Swapmoto Race Series Rider Profile | Jared Hicks

Swapmoto Race Series Rider Profile | Jared Hicks

Age: 29

Hometown: Irvington, Alabama

Class: 450 Pro, Vet Expert

Sponsors: Backyard Design, Fox, Swapmoto Live, Dirt Bike Magazine

Jared Hicks is a former AMA Pro racer who transitioned a hobby into a career. Backyard Design USA is a custom graphics manufacturer that Swapmoto Live has relied on almost exclusively for the better part of the year, as we’ve been impressed by the design and quality of its kits. Hicks splits his time between the brand’s headquarters in Alabama and Southern California, where he test rides for Dirt Bike Magazine and mingles with the rest of the motocross industry. 

I understand you had a National and Supercross pro career?

I did, it wasn’t much of a career, but I did it. I made night shows and stuff like that. I did it for fun. I never looked at it as a job, but it ended up kind of leading me to where I am at right now. I always wanted to work in the industry and just figured it would all fall into place somewhere. That is kind of how it went. I started racing in 2000 and started doing the whole Supercross thing from 2010 until 2017. I think New Jersey in 2017 is the last time I ever did one.

How did you get into riding and racing?

Being from Alabama, I wanted a quad so bad when I was nine. My dad ended up buying me an Honda XR70 and I was super bummed at first because it wasn’t a quad. All of my buddies had quads and went mudding, but I got the dirtbike in ’99. I was riding in the hills and then a guy told us about this racetrack in Florida so we went there. The rest was history from there. We learned about the whole Loretta Lynn’s deal and just fell into all of that stuff. It was cool, I had a lot of fun.

How did racing transition to Backyard Design which is your career?

Actually, when I was 20, I was dating this chick back home, broke up with her, just packed up my sh*t, and went out to California with no plan, whatsoever. I just wanted to do the West Coast rounds and just get away from Alabama for a while. I packed all my stuff and came out here and I ended up meeting Phillip, who is my partner in Germany. Met him in the hills at the old Reche Canon spot and we just stayed in touch after we became friends. I was kind of his American connection to come over where it ended up being like that and he was my German connection to go race German supercrosses. That morphed into an idea of starting a graphics company to help pay for our racing stuff. It became what it is now which we never thought it would really get to that point. It’s a cool back story, it was kind of an accident how we met. We got the idea in 2011 and started the company in 2014. In 2016 is when I quit racing and started taking it seriously. From there the company started to get better.

When did you realize that Backyard Design had the potential to make a living with instead of just helping you support your racing?

Honestly, probably when you hit me up on Instagram because I’ve always been a fan of TransWorld. I did stuff with a couple of guys here and there, but really when we figured out the whole deal with Hansen, then with Swapmoto Live, it really helped us gain the credibility that we needed to be looked at as a legit company versus a company back in Alabama. Our name is Backyard because we are a backyard graphics company. That is kind of when I realized it was bigger than what I think it could be.

How much do you ride and race these days? Is this your first Swapmoto race?

Actually, this is my second because I did Glen Helen back in April on a Husky. When I’m in Alabama I don’t get too ride too much because I am in the office a lot, but when I am out here I try to go the track two or three days a week. Back there though, I’ve ridden maybe three or four times since Loretta’s before I came out here two weeks ago. Obviously, not a whole lot.

I assume today is full of arm pump?

Yeah, arm pump and getting winded for sure. I never struggle with arm pump too much, but I am definitely getting winded. My diet is not the best, I like Cane’s chicken fingers and Chik-fil-a too much, haha!