Jackson Storm

**Jackson Storm** is a minor antagonist of the Disney·Pixar *Cars* franchise. He is a rookie belonging to the next-generation of high-tech racers and the third rival of Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks' ally in the franchise.

## Background

At first, Storm was a cyber-sportsman, making a living playing racing video game called Super Corsa 3. His greatest achievement was winning a lot of money from a cyber-sport tournament organized by the CEO Axle P. Biggs. He organized this tournament to find a worthy racer for his team. His team was able to recruit piston cup racers Storm and Tim Treadless out of the 10 cars that entered this competition, Jackson was the winner. Mr. Biggs asked a pickup truck named Ray Reverham to find Jackson and engage him in the real sport.

After that Mr. Biggs blackmailed Storm, saying that if he did not become a racer then he would have to return all the money that he won from the tournament, and that he would not be involved in the video-gaming business. Storm then accepted the offer, but his cockiness was hard to deal with.

IGNTR, a liquid adrenaline company, soon offered to sponsor Jackson. He accepted, on the condition that Ray could be his crew chief. A statistical analyst from the racing centre had actually contacted IGNTR and told them about Jackson's skills.

### Physical appearance

Storm is painted black and has a dark blue lightning bolt-like design on his doors. His eyes are gray, and his racing number, 2.0, is painted on his sides along with the logos of the Piston Cup, Combustr, Carbon Cyber, SynerG, and IGNTR. The IGNTR logo is colored blue, while the rest of the logos are colored white. His number can also be found on his rear end and roof, being painted gray, while the IGNTR logo is also painted gray on his rear end, and painted black on his hood and spoiler. He also has one dark blue line beside each of his headlights, on the edges of his roof, around his windows, and on the sides of his spoiler.

According to his character pose, his model is a 2017 Custom-built "Next-Gen" Piston Cup Racer.

### Powers and abilities

With a Maximum Performance electric motor, 850 hp, a hydroformed alloy & steel chassis, and a carbon fiber and metal composite body, he can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 3.6 seconds, and go up to 214 miles per hour.

### Personality

In the past, Storm used to be very cocky but carefree during the time he won various races in a game called "Super Corsa 3", where he met his crew chief, his friend and Sponsor. However, after he was defeated by Tim Treadless, he became frustrated and rageful.

In the film, he is disrespectful, disdaining Lightning McQueen in the Cooper Canyon Speedway and later mocking Cruz Ramirez during the Florida 500 race. When Cruz starts to advance and gets up to the fourth place in the race, he moves down from his position (2nd place) to stay next her and provoke her. Near the end of the race, he even rages against Cruz, slamming her into a wall. He was determined not to let Cruz win. According to McQueen, Storm acted on fear and cowardice of losing to Cruz.

### Specifications

* Vehicle type: 2017 Custom-built "Next-Gen" Piston Cup Racer
* Top Speed: 214 mph or 345 km/h
* 0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds
* Engine Type: Maximum Performance V-8
* Displacement: N/A
* Drivetrain: Front Engine, RWD
* Horsepower: 850 hp
* Chassis: Hydroformed alloy & steel
* Body: Carbon Fiber & Metal Composite

### Accomplishments

* He won his first race at the Arizona road course in the Dinoco 400.
* He won from his second to his last race to be champion of the Piston Cup at the Southern Speedway until the Los Angeles 500 for McQueen and the veterans to enjoy his retirement.
* Storm was about to win the Florida 500, but then she shot back at Cruz and tried to kill her, but he slammed her into the wall, and Cruz is the winner.

## Appearances

### *Cars 3*

Jackson Storm makes his first impression on the racing scene when he pulls a surprise upset at the Copper Canyon Speedway, overtaking Lightning McQueen in the last lap to take the win. When McQueen approaches Storm to congratulate him, Storm puts on a smiling face for the press but his comments show thinly-veiled disdain towards McQueen.

In the following races of the season, Storm racks up the wins, prompting a major shift in the racing world. The older racers retire or are dropped by their sponsors, opening the floodgates for a new generation of high-tech racers. When the last race of the season at the Los Angeles International Speedway finally arrives, McQueen is the only racer of the previous generation left. Storm takes every occasion during the race to put emotional pressure on McQueen and imply that this is McQueen's last race. When McQueen makes a lightning-speed pit stop to get ahead of his opponent, Storm catches up to him with ease. He goes on the win the race and become the Piston Cup Champion, while McQueen ends the race in a major crash.

On the eve of the following season, Jackson Storm trains intensively both on track and simulator to prepare for the season opener, the Florida 500. He beats record after record, and sets the fastest lap ever recorded in the process.

The day of the Florida 500 finally comes. Before the race begins, Storm notices Cruz Ramirez and mistakes her for a fan (because of the paint job tweaks she made as part of McQueen's training). Somewhat patronizing, he suggests that they take a picture, before being confronted by McQueen. Storm begins the race in pole position and remains unchallenged for the better part of the race, until his crew chief notifies him that McQueen has been replaced with Ramirez, who is catching up to him. At first, Storm laughs it off, mockingly calling her "the costume girl". But when she gets up to fourth place, Storm turns more concerned, and decides to resort to his psychological warfare skills. Moving down so he can be next to her, he tries to paint her as an impostor, and tells her he knows just like she does that she doesn't belong on the racetrack. Happy with himself, Storm thinks he has broken her spirits, but before he knows it, she is back and right on his tail. Ramirez gives Storm a taste of his own medicine as she distracts him with quips of her own, disorienting him. As the two racers enter the last lap and Ramirez overtakes Storm, Storm, at wit's end, angrily rams her into the wall, determined to not let her win the race. However Ramirez skillfully evades his maneuver by jumping over him and wins the race, taking away from Storm the glorious season opening he was counting on.

## In video games

### *Cars 3: Driven to Win*

Storm returns as the main antagonist and an unlockable playable character in *Cars 3: Driven to Win* now voiced by A.J. Hamilton, when Chick invited Lightning McQueen to his talk show to discuss the continuation of his racing career, which Chick considered "ill-advised". When Lightning, Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez set up a competition, he dubs it "Lightning Storm Cruise" and gives them access to the studio's racing simulator. Despite being sure that Jackson will defeat Lightning, he is proved wrong when the latter wins instead and is forced to admit that Lightning isn't done with racing. He is last seen watching Storm get chased by Miss Fritter at the Thunder Hollow Speedway.

He is unlocked by completing the Master-level event *Jackson Storm Race*.

## Relationships

### Lightning McQueen

Storm makes it clear from the start that he wants McQueen out of the sport as he sarcastically calls him "Champ" and even brags that it takes all he has to beat him despite him beating McQueen with ease. During the Los Angeles 500, the final race of the 2016 season, Storm tells McQueen to enjoy his retirement which puts McQueen into shock and causes him to struggle to the point of crashing while keeping up with the Next-Gens.

### Cruz Ramirez

He saw Cruz dressed as him as if she were his " Number 1 Fab", he told him bad arguments but he got very angry, scratched the paint and tried to slam her and then he was defeated in the 500 of Florida.

### Miss Fritter

When he was defeated in Florida in the *Cars 3: Driven to Win* , he went to Thunder Hollow and ran away from Miss Fritter.

### Chick Hicks

He was interviewed by Chick at the 2016 Bumper Save Gears and Glory and was "mocked" by Lightning, later in *Cars 3: Driven to Win*, Storm was upset about being beaten by McQueen and Cruz.

## Trivia

* Storm's voice actor, Armie Hammer, was born the same year Pixar was founded, 1986.
* By winning the Piston Cup in his rookie year, Storm achieved what McQueen almost did in the first *Cars* film. However, it is not known whether this makes him the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, the distinction McQueen was aiming for at that time, as there could have been another racer since to do so.
* Jackson Storm is a 2017 Custom-Built Next Gen Piston Cup Racer, which is a Pixar in-house design. While he's not supposed to be based on just one particular car, his model seems to be a mix between Generation 6 NASCAR stock cars and some concept cars, having similar styling cues to the 2014 Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, and the 2002 Cadillac Cien Concept (with futuristic styling).
* Although Storm is the fastest Piston Cup racer, he is not actually the fastest car in the franchise; the record is held by Francesco Bernoulli (Lightning's rival in *Cars 2*), with a top speed of 220 mph.
* He is one of the three racers to have a named hauler. The other two being Paul Conrev and Eric Braker.

## References

1. ↑ Meet Jackson Storm - Disney/Pixar's Cars 3

## External links

* Jackson Storm on Disney Wiki.
* Jackson Storm on Pixar Wiki.
* Jackson Storm on Pixar Cars Wiki.