An early starter in motorsport, Jack took his first ride on a grasstrack bike at the age of just six-years-old. Won club Championships at various levels and was urged to turn his attentions to the shale. At the age of 11, ‘JPB' rode a speedway machine for the first time and has enjoyed plenty of success since.
In his debut season, Jack finished runner-up in the British 125cc Youth Championships and went on to win the second round of the Winter Championships at Scunthorpe. Jack continued to progress at amateur level and became club mascot of the Sheffield Tigers in 2012.
He began to break onto the scene in 2014 and club bosses of all levels were keeping their eye on the talented teenager. He came out on top at the Redcar Amateur Championship early in the season as well as winning the 250cc Summer Championships at Scunthorpe. He would go on to win the 2014 Winter Series once again before finishing runner-up in the 250cc British Youth Championships. From this, Jack was invited to represent Great Britain at 250cc level in the Jawa Gold Cup which took place in the Czech Republic.
Jack took the next step up and competed on a 500cc machine for the first time in 2015. Desperate to push on even further, ‘JPB' spent hours in the gym and even more in the workshop, alongside his educational studies, to ensure he was in the best possible shape for the year ahead.
2015 proved to be a memorable year for Parkinson-Blackburn and will be remembered as the season that made him one of Britain's most promising, young talents. Jack stormed to victory in all six rounds of the Youth series and achieved his campaign goal of being crowned 2015 British 500cc Youth Champion. Despite being up against a field full of competitors with much more experience, Jack again demonstrated his skill and potential as he claimed the Midland Development League Riders' Championship.
Keen to make an even bigger impression, ‘JPB' represented three clubs in competitive fixtures at the back end of the season and pulled off some top-class rides to pick up some vital points for Buxton, Cradley and League Champions Birmingham.
After impressing at the back end of the previous year, Jack agreed a deal which would see him spend his first full campaign on the shale with reigning National League Champions Birmingham. Just four weeks into the new season, ‘JPB' stunned his local crowd in Sheffield as he defied all the odds to become the youngest ever rider to reach the Grand Final of the British Under-21 Championships after a breath-taking display against the top youngsters in the sport. Regularly scoring over double his average, Jack helped guide Birmingham to the National Trophy in June.
The second half of the season would see Jack take his performances to another level as he became an even more inspirational reserve for Birmingham as they began to cement their place at the top of the table.
At the beginning of October, Jack secured his first ever paid maximum in the sport as he scored 18+3 from his full quota of seven rides at Buxton.
Whilst playing an instrumental role throughout the season for Birmingham, Jack stepped up to the plate even more when it mattered most as he finished his year off in style. Not only did he score paid double figures in his last 13 meetings for Birmingham, but he was also top scorer for the Brummies in both legs of the National League Grand Final as they successfully defended their third tier crown.
In his final meeting of the season, Parkinson-Blackburn produced what Birmingham team manager Graham Drury described as “one of the best individual performances” he had ever seen in almost 50 years involved in the sport. Around a tricky, technical Eastbourne circuit, Jack pulled off six wins from seven rides as he recorded one of the highest all-time scores at Arlington.
Just three weeks into the 2017 season, both of Parkinson-Blackburn's bikes suffered severe damage whilst on SGB Championship duty. He pulled himself out of the British Under-21 Championship Semi-Final to spend the whole night putting together a new bike with team matters his priority. The talented teen's dedication and commitment was rewarded perfectly and instantly when on the following night, Wednesday April 12, he secured his first ever full maximum; scoring 18 points from six rides in Birmingham's 54-36 away win at King's Lynn. |
