be out there the rest of the year. We got a place in Murrieta and I will be training out there indefinitely.

Are you still working with Rick Johnson out there?
Yeah, kind of. He’s in the middle of his truck-racing season right now, so he’s been super busy. I’ve been working with Sebastian [Tortelli] a lot lately, but Rick is still helping me out quite a bit.

This is a big year for you. You are one of the older, more seasoned riders in the intermediate class. How has everything been going thus far?
It’s going good. I got four championships at Mini O’s [at Gatorback, FL] and everything went really well for me there. The plan is to go through Texas in the ‘B’ class, then turn pro after that, maybe do Unadilla for my first national. I’m not quite sure yet, we’ll just have to see how things go in Texas.

Wow, that’s big news. So you are actually thinking about doing your first national this year?
Yeah, maybe, we don’t want to rush things though. If I’m not ready, then I will stay amateur another year, but if I am, then that’s the plan.

Who is in charge of making that decision? Is it just you and your family or does KTM play a part in it?
KTM definitely has a big say in it, but they feel that I will know when I’m ready and that I will be able to make the right decision, so they are kind of leaving it up to me.
Would you race any amateur nationals as an ‘A’ rider or would you just go straight to Unadilla?
No, I would still race some amateur stuff. I will probably do Mammoth, the World Mini’s in Las Vegas and Loretta’s. I will probably skip Ponca this year in order to focus on the longer motos at Loretta’s.

So what are the plans for the rest of the off-season?
I’m not really sure. I’m kind of taking a break right now. I’ll go back to California next week for A1, then I’ll get up with my trainer, Sebastian, and we will begin getting ready for the Spring Nationals. I can’t wait.    

Very cool. Good luck with the training and we’ll see ya in Texas…and maybe Unadilla.
Thanks a lot.

Interview compliments of Vurbmoto.com