When Worlds Collide: Motocross and Cat® Equipment

X Games medalist, Jarryd McNeil, uses a Cat Compact Track Loader and Mini Excavator to build tracks

Jarryd McNeil Motocross Jump with Excavator

Jarryd McNeil had the childhood a machine-loving kid often dreams of – he grew up on a dairy farm in Australia, operating heavy equipment and helping out with the chores. But Jarryd and his brother didn’t just use the machinery for the daily tasks of farm life – they also used equipment to build motocross tracks.

“We would be working together until late at night,” says Jarryd. “Just pushing dirt, making jumps, and Saturday morning came around and we were out there riding.”

As Jarryd’s childhood passion for heavy equipment grew (even down to collecting Caterpillar diecast models), so did his love of motocross.

“Growing up as a kid, I wanted to come to the United States for riding motorcycles, for racing motorcycles to be honest, and I actually got there for freestyle motocross,” Jarryd explains. “To be able to get a silver medal at my very first X Games was just like a dream come true.”

Ten years and 15 medals later, Jarryd has made a name for himself in the motocross world to become the most winning Australian racer. And he’s set his sights on something new – building motocross tracks for himself and professional competitions.

Nine-time motocross gold medalist Jarryd McNeil has always had a love for heavy equipment, starting with the Cat® machines he and his brother used as children on the dairy farm in Australia where they grew up. As an adult, Jarryd has been able to marry his love for machinery and motocross and brought the two together in a show-stopping event at the Caterpillar Tinaja Hills Training Center. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions.)

“Going to events all around the world, whether it's back home in Australia, here in the U.S. or in Europe, a big part of what we do is earthmoving,” Jarryd comments. “To be able to do what we do on a motorcycle we have to be able to build jumps, and you can't do that unless you have the equipment to do it.”

Thanks to machines like the Cat® 308 CR Mini Excavator and 289D Compact Track Loader, Jarryd has been able to transform his 10-acre ranch in southern California into his own personal training facility.

“So [with] the progression in freestyle motocross, we're at the point where all riders have their own setup in their backyard,” Jarryd explains. “A place that we can go to and train in our own comfort. So, a lot of guys around the world have these facilities in the backyard like myself, and using Cat equipment plays a big part in what we do.”

Thanks to the improved visibility on his skid steer loader, Jarryd finds his track building has become much easier.

“The reason I choose Caterpillar, especially the skid steer, the big part of it is being able to use the tool in front of you and actually see the whole tool you're using,” notes Jarryd.

Jarryd was able to really put his track building skills to the test at the Caterpillar Tinaja Hills Training Center when he worked with the Caterpillar team for an exciting culmination to the CONEXPO 2020 event. Jarryd had met Jared Harris, the Tinaja Hills Field Operations Manager, when touring with Nitro Circus and the two knew they could create something that was one-of-a-kind. The final test of Jarryd’s track building abilities was riding it in front of a crowd.

“That's every kid's dream, that was my dream, to be able to just come out here,” says Jarryd. “I've seen videos of this place, and to be able to have that opportunity, that's amazing.”

Jarryd McNeil Motocross athlete operating a Cat skid steer at his home.

Jarryd McNeil earthmoving with a Cat® 289 Compact Track Loader at his 10-acre southern California ranch. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

Jarryd McNeil Motocross athlete operating a Cat excavator at his home.

Jarryd McNeil building dirt motocross tracks with his Cat® CR 308 Mini Excavator at his southern California ranch. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

Jarryd McNeil Motocross athlete training at his home.

Jarryd McNeil training on the dirt tracks he built with Cat® machinery on his ranch. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

Jarryd McNeil at the Caterpillar Tinaja Hills Training Center. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

Jarryd McNeil and Tinaja Hills Field Operations Manager Jarred Harris at the Caterpillar Tinaja Hills Training Center. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

Jarryd McNeil and team at the Caterpillar Tinaja Hills Training Center. (Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions)

But for Jarryd, motocross isn’t just about building tracks and practicing jumps – it’s also about inspiring a future generation of operators and showing them that there are unique earthmoving applications they may not have considered before.

“There's something about moving dirt,” Jarryd explains. “Whether it's with the back tire of your motorcycle or with the excavator or skid steer bucket. This is what we love to do, and I guess everyone in this industry is in the same boat.”

Footage and images courtesy of Eric Phalin, P.H.D. Productions

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