JGRMX confirmation on Phil Nicoletti

Thursday 12 December: JGRMX has made the announcement that the team will support Phillip Nicoletti, a determined privateer, in a new developmental pilot program.

Nicoletti, who hails from New York but has been

training not far from the team’s North Carolina headquarters appears to have the potential to race as a professional but has lacked the resources available to top-tier teams. Nicoletti will be part of a new endeavor that will offer him an opportunity to showcase his talents, while simultaneously giving the team immediate access to a replacement rider familiar with it’s equipment should one of the two primary team riders suffer an injury.

Supercross and motocross are the original extreme sports offering unparalleled excitement to fans. Unfortunately, this equates to frequent injury. JGRMX began a trend of replacing injured riders early in the team’s history rather than just fielding the remaining rider, as the sport has done historically. This was done because JGRMX is a sponsor-driven operation, rather than one fielded by an OEM, and JGRMX wanted to insure its sponsors received the visibility promised.

Typically when a substitute rider is needed the season is in full swing and finding a rider is difficult. In addition, the rider must adapt to the new bike and team immediately, which can be challenging. JGRMX, along with Thomas Fichter, CEO of N-Fab, and Dr. Maresca, of St. Lawrence Radiology, have teamed up to provide Nicoletti with an opportunity to practice and ride on full factory-backed equipment, and be ready in an instants notice to substitute for Justin Brayton or Josh Grant should either of them be required to miss an event due to injury. He will race at least six events under the JGRMX tent alongside Brayton and Grant.

When Nicoletti is riding as a third rider to the team, he will display slightly different graphics on his #38 YZ450F than those of the Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX Team, highlighting N-Fab’s and Dr. Maresca’s support of Nicoletti’s efforts. Should he ride as a substitute for Brayton or Grant, he will have the Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX Team graphics package. Nicoletti’s first race is expected to be the Atlanta supercross on 22 Feb 2014.