Jesse James headed to Monster Mountain on the weekend with LGR MXC ahead of the 2024 Nora CRS Development Team Boot Cup in August, plus the MX Master Kids UK. Following some close battles Jesse ended the weekend on a high with a top ten finish.
Hear how Jesse’s weekend went below.
The last time Jesse rode at the Mountain, he struggled to stay on the bike. For the first race of the weekend Jesse couldn’t get out of the gates, which made it hard work for him to catch up. During the moto Jesse managed to make some great passes to get into the top 10 and managed to end with a eighth overall.
Next up was race two and the weather decided it was going to change and we were welcomed with the heavens opening, which made for some tricky conditions. Jesse found himself caught up behind some 85cc Big Wheel rider and by the time he managed to pass them, it was a bit to late in the race to make the last push but finished with 10th position.
The third race you really couldn’t write it, after the wet race before and then the fog came down. Jesse flew out of the gate and by the time he reached the first corner visibility was low. Jesse made some great corner passes staying focused until the end. Even on the second to last corner Jesse made a tremendous pass to push into 5th position.
We then moved to Sunday’s racing with three races. With some heavy overnight race and a lot more riders attending the event for the day only, the grids were stacked.
It was a 10th place finish as the chequered flag went out on the fourth moto of the weekend at Monster Mountain. Jesse had a strong race until a group of riders were bunched together which unfortunately made Jesse have a bit of a month in between them and couldn’t really recover after this. Overall he kept his head down and made sure he stayed on until the end race.
The penultimate race Jesse couldn’t get the start dialled, but rode a fast race as it felt each race got quicker and within a couple of seconds of the leaders on lap times. His pace was there but needs to be cleaner out of the gate, as starts are important.
The final moto was here and the dry conditions made for a challenging race, with riders struggling to main control due to the dusty track conditions. As the race progressed, riders were met with obscuring visibility and making it even more hard for Jesse to navigate the tight corners and jumps with a 9th overall in the race.
Overall it was fantastic to be back at Monster Mountain again. Jesse rode some great races and has made massive improvements since the last time he took on the circuit. Jesse can’t wait to ride there again very soon.
