30 Day Countdown to A1: #10 Jean Michel Bayle
Wednesday, December 26, 2012 | 9:30 AM
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PrintHappy Boxing day everyone!
We’re getting into the top ten all-time supercross racers and now it’s getting tougher and tougher. Not to sound like a game show host or anything but these guys are the best in history and it’s showing as the debates are getting intense. We’ve brought you 20 so far, and now we're ready to begin clicking off our ten best supercross racers ever as the finals laps in our Monster Energy Coutdown to Anaheim.
He came, he learned, he conquered and he left. The mysterious Jean Michel Bayle is number 10 on our list, and it should be of little surprise that the Frenchman was a source of much debate here in the Racer X offices. Some wanted to penalize him for only sticking around and racing three full seasons (1990-'92) but in the end his sixteen wins and one title (1991) in those three seasons (finishing a close second in the series in ’90 and a don't-give-a-damn third in ’92) was enough to get him here.
JMB's first full season in the U.S. came in 1990.
Racer X Archive photo
After two motocross world titles in Europe in 1988 and '89, Bayle left many championships on the table in Europe to move to California full-time. He had tried supercross briefly in the winter of '89, his first-ever main event ending after two turns at Anaheim. But within four races he had gone from pure rookie to runner-up behind Ricky Johnson at that year's Miami SX. His rough edges as a newcomer to supercross wore off fast, but then it was back to Europe for one more year on the GP circuit.
In his first full U.S. season of 1990, JMB started getting under the skin of top American riders like Damon Bradshaw and Bayle's own Honda teammate Jeff Stanton. It was Stanton in particular who seemed put off by the seemingly effortless riding of the interloper, who was known to show up at the Honda test track eating a Kit Kat bar, then spend his afternoon carving his initials out on the hillside in giant roosts. He would often end his sessions with some free-riding on the ledges around the track.
Even after a DNF at one round in 1990, JMB ended the year a few scant points behind the defending champion Stanton for the title. But the next year Bayle wouldn’t be denied, racking up six main-event wins to bring home the AMA Supercross Championship, his main goal as a motocrosser. And he did it under difficult circumstances, as the series' live announcers often played up the U.S.-against-Them angle, leading the crowds to boo the French kid rather than appreciate the genius of his riding technique -- more than anyone he deserves credit for attacking the whoops in a controlled blitz, using fourth gear, which is the standard now, as the low rpm's and wide gear ratios enabled him to gain speed from the beginning to the end, always under control.
In ’92, with one eye already on his next move -- he had signed a development deal with the Honda factory in Japan to be moved right into their Grand Prix road racing program -- he won three more races with the enthusiasm of someone going to a job he hated.
JMB captured one SX title during his brief time in the States.
Racer X Archive photo
And then, like Haley's comet, he was gone.
Jean-Michel Bayle was an innovator in supercross, an artist on the bike and a speed demon on the track. He opened the door for other riders to emigrate here from around the world: Greg Albertyn, Mickael Pichon, Stephane Roncada, Sebastien Tortelli, David Vuillemin, Grant Langston, Christophe Pourcel, Tyla Rattray, Marvin Musquin, Ken Roczen ... Bayle may not have the wins and titles of others on this list, but he's as much a legend in supercross for what he did, as he is a legend for what he did not do, which was stick around for more.
The 30 Best Supercross Racers of All Time Tracker:
#11 Damon Bradshaw
#12 Mark Barnett
#13 Kevin Windham
#14 David Bailey
#15 Ryan Dungey
#16 Mike Bell
#17 Jeff Emig
#18 Johnny O’Mara
#19 Doug Henry
#20 Jimmy Ellis
#21 Mike LaRocco
#22 Ezra Lusk
#23 Broc Glover
#24 Ron Lechien
#25 Jimmy Weinert
#26 David Vuillemin
#27 Donnie Hansen
#28 Larry Ward
#29 Mike Kiedrowski
#30 Marty Tripes
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This in supposed to be the greatest of all time not the one with the most wins or titles. JMB was a bad ass, he kicked everyones ass including Jeff Stanton which apparently you guys will put ahead of him. I know JMB didn't have a lot of fans but he was definitely an awesome rider and most definitely should be closer to # 1.
Love him or hate him Which a lot of people did
Even DeCoster couldn't reel this guy or his attitude in;
But weather it was a 125 250 or a 500cc dirt bike; This guy rode as smooth as silk
Yeah, another wrong one on the list, he should be way further up...... JMB was pure poetry in motion with a riding style so effortless that you would think he was just putting around and not even trying.
Im so glad I was able to see him race in his prime. I don’t think he ever get the credit he deserved in his racing career because he was a foreigner coming to America and kicking our asses effortlessly, Or so it seemed with his riding style. I think Americans treating him so badly is what made him give it up and leave so soon….Its to bad, he had a lot more race wins in him and championships also. Definitely top 5 for me all day long.
I am happy that pretty much the whole bench racing world is showing against this list. I am also happy that I agree with most of the community. If this is about being fast, JMB was DAMN fast, a top5 in this list for him would be quite fair, specially when you have placed one/two of the guys he beat during his short stage in the USA
To be honest, I think this text has quite a bit of hypocrisy. Why?? Well, you say fans were bad for booing with him when you are placing him behind 1-2 guys he beat. That is hypocritical, you are implying he was worse than guys that were SLOWER THAN HIM
Glad to see everyone disagreeing with every friggin pick. Its bench racing fodder kids! Make yer own friggin list! I hope they pick RC next and Mcgrath 8th just so I can watch the chit fly! Hell..... make Jeff Ward number one!!
Keep up the good work RacerX!!
As someone who follows many sports (though MX is my favorite), I have no problem with JMB being down the list bit. How many times will we see this argument? JS7 continued to be called the FMOTP even after he was no longer near the top of the standings. Call him what you want - with his two SX championships, he is NOT the greatest. This list rightfully should consider what a rider has accomplished in the sport. If a baseball player were to come in and hit 60 home runs one year, 70 the next, and 50 the next, only to disappear from the sport, people would marvel at his skills, but he wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of making the Hall of Fame. The same applies here. I'm sure we'll see that each of the riders above Bayle on the list have accomplished much more. If he wasn't interested in his place in SX history, why should all you guys be so invested?
I should add that I’m not discounting the possibility that Stewart will do more (unlike JMB). But as it stands today, neither is “the greatest.”
This a good list because it is a mixture of Stats and opinion. If the list was based on pure talent it wold be different.. Yes I saw Bayle in his prime and he was the best I had ever saw yet. He could have maybe set all of the records and they mmight even still be standing?
@CZrider I have a question for you under the Barnett article?
There was simply no match for JMB. He was bored in the us. It would have been nice to see him and MC race against each other for a few years.
This would be a hard list for anybody unless you were in the sport from the begining it would be more biased! No ya cant please everyone I am jjust waiting to see how Racer X pans it out! Ya I just might put Jeff Ward on the top of the list then we also have to remember this is Supercross only! That takes some of the playing cards out of the deck!
Definetely TOP3
Incredible precission on a bike,won everything against everyone :the media the spectators and the riders.
Back then it seemed that most people hated him like most foreign riders in the US are hated. You guys should just appreciate that riders from around the world have the balls to compete with the best in sx
I learned how to practice sx with him during two of his training school ... He is a nice guy, very cool and an awesome rider ! He invented a new style of riding ... Modern and so fast ! Definitely #1
JMB #10 ???????????? I can entertain the silliness of this list no further. what in the name of broc hepler are you guys doing down there in Morgantown?? JMB third, no discussion.
I'm thinkin JMB won 8 races in 91... It's to bad that he didn't stick around to race against MC, but based off of starts alone I think McGrath would have won.
"This list is suppose to be the greatest of all time, not the one with the most wins or titles." I'm trying desperately to make sense out of that statement..
Ok, we'll then, in someone's Opinion Guy Cooper was the greatest of all time because he rode yellow and he was #5!! Wtf?
Titles, then, wins, then longevity etc dictate who was great.. End of story. There is no other debate.. bayle is appropriately placed, 1 title.. Racer x is doing just fine..
Someone here can argue that McGrath really sucked because he was out of shape and wins were easy because he was the holeshot king, but I promise you we will blow that theory out of the water. 7 titles and 72 wins definitely means the best of all time.
McGrath, RC, , Hannah, Stanton, (Stewart, reed, Villipoto,johnson a horse apiece)..
JMB was so good, I will post a link to a race from 92 when I find it. He sat back in 5th the whole race while Bradshaw, Stanton and cooper battled. Suddenly with 2 laps left, he carves thru all those guys In the whoops and goes on to win just like Baggett. Great rider, definitely one of the best ever
"This list is suppose to be the greatest of all time, not the one with the most wins or titles." I'm trying desperately to make sense out of that statement..
Ok, we'll then, in someone's Opinion Guy Cooper was the greatest of all time because he rode yellow and he was #5!! Wtf?
Titles, then, wins, then longevity etc dictate who was great.. End of story. There is no other debate.. bayle is appropriately placed, 1 title.. Racer x is doing just fine..
Someone here can argue that McGrath really sucked because he was out of shape and wins were easy because he was the holeshot king, but I promise you we will blow that theory out of the water. 7 titles and 72 wins definitely means the best of all time.
McGrath, RC, , Hannah, Stanton, (Stewart, reed, Villipoto,johnson a horse apiece)..
JMB was so good, I will post a link to a race from 92 when I find it. He sat back in 5th the whole race while Bradshaw, Stanton and cooper battled. Suddenly with 2 laps left, he carves thru all those guys In the whoops and goes on to win just like Baggett. Great rider, definitely one of the best ever
I saw JMB at Binghampton in 91 then in 92, his riding style was so smooth, it was almost like there was nothing underneath him. I don't even think he sweated. If he were in his prime today, he would be up there with everyone if not winning every week. Riders like him come once in a while.
This has been an interesting discussion. I think the consensus is Titles equal greatness. If you win a ton of races and no Titles, you lack some physical or mental component necessary to close the deal. That in and of itself is sufficient to exclude a non-Title winner from ranking above someone with Title(s).
The goal in the sport is to win Titles. Show me one guy or team that says our goal is to win as many races as possible and we will crash and burn at the races instead of doing what is necessary to win a Title. Never happens. Only when they are out of the Title hunt do they say the goal is to now win races.
I remember reading where stanton said after realizing what JMB was doing, carving his initilials in Honda hill, stanton wished he had thought of it! Good stuff. JMB was one of a kind.
No way JMB is top 3!. greatest of all time has to have statistics to back up the claim. I might make him #7, but definitely not top 3 as you would have to put the following in order in front of JMB......... JM, RC, JS, CR, RV, BH..
JMB himself wrote on his Facebook page that he should not have been above his idol David Bailey on this list...
Guys, again, it's a mash-up of titles, race wins, sheer talent, innovation, etc. There is no other way to do it, as the sport has been so dynamic -- changes tracks, changing schedules (used to be just a handful of SX races), changing equipment, changing technique, changing focus (SX-only era).
Jean-Michel Bayle was amazing when he wanted to be, but unfortunately, that was only for about two years. Hard to count those two years (and one title) above guys with many years on the gas and multiple titles. But he's the highest man on the list with just one championship, if that helps...
Either way, thanks for reading, and stay tuned.
DC
I imagine the controversy will continue until we get to 1 and 2. Current riders vs former. Race wins vs championships. Length of the seasons, length of their careers. It's all very subjective, and has been a fun thing to read while waiting for A1. If I were to put them in tiers (alphabetic by last name within the tiers), it would be:
McGrath
Carmichael
Hannah, Johnson
Stanton
Reed, Stewart, Villipoto, Ward
Looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Sorry Davey, but titles speak the loudest. I absolutely agree that EVERY sport is dynamic in the sense that everything changes over time. James Stewart is obviously the fastest rider EVER from point A to point B, but he also has the best bikes the sport has seen since 1970.
I know its impossible to compare previous eras, but the number of titles a rider carries simply means HE WAS SUPREMACY to his competition for that time period. Supremacy in the sense of most consistent over time.. not sheer speed, I get that. If this werent the case then what the hell are these riders racing for? They arent racing for lap times.. or who strings sections together that nobody else can. They are racing for the big factory bonus, and the bragging rights that they won the title regardless of who is hurt, how stiff the competition was, how many races they won.. all that is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. 1992 Supercross series is listed as JEFF STANTON CHAMPION, not *Damon Bradshaw set a record and won 9 times.
Of course, this is my opinion and I LOVE what you guys are doing.. I am not complaining one bit, I agree with all your picks. I think you guys are doing a fabulous job, however I think that ultimately you need to establish a criteria to do this right and make it concrete. If James Stewart lists better than Jeff Stanton, I absolutely would have to disagree with that based on the FACTS. We cant race Stanton against Stewart, so we can't even go there (the only argument you could have is that Stewart isnt done yet) but we are doing the comparsions TODAY.
Keep them coming!
(Joe Montana is considered better than Dan Marino because he has more Superbowls, even though Marino carried most NFL passing records.)
Great job DC! And what a tease! Here comes the highest seeded guy with NO championships... 199!
Best I ever saw. I only go back to about 1971 on this, but there it is.
THE biggest enigma in motorcycle racing history. Was French Observed Trials Champ. Got bored, so he went GP Motocross racing. "Champed" that a couple times. Oh oh, bored again. SX looked kinda interesting, so goes to the USA and beats everyone at everything without breathing hard. And we're bored again. So naturally he steps directly into the deep end of World Championship Roadracing?!?
So he was a quitter? Well, only from the standpoint of each of the disciplines he conquered and then left. The bigger picture might draw him as a guy who wanted to beat everyone on 2 wheels everyway and was prepared to go onto their home turf and use the weapon of their choice to do it. This is a quitter? And until he was forced to take an incomplete in roadracing, he freaking DID IT, again and again, and...
The Myth is he failed on pavement. Not at all, actually. He stepped into the 250s when the Honda/Aprilias stank. Moved up to the 500s on a Yamaha when they stank because they ate tires. But, a several years after his 1st ever roadrace, he was setting poles on that Yamaha ahead of GP World Champs now revered as some of roadracing's best ever. Along the way he won the Bol d'or AND the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Then he had a wreck (and got run over, I recall) that rather permanently concussed him. When the GP/MotoGP guys do Best Of lists they have the same, but kind of inverted, problem that we do with Bayle: What were the limits of his talent? On the right kit or with more time, what would he have done?
One thing more: was he done with MX/SX? Bayle's RR crash might have had MX repercussions as well. After he thought maybe his head healed, it was MX he dabbled with to see what he could do. We cant know he would have returned or not. How likely were any of his many career moves? Just a thought.
He was also really good at testing and bike set-up. Word was he started running a one off set up until before the race, so when Honda copied it for their other riders it wouldn't be quite as good as his.
I hear ya Davey Combes. I was hoping this list would be more based on talent than it is results. But what can you do. The only one who was out of place with results was Henry. Otherwise this list has been very much results base.
My opinion is JMB being higher, but thats why it is only my opinion.
Thank you for the bench racing fuel.
By the way, I forgot to mention.. from my sources Trey Canard currently has the fastest lap times at Honda. Faster than Barcia, faster than Reed, faster than Tomac. Dude is rippin"
@xxktm - I don't think 199 will be on the list. I agree he was more talented than most these guys. But winless in the premier class...
I'd be surprised if the list had anyone other than the 9 I listed. Unfortunately, Pastrana and Cooper are guys that were really fast but never won one. If they had an outdoor list like this, especially for 125s, I'd be shocked if they weren't on it.
@rickamatuzio - Except for a few people's lame jokes about his faith or getting hurt, Canard has not been part of most podium predictions, by us "amateurs" anyway. I don't think it will take too long before he reminds everyone how fast he is.
Awe Davy I'm disappointed. " But he's the highest man on the list with just one championship, if that helps..." I understand it's just a list but like groundy056 I too was hoping RAW talent would be more of a factor. I've been watching motocross since Marty smith to current day. And I can't imagine any list without Magoo! If anyone ever had the honor of of watching the original "Shock and Awe" show there would be no debate. Ricky Johnson said it best when saying Danny would either kick your ass by a mile or crash and get 7th. Danny was always the FASTEST on the track never holding back. The originator of WAO!
Rick, all good points. And Elsinore, I am with you on JMB in the sense that I don't think he "failed" at road racing as much as he set a ridiculous bar for himself by simply being so gifted on any motorcycle... He was the first guy I ever saw hit a pond wide open and just stay up on the water all the way across. Ridiculous to even attempt that (unless you're Pastrana 15 years later). And he was so committed to getting to the top in road racing that he wasn't as patient as he maybe should have been, but that's how he rolled: Three years in GPs, two world titles; three years in the US, three AMA titles. Many probably expected similar efficiency in road racing but it doesn't work that way....
But could you imagine Sete Gibernau or Mick Doohan showing up at Anaheim SX instead of the Assen TT, one year after winning MotoGP races? Only Steve Wise comes close!
DC
MX Sports
Klause, I loved Magoo, but he wasn't very good at SX racing, and his lack of results are a testament to that. He had a heart as big as the Rose Bowl, but his sheer talent did not translate well inside stadiums -- he was just too explosive and wild. Hannah was wild, but he figured out how to tame himself enough to get the job done.
Other renowned, beloved wild men like Pastrana and Guy Cooper are on an ironic least: Most spectacular SX racers, but they never won a single main event...
DC
MX Sports
Oops, that was supposed to say "ironic list" not "least." Freudian slip....
DC
Wow I was just looking at Pastrana in the vault. I watched all his races and he seemed sooooooo much better than what the vault shows.
Enters the 250 class in 02. Goes: 19, 2, 3, 2, 7 ,8. After round 6 2002 Travis never finishes better than 10th ever again :-(
Even watching early rounds 2005, his results do not come close to his presence and ability.
Keep in mind, groundy, that those results for Pastrana's are for his rookie year on a 250 - against the likes of RC, MC, DV12, Lusk, and more. Taking that into account, those 2s and 3s don't look bad. Also, this was after he fatefully knocked himself out of the 125 outdoors the year before with a vicious crash and concussion at Unadilla that many say was the beginning of the end for him. As that '02 SX season went on, mounting injuries and X-Games were luring Travis away. He did ok for himself, though, top 30 list or no top 30 list.
Oh I agree Sef154. Freeze time after that 2nd 2nd and I would swear he was going to kill it.
To be honest. Every come back I had faith he could win. His Rookie 125 season was by far my favorite rookie season of any rider.
I really believed in my heart that Travis Pastrana had the talent to win a SX title. He showed so much speed and natural ability, I know that his sideline shows destroyed his career but he ended up much wealthier and successful from a certain point of view. I always wonder in if Travis regrets his decisions, and deep in his heart wishes he put all his effort into a sx title. Or, does he not really care and feel satisfied with his other endeavors?
Trey Canard is going to show the world that tenacity pays off. I really think he deserves a wonderful season, and I think he has the potential to make the racer x top 30 next decade.
Didn't like him.
Ok guys, since I'm from a younger generation, who made more natural talent: bayle or lechein?? All my racing buddies say lechein was AMAZING. His story definitely takes the cake for most dramatic and exciting/interesting. I heard he showed up drunk to the MX of nations having not slept, did a few lines, and absolutely checked out on the best riders in the world. If that's not talent, I don't know what is.
@rick - that's like asking "taste's great or less filling?".
Both were amazingly fluid, although I would say that JMB was "on" more often than the Dogger.
Bob Hannah #1 ?!?!?
I wouldnt be surprised if Travis didnt make the list but damn, he certainly was the fastest man on more than a few nights. One of the few that could actually catch and pass the very best. I willl never forget him blitzing a set of whoops, he seemed to be the only rider who could GAIN speed going through. His last few rides at Daytona were stuff of legend as well, even though, like so often there was no finish involved. A great human being and a great racer as well. He may only be a footnote in racing history , but what a footnote!
@ rickamatuzio – I, too, believed Pastrana had the talent (he seemed to be the one chance to stop the RC freight train back then), but to say his “sideline shows destroyed his career” doesn’t show an understanding of Travis. Watch his movie “199 Lives” and take note of how important moto was to him and how hard he worked. His body simply didn’t hold up (though I admit, he did have a bit of ADD as well). He was doing X-Games before he was old enough for the Nationals (much to DeCoster’s chagrin), and that didn’t prevent his amazing 125 rookie season. I was there for his first National win at the ‘wick in 2000, and I also watched him crash his brains out at Unadilla while running away with the ’01 125 title. He was never quite the same in MX after that. He’ll always be one of the biggest “what if” stories, as well as one of the most popular riders, in the history of our sport.
@Ruletheroost – I loved Hannah, but really, don’t we all know who’ll be #1? This is SX, after all.
Elsinoreracer
Thank you for reminding me JMB was French trials champion! I'm going to have to search around for pics of his trials days,so I can checkout his form/style. I followed his tarmac journey weekly in cycle news and considered his achievement's quite remarkable seeing as how he pretty muched jumped in the deep end.I was a fan of JMB back in the day and two things stick out in my mind. 1.How ashamed I felt for all the boo's he recieved at the silverdome one year 2.His naturally effortless style smoking the field at Gatorback in 89' on a Pro Circuit Honda.
PS Love this countdown,might not agree with every single ranking but dig remembering forgotten stories and pictures.
Thanks RacerX
I remember watching a video of Travis on Motoworld when he signed with Suzuki and thought he was going to be the next big thing. then I talkled to a rep who said he was a great kid, but was getting sucked into the freestyle thing and would never live up to it in MX unless he got away from that.
Travis raced with a walkman playing music in his helmet. He reinjured himself and had to miss races when he was supposed to be practicing, but instead he got on the dozer and made a big freestyle jump. Towards the end he got good at pulling off the track when he realized he wasn't going to do good. But I believe concussions ealy in his 125 days messed him up too.
I watched an interview with Travis on Motoworld when he was about 14, and he had already had more injuries than most riders have in their entire careers - including a broken back, I believe. I remember thinking, "I hope he survives long enough to make it to the pros." He did work hard at moto, and he was fearless ... but it was not to be.
He broke his back doing freestyle. I saw a interview in which he actually said it made him stronger because they fused his spine to his pelvis or something. I don't know what other injuries he had before turning pro. Staying healthy is a big part of it though.
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