Exhaust #25: Jason Thomas on Japan, pain meds, and tragedy

For the second year in a row, Suzuki invited a Racer X staffer to Japan to test a new motocrosser—in this case the all-new 2019 RM-Z250. Our man Jason Thomas, who raced professionally from 1997 to 2012, rode the new RM-Z450 last year and returned in 2018 to try the 250. In this podcast, hosted by Jason Weigandt, JT provides his first insights on the new bike and Suzuki's commitment to racing. Then he and Weigandt get into the topic of pain medication addition in the sport. Sources close to Tyler Evans believe pain meds led to a long, dark spiral, one that ended in his death on September 15. Thomas shares some of his own stories of taking pain meds following surgery for a broken leg, as well as tales of other racers who went through the ringer trying to break the addiction.

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