Wyoming Motorcycle Racer Recovers From Broken Back To Go Pro At 17

Jason Harris shouldn’t have walked away from the motorcycle crash that broke his back during a race in Idaho in 2023. 

But he did. And even though doctors said it would be a year before he could ride again, he was back on his bike within four months and was soon racing again. 

Harris, who grew up in Lyman, turned 17 in June and has not only left that potentially devastating crash behind, he’s gone pro.

In September, he signed a contract with Husqvarna Motorcycles, joining its 2025 factory team. He’ll run long-distance desert races on high-performance 250cc motorcycles.

His father Shaun Harris got Jason his first minibike when Jason was just 4 years old. Watching his son grow into motorcycle racing has made him proud, but it’s also come with an edge of worry. 

“Yes, I’m concerned, very concerned,” Shaun told Cowboy State Daily about the worry a parent has for his child. “But it’s such a passion of his since he was very young. He had a goal to be factory rider from the time he was 5.

“Getting hurt in his sport is almost inevitable. You sent him out on a 100-mile race, and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The challenge and danger are part of the allure of racing, Jason Harris told Cowboy State Daily. 

“When I started racing, everybody told me it’s not a question of if you crash, it’s a question of when,” he said. “I’d like to think I got my big one out of the way.

“Teenage boys naturally want adrenaline, and I just picked a high-adrenaline sport.”

‘It Was Instant’

Shaun said he had no doubt the path his son would take the moment he saw Jason astride his first minibike. 

“It was instant. When he got on that bike, there was a sense of freedom for him. You could see he had a world to explore. Within the first day, he was building obstacles to challenge himself on his motorcycle,” he said. 

Jason’s parents also discovered that their son’s passion for motorcycles could help mold him into a better person.

“When he first got into it, we could see that it was his currency. We used it to encourage good behavior. We would tell him, ‘We’re going to take your riding away if you engage in bad behavior,’” Shaun said. 

Jason agreed that helped him be his best. 

“I realized, ‘Hey, this is fun, this is competitive.’ My parents used it as a way to raise a good kid. If I didn’t have good grades, I couldn’t race,” he said. 

Shaun said his son has a racer’s heart. 

“Jason was just aggressive enough, he wanted to win,” he said. “He wanted to accomplish something that others hadn’t.” 

At age 8, Jason pulled off an impressive accomplishment. 

“He was the first little kid who cleared a triple jump on his little 65 (65 cc mini-bike),” Shaun said. 

Long Courses

Mention dirt bike racing, and many people might think of motocross events – where riders run laps on groomed courses, with soaring jumps and steeply-banked curves. 

Motocross track racing is a rush, Jason said – but his chosen sport, long-distance desert racing, is different.

Riders run courses that go for 100-120 miles or more, across open country – usually along rugged two-track roads or single-track trails. 

“We’re not going for repeated laps on a closed track. Everything is new to us,” he said. “We don’t hit the same ground twice during a race.”

It’s a matter of reading the terrain and always thinking a few seconds ahead, he said, so keen eyesight is a must. 

Racers must be in peak physical condition, he added. 

“You’re wrestling a 230-260-pound machine. And you’re trying to make it do what you want it to do. It’s not like a horse. It doesn’t stand on its own. It doesn’t run on its own,” he said. 

Sometimes racers go for flat-out speed, but often it comes down to precise maneuvering around rocks, trees and other obstacles. 

“I think I’ve gotten my bike up to about 105, but normally, your average speed in those races is 30-40 miles per hour,” he said. 

‘I Was In Two Pieces’

During the fateful 2023 race in Idaho, Jason wasn’t even two miles out from the starting line when he started down a rocky dry wash, and something went wrong. 

“I hit something at a weird angle, and it bucked me off the bike. Instead of the motorcycle flying away from me, it landed on top of me, and that’s what broke my back,” he said. 

With other racers sure to come careening through, staying there wasn’t an option. 

“I got up and walked off the trail and when I did, I felt it wasn’t right. My spine was separated from my hips. I was in two pieces. I shouldn’t have been able to walk, but I did. That was the adrenaline,” he said.  

Recovery was a painful ordeal, and he ended up with six screws in his back. 

“I would say that the pain from the broken back was not as bad as the old Asian lady pulling out my catheter at the hospital,” he said. 

Being in great physical shape from training and racing helped him recover more quickly than doctors expected, Jason said. 

‘It Gives Me Energy’

It’s been amazing to watch Jason go from competing at the state and regional levels – and then win two national championships in 2024, Shaun said. 

But he hasn’t forgotten his Wyoming roots and still participates in Wyoming Off-Road Racing Association events whenever he can. 

“It’s a great series and super-fun,” Shaun said. 

While starting a pro racing career is a huge thrill, a deep love for the sport is what really matters, Jason said. 

“My goal is to beat myself. At the end of the day, that’s the best I can hope for,” he said. 

Riding is the best therapy, he added. 

“When you’re stressed, go ride the dirt bike. When you’re not feeling like yourself, go ride the dirt bike,” he said. “For some reason, it gives me energy. It makes me feel good. I’m doing something that most people can’t do.”

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.