You’ve probably heard of the Sports Illustrated “cover curse” before (and if you’re a fan of the Kansas University Jayhawks or the Missouri Tigers, you know about it firsthand). There was also talk of a Racer X cover curse sometime ago, but hopefully that’s all behind us – with Travis Pastrana on the most recent cover, it’s practically a guarantee!
Here’s something else to ponder: For the last five years, Racer X Brand Manager Mike “Fubar” Farber has offered Monster AMA Supercross fans a free collectible trading card from the Racer X booth in the pits. Each year, we feature the top riders, and this year’s card series kicks off at Anaheim 1 with L&M Racing Yamaha’s Chad Reed as the subject. Reed is the ’04 AMA Supercross Champion, and right now he’s in a neck-and-neck battle with James Stewart as to who our readers think will win the 2008 title. Stewart, by the way, will be on the card for the biggest single race on the calendar, the Atlanta Georgia Dome.
But what can we expect of Reed at Anaheim 1? If you look at the last four years, Anaheim 1 might not have been his first choice as to which card he might have wanted to be on!
2007 – RICKY CARMICHAEL
The 2007 Anaheim opener was RC's last chance to win A1 in his storied career, so it was only fitting that he grace the card. Alas, it was not to be, as even though Stewart would go down and hand the lead to Ricky, Bubba was too strong and denied Carmichael of one of the very, very few things he was unable to achieve.
2006 – JEREMY McGRATH
The 2006 Racer X Trading Cards were made with former champs in mind, and as seven-time champion, the all-time King of Supercross got the nod. James Stewart made a "New Beginning" by racing with #7 and made it three wins in a row for himself following the two Canadian rounds in December ‘05.
2005 – JEREMY McGRATH
The season dubbed "The Perfect Storm" began with a soaked A1 that was won by Kevin Windham in a serious upset. Meanwhile, McGrath, who was on the trading card, struggled in the mud and finished last in the 20-rider main event. Of course he was just riding for fun, so no love lost.
2004 – KEVIN WINDHAM
With Ricky Carmichael out of the picture, Kevin Windham and Chad Reed were set to go head-to-head for the 2004 AMA Supercross title. Windham got the nod on the card, but then he only finished ninth in the opener. The winner? Chad Reed.
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