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JASON URIBE: RACING INTO CHALLENGES
Racing into
By Rod Charles, Vacay.ca ChallengesJayson Uribe
IN OCTOBER 2017, MOTORCYCLE RACER AND VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER JAYSON URIBE WATCHED AS FLAMES FROM A FIRE IN TUBBS, CALIF., DREW CLOSE TO HIS COMMUNITY. THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRE IN THE STATE’S HISTORY AT THE TIME, IT CONSUMED ALMOST 37,000 ACRES AND DESTROYED SOME 5,600 BUILDINGS BEFORE IT WAS UNDER CONTROL.
Although the fire was over two miles from where he lived, Uribe knew that if the winds shifted, his home could be in jeopardy. It was one of several defining
moments in his life as he realized he wanted a career that would allow him to help others by running toward danger, not away from it.
“I was like, okay, I don't want to keep running away,” recalls Uribe. “And then we had the Kincade fire and for me I knew it was time to actually do something about this and get out there.”
The Kinkade wildfire later that month scorched over 100 square miles and damaged over 120 buildings. Uribe, who was working as a self-employed electrician at the time, has vivid memories of being escorted by firefighters as he worked to restore power.
“Obviously the fire was going through and destroying everything, so nobody had power or water. When we came into a community, the firefighters escorted our team wherever we needed to go to get things up and running again,” says Uribe. “I felt that I didn’t want to be the guy that's getting protected and escorted. I want to be the
person that's actually doing the work to make sure people are safe.”
Doing the work and making people feel safe is what has inspired Uribe to go all out on his dream to pursue a career as a volunteer firefighter. Reporting to the Napa Valley Fire Department, he has spent countless hours with his crew working to protect his community.
Napa County Fire Department volunteer firefighter and driver-operator Steven Burgess says he feels a mix of confidence and safety when he's working with Uribe on an incident.
"Jayson’s love of team and community fulfills a mandatory requirement of being a firefighter. He enthusiastically achieves his goals by constantly working on personal and team skills," says Burgess. "His independent inner strength and wisdom allow for even more success on fires, especially wild land fires where sometimes it can feel as if you are completely on your own and surrounded by danger.”
Fighting fires wasn’t Uribe’s first calling. When he isn’t serving as a first responder, the 22-year-old northern Californian is competing in MotoAmerica Superbike Championships. ADR Fly Racing team crew chief Kirk Korenko says he isn’t surprised by Uribe's success on and off the track.

"Whatever he puts himself into, he is always 100 percent dedicated, he's all in,” Korenko. “That encompasses Jayson, in so many words.”
Racing bikes is a passion that runs deep for Uribe, an activity it seems he was born to do. Every member of his family rides motorcycles and his parents had Uribe participating in organized racing events from an early age. Aged just four, he was riding a Honda 50 dirt bike, by seven, he was racing Supermoto on a Kawasaki 65, and by nine he was racing GP on a 2004 Honda RS125R.
In 2013, aged 14, he took part in BSB (British Superbikes) Monster Energy Motostar 125 in England with his mom Rebecca Uribe cheering him on. He finished 11th overall with a best finish of eighth, riding a 2009 Honda RS125.
Uribe followed that up with a fifth overall finish riding a 2015 Honda CBR600RR in the FSBK (French Superbike Championship) Pirelli 600 Cup Superstock in France. During the 2015 season, he achieved five podium finishes and one win, eventually becoming the first American rider in history to win a FSBK race.
“The first years, late 2012 to 2015, we were in England in a really small town, and then in 2015 we moved to France, again to a super-small town, and then 2016, 2017 and early 2018 I lived by myself in Spain,” said Uribe. “Spain for me was a big eye-opener, it was just a whole different level. I learned a lot as far as the racing goes and it has really translated over to the American racing that I'm doing now. I feel like I'm a better rider for that and it definitely shows in my riding style.”
In 2019, Uribe finished as AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclists) Formula Pacific Champion, AFM Open Superbike Champion and AFM Open GP Champion. His mother says there are many similarities between his motorcycle racing and firefighting careers.
“Both disciplines require focus. You have to be able to compartmentalize your emotions and you have to be composed and keep your wits about you under pressure,” says Rebecca. She explained that Uribe had moved out into his own apartment when he was 16 and when she was cleaning out his room she found a picture of a fire truck he had drawn when he was four years old.
“I had to get it framed,” she says. “Little things like that showed me the interest in helping people was always there. Our family rule has always been to leave things better than you found them. And if at first it doesn’t fit, force it. Never give up.”

Leaving things better and never giving up are family rules that Uribe has
taken to heart. He is certified to work for a municipal fire department and plans to become a full-time firefighter once his racing career is over. One way he has found success in racing is by surrounding himself with an outstanding group of professionals, and he credits his team at the fire station for their support.
“I honestly couldn't have picked a better station to be with than Station 21 Deer Park in Napa County Fire. We are in a central hub where we get calls that are in our local area and also as far as our county line some 20 miles away in either direction,” says Uribe, adding that everyone in the station has been supportive of his career and his racing endeavors. “I'm super thankful that my chief Roger Lutz is also a rider and a super cool dude. He supports his buddies when they do desert racing in Baja California. It helps to have that kind of support from the motorsports community.”
Uribe says his career as a firefighter is fun, he gets to meet a lot of nice people and is learning new things all the time.
He says it’s satisfying to be in a big red truck racing out to help people, adding that he would highly encourage people who are interested in a career as a firefighter to go for it.
“I was not necessarily prepared when I first got into firefighting. I did it because there was a large fire right next to my house and after that I thought, ‘Okay, now it's time to really go for this.’ But I didn't realize how much of a time commitment it would be,” said Uribe. “So, the biggest thing I would say is make sure if you're going to do it, go all the way. Make the time and make sure that you're completely committed to it and that everybody can count on you. Because nobody wants to be that one firefighter who shows up for one call a year, the one people can’t count on. That's a big thing.”
It is a big thing to make a difference, and it’s no surprise that he is finding success on and off the track because one thing is clear: Jayson Uribe isn’t one to run away from challenges. He races to meet them.