Jacob Piccolo has been a go-getter from the get go, and last week the Abbotsford youngster was in Ontario for the prestigious Trans Can motocross championship.

The nine-year-old dirt bike racer recently qualified for the largest amateur motocross race in Canada and had been counting down the days until the event, which attracts more than 1,000 riders from around the country and the U.S.

"He's very competitive, he loves going fast and loves racing," said his mom Jen, who admits to some anxious moments when he races.

"I have my ups and downs about the whole thing," she said.

"It's something he loves. It's his passion. But it definitely makes me nervous to watch him."

Jake started walking at nine months and was riding at three years when his dad Dan put some training wheels on a tiny motocross bike.

"But he didn't like them [the training wheels]; he just wanted to go go go," said Jen.

Jake started racing motocross at four years old on Vancouver Island. With Mission Raceway being his home track, the young rider has honed his skills there and with the help of sponsors has won many times in the last six years. Now, the Grade 4 student at Margaret Stenersen Elementary in Abbotsford competes nearly every weekend in Canada and the U.S.

It's the jumps he likes the best.

"I get air and go really high, and [I like] the amount of speed you need for the jumps," he said.

Jake will be riding his 65cc KTM bike and will be competing in the 7-9 year old category in Ontario.

"It's definitely nerve-wracking; the older they get the faster they go," said his dad, Dan. "It seems to get more and more nerve-wracking."

Well, he better hang onto his hat then, as young Jacob dreams of getting into supercross when he's older.

"The fastest people in the whole entire world race supercross," added Jake.

The TransCan Grand National was a week long festival in Walton, Ont. running Aug. 15 - 19.

The Walton event is in its 21st year and has earned a reputation as the premiere amateur motocross event in Canada.

With four days of amateur racing, the TransCan concluded with the final round of the CMRC Nationals where amateur racers can watch the best in the business compete for the Canadian championship in the MX1 and MX2 classes.

To see Piccolo's results, visit www.waltontranscan.ca.

JKonda-Witte@abbotsfordtimes.com