I live in Guadalajara, Jalisco—a state that is home to one of Mexico's most powerful cartels. I'm also involved in the world of two-wheeled racing here in Mexico, and know that sometimes it's better not to ask the people that I meet what they do for a living. If you were to ask me what's the last place in the world I'd expect to experience something similar, I'd say the MotoAmerica Mini Cup series.
And I'd be dead wrong.
Jackson, New Jersey's Jennifer Jazikoff and Glenn Jazikoff, are the parents of two MotoAmerica Mini Cup racers, and they were also arrested on July 26. The arrest took place in Ocean County, New Jersey, for allegedly running an interstate drug operation; along with this, gun and child endangerment charges were added to the list.
Both Jennifer and Glenn attended the MotoAmerica Mini Cup Finals with their sons from August 8-10. Undoubtedly, this scandal will be the talk of the MotoAmerica paddock and isn't great PR for MotoAmerica, but before casting too much shade, remember this case involves minors, ones with promising futures in racing.
One of the brothers is a two-time consecutive Mini Cup national champion, and the other is winning races and topping practice sessions. So, while it might be easy to cast a negative light on their success, remember that they're just kids trying to go out and win races, and hopefully will do their best with the support of the racing community to get through what's certainly a traumatic and difficult time.
If you're pumped up and feel the need to point fingers at adults who used drug money to fund, look no further than the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which was often referred to as the International Marijuana Smugglers Association due to the fact that several of its top racers were involved in drug trafficking. Or better yet, watch Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami on Netflix.
