If there’s one word to describe Honda’s Jason Schrage, it would have to be professional. From his racing to his podium speeches and everyday life, Schrage commands respect and represents his sponsors with a professionalism unmatched in Canadian off-road. A firefighter from Lethbridge, Alberta, Schrage is the reigning Canadian Enduro champion and a Honda Canada factory racer—though it wasn’t always that way.
Schrage practically grew up in the Alberta race scene. Both his father and his uncle were racers, so most weekends were spent at the races. Schrage began riding at age three and was immediately hooked. He rode Kawasakis until the age of 16, when he switched to a Honda XR200R.
Collecting trophies
The following year, when he was 17, Schrage became part of the Honda Red Rider program and raced an XR400R. In 1999, then 18, Schrage turned pro; for the next five years he would remain with Honda, racking up an impressive collection of provincial hare scrambles titles. By 2004, Schrage was a well-established pro in Alberta and was offered a deal with Lethbridge KTM and KTM Canada. Schrage adapted to the KTM300 two-stroke and continued to add more trophies to his mantel. In 2007, he travelled east to compete in the North American swing of the World Enduro Championship, where he finished an impressive ninth in the E3 class. That same year, Schrage competed in the International Six Days Enduro in Chile as part of the Canadian trophy team. He would finish the event, earning a silver medal in the process.
Finding his stride
When the Canadian Enduro Championship (CEC) became a reality in 2009, Schrage took an immediate liking to the enduro format; he won the E3 class championship and finished second overall behind Bobby Prochnau. Last year saw Schrage return to Honda on a CRF450R. His riding style seems to suit the big four-stroke, as he won the 2010 Canadian Enduro Championship and both the CMA and CMRC Alberta hare scrambles championships, and he finished third at Xtinction.
At 30 years old, Schrage has already had an impressive racing career—with nine provincial CMA and CMRC hare scrambles championships to his name plus that big number 1 plate from the 2010 CECs—but Schrage is nowhere near retirement. His love for all forms of racing and his incredible fitness mean we’ll be seeing Schrage on the podium for years to come.
At a glance
Name: Jason Schrage
Age: 30
Hometown: Lethbridge, Alberta
Bike: 2011 Honda CRF450R
Sponsors: Honda Canada, Machine Racing, Rekluse, Riders Edge Suspension, Ogio, Kermaxx, Rebel Hot Shot, MX1 Canada/Acerbis, Fly Racing
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