Jason Paden emerged from the AFM racing scene in the early 1990s to become one of the endless string of Northern California riders who had solid pro racing careers.

This photo is from a 1992 WERA Pro Formula USA weekend where Jason raced the Formula 2 class. Cine Camera was the family-owned business his father ran in Vallejo. Jason’s dad took him to AMA races at Laguna Seca from the time he was a child and after watching the likes of Kenny Roberts, Randy Mamola and Eddie Lawson, he knew that’s what he wanted to do.

After coming up in the club ranks with backing from his dad, at first on a 125 and then a 250 GP bike, Paden turned pro in 1992. The 1993 season was big for him. Jason dominated the WSMC 250 GP class at Willow Springs, won that championship and recorded what was at the time the third fastest lap time ever at the track. It also marked his first year in AMA 250 Grand Prix, Paden scored three top-10 finishes including an excellent sixth at Road America, just being nipped by Marcello del Giudice on the final lap.

In ’94 Paden broke through to rank in the top-10 in AMA 250 Grand Prix for the first time with a string of top-10 results. He finished that season tied with Mike Sullivan for seventh in the standings. For a time Paden was teammates with Jimmy Filice and Bobby Keith. His third year in the pros, 1995, was arguably his best. He again was a consistent top-10 250GP rider and took a pair of sixth-place finishes at Laguna Seca and his home track, Sears Point. Once again he finished in the season’s top-10. Paden continued racing the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship through 1996,

After his racing career Paden started as a coach at Keith Code’s Superbike School. Today he’s living in Reno and raising a family and he’s still working with Code, now for 17 years.

Californian Jason Paden races his Cine’ Camera-sponsored Yamaha TZ250 at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1992 during a WERA Pro Air Tech Formula 2 race. Paden went on to become a consistent top-10 finisher in the AMA 250 Grand Prix racing during the mid-1990s. (Larry Lawrence photo)