December 18, 2002
Motocross maven Jacob Gillis throttles the competition
8-year-old Traverse City resident compiles record of 19 straight first-place track finishes
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Jacob Gillis has a dream, a dream of one day being a professional motocross racer and making his mark in motorcycle racing history.
It is a dream that could very well come true.
Just eight years old, Gillis for now is paying his dues in the realm of amateur youth motocross.
For the past two years, he has racked up an impressive number of wins, as the nearly 100 trophies lining the shelves of his room testify. This summer he compiled a string of 19 consecutive first place finishes in races throughout the state, competing mostly against kids ages 9-12.
While he easily excels at a sport that combines strength, stamina and mental toughness, to Gillis motocross is all about fun.
"I like the riding, I like the jumping," said Gillis, a third-grade student at Norris Elementary School. "Each race, I'm thinking about what I have to do to win, try my hardest. Each lap I'm trying to go faster in the parts where I went slower."
Being airborne is a huge rush for Gillis, who aggressively attacks the hills, whose valleys can be up to 30-40 feet apart. Sailing through the air from hill to hill at high speeds requires practice and confidence coupled with the proper mix of speed, balance and precision timing.
His first time jumping the bigger hills, however, came almost as an afterthought.
"At the track at Kingsley, there was this jump that was steep and I wasn't paying attention and just jumped it," he recalled. "It was too late to let off. Then the next time around I was paying attention and jumped it and fell."
Keith Gillis, Jacob's father, believes his son has a natural combination of physical and mental talents that is propelling him to victory after victory.
"He's got a natural ability at this, it's not like taking your son and just putting him on a bike," said Gillis, who also serves as Jacob's team manager and mechanic. "He came in third in the state overall last year, despite starting from way behind in points because he started the racing season in June. He's beat the best in the state."
Jacob's motocross racing has come to involve the whole Gillis family, with one grandpa as coach and one grandma as the team cook. The whole family travels - including Jacob's mom Merideth and sister, Rachel, 11 - every weekend during the outdoor motocross-racing season, which runs from March to November. The family also travels once a month during the winter to an indoor track in Zeeland for practice.
The family purchased a motor home and customized a bike trailer for their ventures. Over the past two years of competitions, they have gotten to know other racing families from around the state, making friends and finding support for their dreams.
"This sport is a family sport," said Keith Gillis, who also coaches both his children's' hockey teams. "I've played football, baseball, basketball and hockey and this is the most family-oriented sport I've ever been in."
Jacob began riding and racing motorcycles two summers ago, borrowing one that an uncle had purchased for his boys. A race at the Kingsley motocross track soon followed, igniting Jacob's determination to be the best.
"That very first race it was not great, but he never gave up," Keith Gillis noted. "He kept improving every race."
Two years ago, during some of his early races at other tracks, he began coming in third and second. By the beginning of last year's racing season in March, something had clicked and a long string of wins followed. Keith Gillis purchased two new bikes for this coming season, a 50cc and a 65cc.
Riders wear full protective body armor, including a helmet, shin pads, boots, neck brace and a chest protector. The dirt track is approximately a mile around, though that may vary; races usually have five laps.
Falls are frequent, but riders like Jacob usually pick themselves up and keep going. Jacob's family loves to recount a race in Baja this summer where he was in first until an untimely fall let every other racer pass him by. However, Jacob got back on his bike and proceeded to pass every rider again except the leader before the race ended, ultimately coming in second.
"It is a very physically demanding sport, you are using every muscle in your body," Gillis noted.