Vale Jayden Archer: 18 December 1995 – 21 February 2024. We remember Jayo Archer in this reflective piece.
In late February the whole dirt bike industry across the globe was rocked by the news that freestyle motocross legend, Jayden “Jayo” Archer had passed away while practising the same trick that shot him to fame in November 2022, the triple backflip. Jayo Archer was just 28.
Jayo was one those special individuals who wasn’t just extremely talented on a dirt bike; he was as hard-working and dedicated to his sport as he was compassionate and caring to everyone around him.
In short, he was a loving, kind-hearted soul who wasn’t afraid to push both his body and FMX to the limit, and his dedication was an inspiration that showed us what it means to pursue your dreams relentlessly.
Jayo Archer was born in Hurstville, Sydney, and the youngest of three children. He found dirt bikes at the age of four, and at the age of six, with his parents already driving him all over the country to race, he came third at the Australian Junior Nationals.
The Archers moved to Melbourne a year later, and Jayo met FMX legend Cam Sinclair soon afterwards. Sincs, Blake Williams, and the whole Southside crew took the little blonde kid under their wings and helped shape him into the man he would become.
Jayo left school at Year 8 and picked up a sales job at the local motorcycle store, before going on to work with Steve Powell as a suspension mechanic for many years.
At about the same time he left school, Jayo found a passion for FMX, and soon after turning 15, he became the youngest person in the world to land a backflip over 75ft.
A year later he was invited to join the Nitro Circus Live show, before spending two years riding shows in China.
But Jayo Archer already had his eyes on bigger prizes. Under the guidance of Sincs, he mastered the double backflip and used it to win the best trick competition at the 2019 AUS-X Open in Melbourne, then he set his sights on the triple.
With facilities to practice such a huge trick limited in Australia, Jayo reached out to Travis Pastrana, who quickly responded and invited him to his Maryland base for five weeks to learn and practice as much as he could.
Not long after returning back home, Jayo and his girlfriend, Beth King, moved to Broadbeach at the end of lockdown to further his riding and for the better weather. It was there he became good mates with Scott “Top Dog” Fitzgerald, and the two would become inseparable – riding bikes, going to the gym, or simply hanging out in the garage spinning shit.
Three years after he first began dreaming of the triple backflip, and despite multiple broken bones along the way, Jayo became the first rider to land the triple at the Nitro Circus World Games in Brisbane in October 2022. To cap off the pinnacle of his career, he proposed to Beth immediately afterward, who accepted without hesitation.
The accolades kept coming, when in August last year, Jayo won a bronze medal at the X Games Best Trick comp in California for a near-perfect no-handed double backflip.
Back home on the Goldy, Jayo was a suspension technician and mechanic for the Todd Waters-owned Raceline Performance business and the Raceline Husqvarna Racing Team.
While most people will remember Jayo for his achievements on the bike, people who knew him personally will remember him for his kind-hearted, caring personality and his fierce loyalty to those he loved. Jayo always made time for everyone, especially his family and friends.
Even in his training and his endless hours at the gym, Jayo’s family was close to his heart: just 15 minutes before he passed away, Jayo sent his mum a screenshot of a quote that read, “I’m strong because I was raised by a strong woman”.
He loved all kids – especially his nieces and nephews – and was excited to get married later this year and to become a father himself in the near future.
Jayo’s passing has left a void in the Australian FMX community that will never be filled. He was a living, breathing testament that with hard work and dogged determination, every single one of us can achieve our wildest dreams.
Ride free, Jayo, and thanks for the incredible memories. You’ll be deeply missed, but we’ll never forget you. Love you, mate.
WORDS | SIMON MAKKER
PHOTOS | JEFF CROW AND MARK WATSON