by Eric Johnson
30 Day Countdown to A1: #1 Jeremy McGrath
Friday, January 4, 2013 | 11:00 AM
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PrintOn Saturday night, March 17, 1990 – and before a high school football-size crowd in the then tiny Las Vegas Silverbowl – this reporter watched a kid from Southern California named Jeremy McGrath ride his #125 Team Green Kawasaki KX 125 to victory in the final race 1990 AMA Supercross tour. During the following winter McGrath signed on to the new Team Peak/Pro Circuit/Honda team, would win the West Region Championship, then backed it up with seven wins and the '92 West Region title.
Then came 1993. Now on a factory Honda CR250, McGrath ran fourth and fifth in the first rounds before showing up at Angel Stadium for Round 3. That's where the world watched McGrath race past defending series champ and senior Honda teammate Jeff Stanton and whisk away to victory. It was a stunning, unexpected triumph. Little did we all know that it was the beginning of something special. McGrath began the first of many streaks his career, going on to win in Seattle, then San Diego. The kid was sensational, yet some still had their doubts.
“Daytona is coming up and he’ll fade there,” said some insiders. “He’s a supercross kid and the rough Daytona track will ruin him.”
During his career, McGrath would revolutionize the sport of supercross.
Racer X Archives photo
It didn’t. McGrath place second in the deep, nasty Florida sand and then went on to win five more 250cc main events before hoisting the #1 plate above his head at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on May 15. And that was just his first season! Before he was "Showtime." Before he was doing nac-nacs. Before he began to literally carry the sport on his back for the better part of a decade.
Seventy-two victories and seven AMA Supercross Championships later there really isn’t anything left to say about Jeremy McGrath other than he is, was, the undisputed King of Supercross. In an eight-year run, he only lost the title but once, to Jeff Emig in 1997, where DNFs and an off-song Suuzki motorcycle stopped him just short of taking the measure of his nemesis. All this withstanding, and all the miraculous results aside, McGrath brought much more to the sport of Supercross. In fact through his showmanship, charisma and sheer force of personality, he took the sport to places it had never gone before -– into the mainstream. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ads in Rolling Stone, corporate TV spots with 1-800-COLLECT, video games, countless network TV appearances.
What made him so good? He was never a standout on minicycles -- he started very late, relatively speaking, at the age of 14 -- but he was a remarkable innovator. It was McGrath's low-jumping technique, where he soaked the lift on jump faces with his legs, BMX-style, to flow lower and get across triples and tabletops quicker. He was a meticulous tester, which meant he and mechanics like Shawn Norfolk and Randy Lawrence always had the perfect set-up for their man. McGrath was so good that he had two eras of pure dominance: 1993 to '96, before his falling out with Honda, and then '98 to '01 with his own Chaparral Yamaha team, backed by Bud Light. An all-time bench-racing debate might simply be this: Who was better? Jeremy on a Honda or Jeremy on a Yamaha?
McGrath finally meet his match in the much younger Ricky Carmichael, #2 on this list, but nearly 25 main event wins behind Jeremy on the all-time wins list. Carmichael and his mentor Johnny O'Mara knew they would never be the best until they could beat McGrath straight up, and that took five years of pro racing to accomplish. Said Carmichael, "I looked up Jeremy so much, but if I wanted to beat him, I knew I had to put that aside."
McGrath is #1 on the all-time wins list with 72.
Racer X Archives photo
After splitting the first four races of 2001, Carmichael would not lose again, while McGrath would never win again. But he was okay with that, as the records he set will likely never be broken.
On New Year’s Day earlier this week, while vacationing in Park City, Utah, Jeremy spoke about being the #1 Supercross rider in history. “I always thought it was really important to put your head down and just do the work, get the most out of what you had in racing and, well, the numbers would come,” offered McGrath. “I mean RC didn’t talk too much. He just went out and did what he had to do. He won races and titles and just did what he loved to do, then he got out at the right time. At one point, James Stewart was racking up numbers where I wondered if he would get close. Now my impression about the 72 race wins in this sport is that the athletes now make too much money to stay interested in it to keep at it for the same amount of time that I did. The thing I realized is that I didn’t really think about the numbers.”
And of his superstar status in the sport, the fact that he is still the most well-know and respected name in the entire sport of supercross?
“Man, I was just a hillbilly kid from Menifee, California," he laughs. "I was thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that all this is happening.’ I didn’t look at myself as being one of the greats."
That's where he's wrong. Jeremy McGrath was not one of the greats in supercross -- he was the great one. Long live the King of Supercross.
Long live the King of Supercross.
Racer X Archives photo
The 30 Best Supercross Racers of All Time Tracker:
#1 Jeremy McGrath
#3 Bob Hannah
#5 Rick Johnson
#6 Chad Reed
#8 Jeff Stanton
#9 Jeff Ward
#10 Jean Michel Bayle
#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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Indeed a king is crowned!
My life used to revolve around Jeremy McGrath. What a rockstar..
Watch Jeremy 1999, nobody has of ever will have been one with the bike like Jeremy. Reed and Stewart an RC are great, but Jeremy is poetry.
Mike Larocco still has anger issues I bet about Jeremy's start ability.
A very well deserved and earned # 1 congrats to the king of SX !
Terrifirma 2 start heli ride to his Bike!
He was the King of SX in his era, just like RC was in his era..
Mitch payton told jeremy who do YOU think you are RICKY JOHNSON....JERMERY WHAT A CLASS ACT....
@mxmofo--What do you mean "His ERA" Mcgrath IS THE KING OF SUPERCROSS, of any era.. Give the guy his due man.. He deserves it and earned it.. He never got the big rides as a kid. His Dad worked his tail off as an auoto mechanic to try and fund him.. And Mcgrath finally got a chance and ran with it.. He won 72 freaking races and earned 7 titles... He is the undisputed King of Supercross, in any era..
I've watched SX since the mid 80's and MC is the rider who I most expected to win every week. I felt he was that superior to his competition almost all of the time. Yeah, RC & JS looked virtually unbeatable at times but their three-way duel between themselves and Chad Reed made the results more questionable. And MC's win count bears me out. When RC finally "got it" and beat MC, it was kind of shocking to see someone replace him at the top but it showed what a mental game supercross is because MC kind of dropped way off when he should have been a solid second to RC but I think he kind of gave up mentally, kept trying for a while, then decided enough was enough. He probably should have seen it coming when Carmichael started getting close but kept trying to find the magic until it became obvious that RC was not going to be giving up the top spot anytime soon.
Last thing: I traveled all the way from the Philly area to Chicago in 2000, mostly to see MC (my first live SX) at the one and only supercross at Route 66 Speedway in Jolene, IL. It was about 40 degrees in the open air venue but MC did not disappoint and took the win. I think Ernesto Fonseca won the 125 race too. Totally worth the trip. Thanks for a great memory, Jeremy!
Great article with one little correction, his mechanic was Skip Norfolk not Shawn Norfolk.
A couple tangles with Steve Lamson, of all people, on MC's first Suzuki ride, some clutch problems, and it seems maybe a flat at one round, cost him the title that year.
He will probably be sitting on this #1 spot for many years to come
Spot on with that one RacerX.
sx tracks were far more technical in 97-2002 than at any period of our sport, plus takes alot more talent to ride a two stroke....MC was a bad dude, and his records will never be broken....ever.
I wonder where the sport would be now without MC..
One more thing...RC is not the greatest of all time. He is the king of outdoors..to date. McGrath is the king of Supercross..to date. Pretty simple.
Until somebody out does both of these guys in out doors and supercross, thats the way its going to remain. Only someone beating both of their records can be called the greatest of all time.
909r--You are so WRONG--RC is the GOAT for a few reasons.. Yes he dominated outdoors, and fell two titles short of Mcgrath in supercross. RC raced both.his entire career.. Mcgrath quit racing outdoors and could concentrate his style and testing for nothing but supercross. While RC kept racing both series every year.. Setting up for supercross then going outdoors then back to supercross again..And won 15 titles in 10 years.. THAT IS ALSO A RECORD.. That is why RC is THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME... Pretty simple.
@bd200,, He is the King of SX, no dought, but you put him up against Hannah, Ward, Lechein, Bailey, Johnson, etc etc,,, he would not have 72 wins. The level of competition changes throughout the years.. If you go strickly by wins, yes, he is the King..
He may have said it right with the statement of money being such a factor (today) in the sport that no-one has the need/desire to do it as long as he did to put up the number of wins he has.
Personally, I do not see that, "72 Event Wins" ever being realistically challenged and broken. It is just the nature of the evolution of the sport and the economic times that have altered the animal SX has become.
All due respect to Jeremy, because he was there at the right time for it to happen, and he made it happen. And as they say timing is crucial.
Thanks Racer-X (Monster Energy) for providing a solid month of (additional) reasons to subscribe to this publication, and for putting up with us...
@mxmofo--You dont know that, nobody does.. He might still have those wins.. And I dont go by just wins, its titles that makes you a champion..and he has 7 of those..You can say what if this guy or that guy forever, its silly.. He has 7 titles, and yes, kills it in the wins column also with 72..
And his competition was tough too, look who he beat those years.. Those guys might be in the record books just like the ones you named had it not been for Mcgrath.. He did knock off a 3 time supercross Champ in Jeff Stanton..Thjat is more titles than Reed or Stewie..
@bd200 ,, To say someone is "THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME... " is purely speculation,,, because it can't be proved.. Being the greatest in his era, can be proved... There is no way to prove that MC was a better SX rider than guys he did not race against...
my first sx race i attended was i guess 1997 houston because mcgrath was on the suzuki and emig won the championship. you could definitely tell it was his bike and he was trying so hard i think he came in second that night emig was way ahead but jeremy would gain on him then fall back, but you could tell something wasnt right thats when suzuki was way behind on there bikes
The original alien!
72 wins is crazy number. I think we got his 72nd, the guy in second was still Johnson with 28. You look at the numbers that RV has put up, and he's only 1/3 of the way there.
People might say he didn't have tough competition because the guys didn't win championships, but I'd say one of the main reasons they didn't is because he was hogging them all, in SX anyway. As an overall racer, or outdoors, the GOAT is the GOAT, there's little argument there, but in SX, MC is the guy.
WFO_UFO & Tonedeaf
You 2 better get that condition checked out before you lose all bowel functions !
LOL MEAT HEADS !
His BMX background helped him a lot. How he got around a SX track shocked his competition. I remember a pic of him and Mike Kiedrowski over a triple, Mike was looking down at him. He was a good 6' lower. Wins, titles and all the other subjective criteria like influence on fans, riding technique and bringing in the bucks makes this a no-brainer.
Who did he have to race, even hannah said no one beats McGrath because second through 20th is O.K with the remainder of the field, all the greats were gone, then Ricky showed up and second wasnt good enough and the rest is history, RC had nothing more to prove so he stepped away leaing MC with his record with still plenty of years left he wasnt old by no means. I like McGrath i just wished Bradshaw wouldnt of got burnded out, Staton would stayed, JMB would of stayed, The Chicken, after one year MC had no prior Premier title holders in the field. There was Emig, I watched bradshaw pass him like emig was standing still, then once he passed emig fell over. once Emig was capable of beating MC he was to busy partying, MC was in to win, period. I went from Pro B.M.X. then at 15 jumped on a YZ 125 and it helped me a ton, i beat the field, a few guys that raced 250s i was talking to and i said this is only 4th race in motocross and one of the 250 guys swore up and down i was lying i was full of crap theres no way, and i said man ive raced a lot of years in B.M.X. but really other than practice just 4th race.
thanks e.j.! your stories are always the best told! so nostalgic! the mcgrath days were the best!! he was such a rockstar! crusty demons!,terrafirma, the after supercross partys, who didnt want to be jeremy mcgrath! i bet he got chicks like the rockstars!!
One King!
I still watch Steel Roots on a regular basis, love that vid.
No.1...
@inquisitive,, I thought the "mcgrath days" sucked, just like the RC days. It sucks watching one guy win the vast majority of the races.... BORING...
My favorite thing about McGrath was that he was a showman. Could you ever imagine seeing Dungey bust out a nac nac on the last lap of a race win... Or really anyone these days. I lived for watching those last laps to watch him whip it and bust out the greatest nac nacs.
absolute bxxxxxxs!! how can a man that was destroyed in his prime and forced into retirement be the best ever? carmichael was up and coming and took him out! mcgrath only won because rc wasn't there, thats just lucky timing. carmichael took out mcgrath and crushed the up and coming next big thing @ stewart. Carmichael #1 fact .
Eric hit it right on the nose with this article, McGrath totally dominated Supercross and he brought all the big sponsor's and attention to the sport. I was at Seattle when he got the flat tire while leading the race and it took the competition almost 2 full laps to finally get around him and steal the victory at the checkers. It shocked everybody in attendance and the King Dome went silent!
He only begun mx at 14? impressive, at this age Bubba, Bradshaw, Lechien and many others were already factory rider (and really fast on 80cc)!
for sure McGrath was born for Supercross!
My top-3 list
1. McGrath
2. RC
3. RJ
@davehessy--Are you crazy?? After Carmichael finally unseated Mcgrath, (on his 3rd try) Mcgrath was already 29 years old.. Did you realize that?/ Carmichael retired at 27 years old.. Mcgrath beat RC at the age that RC retired..To say Mcgrath ONLY won because RC wasnt there is just idiotic on your part.. And shows lack of knowledge of the sport..
Why don't you just call yourself
"WFO-UFO'S POOP"
- that would be so much more accurate.
I always wondered why my poop smelled so bad, but now I know why.
It's you.
idiotic? carmichael wasn't in his prime when he beat mcgrath, he was finding his feet. if they both came through at the same time mcgrath wouldn't ov stood a chance.ages are irrelevant look at chad reed he's riding as good as ever carmichael retired at 27 because he'd achieved everything. Mcgrath was forced out (by carmichael) a beaten man blaming arm pump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha RC4 the G.O.A.T.
I think Carmichael is the GOAT because of his 150 AMA wins- McGrath isn't even close to that with 102. Carmichael has almost 50 percent more wins than McGrath.
the only way mcgrath could be considered the best is if they were from different eras and never faced each other, then people could argue either way. The fact is they did face each other and mcgrath ended up walking away with his tail between his legs blaming this that and the other. Carmichael ruled ruthlessly ( it took me 2 years to get over him t-boning pastrana) and should be remembered rightly as the BEST.
emig beat mcgrath carmichael beat mcgrath, nobody beat the G.O.A.T.
If a dominant rider (MC/RC) is collecting all of the titles- then is there competition' weak' because they have not beaten any past champions?
Since Carmichael left, there have been five different 450 class champions- Langston-Reed-Stewart-Dungey-Villopoto. If Reed (or Stewart) had taken over Carmichaels dominance and won all of the titles since then- then Langston, Dungey and Villopoto would have no 450 titles.
Would some people then say that Reed (or Stewart) had weak competition because they did not beat any past 450 champions besides each other?
Kind of a damned if you do damned if you dont scenario.
you last 2 fools are on dope. MC crushed everyone- we are talking SX only here not including mx. he was past his prime when RC came along.
WFO_UFO
Man you sound alwfull stupid talking about your self !! GET A LIFE DUDE
reed and stewart had plenty of oppurtunities to beat rc, the fact is they couldn't. im a massive stewart fan he rides a bike with style like no other but he couldn't beat the goat, so can never be classed as the best ever. carmichael beat all comers be they champions ( mcgrath) or wanabees ( reed, stewart) . they all came and ALL fell.
Now this idiot is able to duplicate someones exact screen name (see above).
It must be DaveyCoombs playing jerkoff in the Morgantown offices today.
Isn't it enough that you already have the greatest job on earth?
You still have to come on here and act like a brain dead retard on crack?
mcgrath was in his prime carmichael was finding his feet and still beat him. no sorry didn't beat him annihilated him . ha ha ha ha ha
Couldn't agree more, what a legend!
I remember as a kid (before the days of this here Internet) reading in papers and magazines weeks after about his domination, I even based the J in my signature on his..
All time SX king, and he's since proved he's awesome off track :)
He drew a new fan base to the sport and changed it forever. Nothing made this real to me more than when I saw those "fans" holding up that 1800-moma's-boy" banner. My buddy and me made them take it down one time, ha-ha-ha.
I remember going to my first supercross race and seeing MC come over the triple during practice and then blitz a set up of whoops that everyone else was struggling with. He was a childhood hero and seeing him ride for the first time is one of my best memories.
Tastes Great!
Less Filling!
Nobody is the greatest of all time. That is why we are still watching. On a given day, there is always a winner - and he is the Greatest of That Day.
On the other hand, MC was the greatest on more SX days than anyone else has been, and that is why he is "the King". Rc was the greatest on more days during his hell-bent-for-leather career than anyone in AMA Pro Racing and that is why he is named after a short furry animal. 2 undefeated MX seasons on two different brands? That is domination redefined.
Tastes great? Less Filling? I say Viva La Beer!!!
Long live the King. They say a Picture is worth a Thousand words. The Picture of him wearing the Crown Pretty much says it all(What a Classic Shot). It was amazing when they would Line up for the main Event(Final) and everyone else on the Line had already given up and were Racing for Second. All records seem to be Broken eventually but this might be one that never is. Thanks MC for all you've done for the Sport of Motorcycle Racing, as a Family Man, and all the things you do behind the scenes that no one knows about. Roger Vista, Ca
@Davehessy--You said NOBODY beat the GOAT--wrong, Mcgrath beat RC twice, in supercross.. I am a huge RC fan, he is my favorite.. But Mcgrath is the King of Supercross. Its obvious you arent old enough to have watched Mcgrath in his prime in supercross in the '90's.. He was the best supercrosser I have ever sen ride.. And I watched RC through his whole career.. Not taking anything away from RC. But he wasnt as dominate as Mcgrath at Supercross... No comparisn outdoors, but Mcgrath is the King of Supercross..
I lost all respect for MC when in an interview a year or so ago when asked about RC being named The Goat he replied: "When my friends hear that they just laugh". RC has had the class the never show jealousy toward MC, only respect. That's the mark of the # 1 rider in my book.
Davehessy is jerking everyone chain. He knows deep in his heart that Jeremy McGrath would have demoralized RC in his prime. RC had to out train McGrath to beat him.. When McGrath was 28. Yes, that's old in this sport.
McGrath was so good he didn't need to train... He beat people so bad with the Flu, and chicken pox that they should be embarrassed.
Defining some by the dominance of an era makes sense.. So who dominated their era more than McGrath to answer your premise?! Nobody. McGrath wins again.. I could do this all night
I can't wait until we do this for the outdoors! RC will be #1, that's a given. Where would MC be outdoors? Not #2, that's for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCVNJ6zLFsA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Anaheim 2000. Any more questions? Rc couldnt walk thru the whoops.
Mcgrath a different level
Wasn't McGrath dropped by Honda at the end of 96 because he wouldn't ride the all new 97 aluminum frame. And apparently he didn't like (or ride) the 94, 95 or 96 CR 250's chassis angles either .... so he actually rode the 93 chassis all the way to the end of 96. But it looked the same from 10 feet away as the newer steel frames so Honda bit their lip. But when the 97 aluminum frame production bike came out ... there was no way they could hide that he was on a 4 year old steel frame design ...... and he refused to race it. So they let him go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIK6o3e0RyI
Sorry, MY bad. Its Anaheim 2 2000, those are the deepest whoops in supercross history. ONLY LaRocco, and Mcgrath could go thru them. When top pros are tipping over, is when the AMA stepped in and tamed them down.
My point.. Carmichael couldnt do them. McGrath.. dominates.
I think if McGrath would have had more time on the Suzuki in 97 he would have won that too and probably would have had another 8 wins for 80 total. That would have been 8 championships straight. I could see rc winning the 04 championship if he wasn't hurt but I think if he didn't retire he would have been hard pressed to win another supercross title past 06. Maybe 1. That would have given him 6, maybe 7 and maybe 65 total wins. Just speculation but I think that would still make McGrath number 1. But I do think rc could have won the outdoors in 07 definately and possibly 08 and 09. Making him still the goat. But I think McGrath would still be #1 for supercross, outdoors he might have won 98 but he would have had a struggle in his 95 championship if Henry didn't get hurt. Just my opinion
"Jeremy McGrath would have demoralized RC in his prime."
You must be fishing. If you believe that anyone would have demorlized RC you never watched him. RC was a machine. Ezra Lusk gave MC a run! Things bothered MC more than RC. MC had Jimmy Button try to take Lusk out because he couldn't deal with him. RC liked it when people got physical and tried to go for it with him.
I could say if JMB was in his prime in MC's era he would have demoralized MC.
I respect what both riders did, I respect RC more because he accomplished a lot more overall. He wanted to win everything! Outdoors is where it all started and where the men are seperated from the boys. Not jump jump 90% turn, jump jump 90% turn, jump jump....
Ya, it didnt get the responses I thought it would.. I was hoping for a big brawl
Ya, Ya, We all think the list is wrong somewhere! I would have put McGrath 1st and Hannah 2nd. Anyhooo I have been off for a while, gotta check the other posts it is race day!
LETS RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ha-ha... stir the pot.
I was there to see live MC's last SX win, That you TDY to Coronado!
@ rickamatuzio are u serious?????? .. rc had to out train mcgrath to beat him????? of course he did u tit! thats what he did he worked 10 times harder than anyone else and after working 10 times harder he reaped the rewards .. the wins! and now he should rightfully be named the best. MCGRATH, K-DUB, PASTRANA, STEWART, REED anyone, they all came they all fell end ov !!! the author of this magazine should be discusted with themselves. how can u possibly name anyone else the best when they raced each other??????????????????? RC WAS UP AND COMING, MCGRATH IN HIS PRIME RC CRUSHED HIM. mcgrath cried off blaming arm pump. no champion cries off and quits.
@davehessy--just face it, your an idiot.. MC wasnt anywhere near his prime, he was almost 29 years old dummy... Mcgrath beat RC for his first two seasons, RC finally got the title..after Mcgrath was older than RC when RC retired..How can you say Mcgrath was in his prime when he was older than when RC retired?? You just cant face the fact or you are just a fool..I think its the latter myself..
@therealmofo u little gimp, was mcgrath in his prime when emig beat him? or shall we blame the fact that he was on different machinery??? blame what u want make any excuse u want carmichael didnt make any .. he didnt need any he worked hard and crushed ALL!! fact. look who mcgrath faced and look who carmichael faced. who's better stewart or emig??? how many titles would mcgrath have won if he had stewart 2 contend with? ha ha ha ur either fucxxxg retarded or mc's pops!!!!!!
@daveyboy--I am a huge RCfan, he is my favorite.. But your assesments are idiotic..And Stewart wouild have NEVER beat Mcgrath.. I say Mcgrath did better taking down Stanton.. You probably dont know who that is, your a idiuot, but he is a 3 time supercross Champ, more titles than Stewart..If you dont see it, then I am done with fools like you.. You are too biased to see logic..
Mcgrath was good at technical SX. He did claim that they were making the tracks to favor Ricky though and there may some truth to that. There was a spell towards the end where Mcgrath was getting easy wins. Kind of like RC outdoors, people stopped believing they could beat him.
attherealmfo are u saying that emig was better than stewart?.because if emig could beat mcgrath then stewart would have and stewart would have carried on doing so unlike emig who chose 2 get high!! a little bit like u must be permanently. There is no room for debate they faced each other carmichael won convincingly. this isn't a popularity contest.