TL;DR | Oscar Jackson Is Amping Up Honda's Trusty Talon
Didn't have a chance to read this living legend's conversation with ATV.com? No sweat! With a busy schedule, a herd of kids, or just a life free from the soul-sucking black mirror, sometimes we don't have the time to dive deep into a cool story. So, it if was "Too Long; Didn't Read", check out this story in photos of Oscar Jackson and his foray into off-road.
"One [memory] that stands out is when we tested a prototype in Johnson Valley, camouflaged to look like a Razor. We parked right on the main road, and no one noticed us. We like to say we were hiding in plain sight."
"The Talon’s engine is brilliant by design, with beautiful ports and a well-laid-out structure. Forced induction can make even a mediocre engine run well, but the Talon engine is already like a finely tuned watch."
"Racing teaches you to find countermeasures for problems, and that knowledge has grown over time. My children are also involved in powersports, continuing the legacy."
"We’d like to run the turbo Talon in production turbo classes, but we face difficulties because ECU limitations prevent us from modifying it. We hope to get it in production turbo someday, but we run it in the unlimited class for now."
"Racing improves the breed. The knowledge I've gained over the years, compared to when I started SCCA racing in my 20s, has dramatically improved."
"Some desert riders might want to add particle separators, and we support those with kits for different manufacturers. Overall, it's a simple, bolt-on kit that's easy to service."
"...we use the same componentry as our base kit, applying what we learn from racing to our production parts."
"After an exciting day of testing, we take a deep breath and relax. Sometimes, I’ll have a cold beer and put my feet up to wind down. It’s a good way to end a fast-paced day."
"The Talon is great as it is, but if you load it with four people or take it to the dunes, you'll notice it slows down. That's when you want to add a turbocharger. The Talon is a brilliant vehicle, but additional load or challenging terrain makes a turbocharger a valuable upgrade."
"Whether prepping a race team or releasing new products to the consumer market, Jackson Racing remains focused on delivering unmatched performance and reliability."
"The way we've designed the kit, you don't really need to add anything. You can install a boost gauge or an air-fuel ratio gauge, but our calibration is set perfectly, similar to a production car."
"...we aim to build perfect, turnkey products that last. When Raceco wanted to race the Vegas to Reno with Ricky Brabec, we started testing at higher boost levels to identify weaknesses and make countermeasures."
"No music. When I’m driving, I want to focus on what's in front of me. If I want to listen to music, I’ll do that at home with my headphones on, listening to some 70s rock and roll."
"After an exciting day of testing, we take a deep breath and relax. Sometimes, I’ll have a cold beer and put my feet up to wind down. It’s a good way to end a fast-paced day."
"The Talon has been a great platform, and Honda has made evolutionary changes to improve it. Our goal is to refine our processes alongside theirs."
"Boosting an engine with individual throttle bodies, like the Talon, is challenging, but our 40 years of Honda tuning experience helped us find solutions."
"What sets Jackson Racing apart is not just their technical expertise, but their dedication to family values and top-tier engineering. As a family-run business, they take pride in crafting finely-tuned vehicles that stand up to the harshest conditions."
"It isn't really a transition for me because I grew up racing dirt bikes and road racing motorcycles. When my children were born, they grew up on mini-bikes and then full-size dirt bikes. We've spent our whole lives riding in the dirt."
"He would then venture into the realm of road racing cars, where he honed his skills and developed a reputation for precision engineering and performance. This was also his unwitting entrance into the manufacturing and development side of the motorsports industry."
"Racing lets us push the envelope and apply those learnings to our production kits, ensuring they are durable and reliable."
"The Talon has been a great platform, and Honda has made evolutionary changes to improve it. Our goal is to refine our processes alongside theirs. We introduced a new air filter for the 2023-2024 models to improve dust control."
"One of Oscar's most notable achievements is the development of turbo kits for Honda's racing division, including the highly regarded turbocharger kit for the Honda Talon."
"Oscar Jackson is a name synonymous with innovation and excellence in the world of motorsports...His journey began on a motocross track, where his love for motorcycles brought him into the world of racing."
