Billy Jurevich has a new bike and can’t wait to get back into
action this week during the Oregon Supercross event.
Billy Jurevich has a new bike and can’t wait to get back into action this week during the Oregon Supercross event.
The 20-year-old has competed in a couple smaller competitions since returning from a torn ACL that sidelined him for about six months. But this
will be his first Supercross race since trying it for the first time last year.
Jurevich has been training with Gilroy boxer Dennis Sines. Jurevich said the light sparring helped he to regain movement in his knee, but said he doesn’t have any plans to leave his true love – motorcycle racing.
Jurevich, a Hollister native, started in quad racing when he was 10 years old. He turned pro when he was 16.
In 2001, he earned the Arenacross rookie of the year. He’s won four national championships and finished as high as seventh overall in the Arenacross Circuit.
He said he hopes to use his trip to Oregon this weekend to get ready for the Supercross Series season that begins in January when he will be competing in places like SBC Park and in cities like Anaheim and Phoenix.
Jurevich said he is looking forward to competing against Supercross legend Jeremy McGraff this weekend.
“He is quite a bit better than me,” Jurevich said. “I feel I can learn a lot from him just by paying attention to what he does. It will show how much I need to work on and where I am at.”
A week ago, Jurevich purchased his new Kawasaki KX 250 bike from Hollister Motorsports, who also helps sponsor him. Another big sponsor Fox Racing, which provides his gear.
He said he prefers the Kawasaki to the previous Honda bikes he was riding before because they perform better and he has better control of them.
Jurevich just started racing again three weeks ago after his injury. He mis-timed a jump and crushed his knee on the foot peg when he came down. During the same time he was out with the knee injury, he also had to have his appendix removed, extending his stay on the DL.
But for Jurevich, injuries are nothing new. Last year, he was out much of the year with injuries. He has broken several bones and has had several “minor” injuries.
“I figure every time you hop in the car there is a chance of getting injured,” Jurevich said. “Pretty much every race you have to plan on some getting scraped up in some type of crash. Most of the injuries are minor though.”
The young racer is out at the course every weekend when the weather permits it. Even with the injuries, he keeps coming back.
“I like it so much, and I wouldn’t really want to do anything else,” Jurevich said. “I am so used to having the rush of racing, I couldn’t imagine what I would do without it.
Jurevich has a track in his own front yard visible. Commuters on Highway 25 will often see him or others training on the track. When he is not busy working on his bike, he spends his time practicing or training others. Jurevich works with about 40 riders of all ages from Hollister and Gilroy.
Jurevich, a sophomore at Gavilan College, attended San Benito High for two years before leaving to concentrate on racing. He graduated from independent study in 2002.
Jurevich is currently taking general education classes and said he is thinking about attending Fresno State to major in psychology. He credits his parents, Bill and Debbie, for getting him started in racing and his grandfather Bill for supporting.
“I’ll probably keep going until I’m about 25,” Jurevich said. “If I haven’t made a descent amount of money, I will probably hang it up and try something else. I’ll keep going until I make it or can’t do it any more.”
Anyone interested in lessons can contact Jurevich at 245-6198.
