Chasing The Podium With Jack Maxon
Story By: Jack Maxon
Photos Provided By: Cliff Maxon
Legacy is something that is handed down by a predecessor. But what that something represents is can be a little different for everyone. To some, it could be a name. For others, it could be a will, an ideology, a company, or a family tradition. For this month’s Little Ripper, a legacy has more than just one meaning, and he is ready to share with us just what those meanings are.
My name is Jack Clifton Maxon the 4th. I am nine years old and my birthday is July 2nd. I am from Henderson, NV, and going into the 5th grade. Ever since I was a baby, I would go riding with my family in the sand dunes and was riding my quad power wheel before I could even walk. I got my first Honda CRF50 dirt bike when I was three, my first real quad at five, and my RZR 170 at seven.
I have always been into anything with a motor and love to go camping and off-roading. My parents bought our Polaris RZR 170 for a play vehicle we can ride in the sand dunes and in the desert around the house. A few months after, my dad asked if I wanted to try racing. Excited to try it out, we started to look for youth UTV races in the area. After researching online, we stumbled across the 2018 UTV World Championship. It was less than four weeks away, so we scrambled to get my car race legal. My dad built a cage and doors, upgraded the wheels and tires, and mounted all the safety equipment. We were ready to go.
After getting to the race and seeing all the cars and how competitive it was, we knew jumping into the biggest race of the year was going to be tough. I had a great time, but the car didn’t hold up too well, so my dad decided we needed to make it right if we were going to start this journey.
We took off the rest of the year to build the car and figure out what we were doing. We don’t have a large team or crew backing us up. We just have a home-built car my dad and I built. I focused on racing WORCS for 2019 and unfortunately, never had a podium finish. However, I still finished the year in 5th place overall for the series. It was a lot of fun for my first year of racing and I learned as we went. I competed again at the 2019 UTV World Championship. I didn’t get the best finish after getting turned around on the track but had an amazing time and learned a lot.
In late 2019, we learned a lot more and picked up a few sponsors. My dad and I then rebuilt the car for a third time to make it what it is today. I am eager to start the 2020 race season with a much more competitive car and more knowledge. I competed at the 2020 MINT 400 and plan to race in the WORCS series and the BITD youth series. I also plan to race again at the 2020 UTV World Championship. A few of the races have been stopped so far but I am hoping to make it up in the months to come.
Racing the 2020 Parker 250 was one of my favorites. BITD puts on a great race and fun track. With a big turnout and a lot of talented racers, it was definitely a challenge. In the 2020 WORCS series, I moved up to the 9-12 year age and it has been a lot of fun and challenging keeping up with the fast older kids! The car has still been a huge learning curve for my dad and me, getting it dialed without issues, but we are making progress. The 2020 Mint 400 was a lot of fun from being downtown on the Las Vegas strip to being on the race track with my little sister Mia Maxon on her very first race. I had an amazing time racing all my friends and meeting new youth racers.
I really appreciate my parents supporting me in my race career and we have had a lot of fun and memorable times. The off-road community is the best. I also appreciate all the support my sponsors have given me. When I’m not racing I enjoy riding my dirt bike, BMX and scooter, driving RC cars, and playing video games. My parents say I’m an easy-going and kind kid—always looking to make new friends and try new things. I have really enjoyed racing my 170 and am looking to add a bigger car soon. We are still deciding on what class to move to next. I plan to keep racing short course cause I love to jump, but I would love to start doing some longer desert racing. My goal for the rest of this season is to get as much practice in as possible and get on the podium before the year is up. I really love pushing my abilities and learning on and off the track.
Give Jack a follow @jack_maxonracing to see where his racing takes him next!
