Racer X Online - Motocross & Supercross NewsRacer X Online

  • Subscribe Now
  • Latest
  • Features
  • Breaking News

Racer X Online - Motocross & Supercross NewsRacer X Online

  • One Click Sign-In

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    OR

    Sign in with your username and password

    • Sign In
  • Features
    • 10 Things
    • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers
    • 3 on 3
    • 250 Words
    • 450 Words
    • Between the Motos
    • Breakdown
    • Deals of the Week
    • GNCC Report
    • Great Battles
    • How to Watch
    • Injury Report
    • Insight
    • In the Mag, On the Web
    • Lockdown Diaries
    • Longform
    • MXGP Race Reports
    • My Favorite Loretta Lynn's Moto
    • Next
    • Observations
    • On This Day in Moto
    • Open Mic
    • Privateer Profile
    • Race Day Feed
    • Racerhead
    • Racer X Awards
    • Racer X Redux
    • Rapid Reaxtion
    • RX Exhaust
    • Saturday Night Live
    • Staging Area
    • The Conversation
    • The List
    • The Moment
    • Things We Learned at the Ranch
    • Unphiltered
    • Wake-Up Call
    • Where Are They Now
  • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Photo Galleries
    • The Weege Show
    • Racer X Films
    • Video
    • SX Preview Shows
    • Factory Tech Tip
    • MX Preview Shows
    • Behind The Bars
  • Races
    • Series Schedules
    • TV Schedules
    • Results
    • Champions
    • Teams
    • 2021 Numbers
  • Results
    • Points Standings
    • Race Results
    • Riders
    • The Vault
    • Loretta Lynn's Vault
  • The Mag
    • Customer Care
    • Digital Magazine Bookstand
    • Current Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Free Stickers
    • Store Locator
    • Sell Racer X
  • Shop
  • About Us
  • Table of Contents
  • Subscribe Now
  • Latest
  • Features
  • Breaking News
Results Archive
Supercross
Houston 1
Articles
450SX Results
  1. Justin Barcia
  2. Ken Roczen
  3. Marvin Musquin
Full Results
250SX East Results
  1. Christian Craig
  2. Austin Forkner
  3. Colt Nichols
Full Results
Live Now
Supercross
Houston 2
Articles
450SX Group B Qualifying 1
  1. Carlen Gardner
  2. Fredrik Noren
  3. Justin Starling
Full Results
250SX East Group A Qualifying 1
  1. Christian Craig
  2. Jett Lawrence
  3. R.J. Hampshire
Full Results
Upcoming
Supercross
Houston 3
Sat Jan 23
Articles
Upcoming
Supercross
Indianapolis 1
Sat Jan 30
Articles
Upcoming
Supercross
Indianapolis 2
Tue Feb 2
Articles
Full Schedule
30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #20 Jeremy McGrath
Davey Coombs

Davey Coombs

30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers #20 Jeremy McGrath

April 30, 2018 5:00pm
by: Davey Coombs
  • Home
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #20 Jeremy McGrath

The 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is now just 20 days away! The 50th Annual Hangtown Classic, just outside of Sacramento, California, will go off the starting gate on May 19.

Five years ago, on the eve of the 2013 outdoor season, the editors and contributors of Racer X Online did countdown of the 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers of all time, ranking the best riders on the AMA Motocross circuit. You can check out that list right here.

But now we’re five years past that list, and in anticipation of a brand-new season of racing, we decided to revisit and update that list, adding in the results and championships accumulated in the past five years to our existing results, which go back to 1972. Our rankings include a mix of championships, race wins, and podiums; a rider's efficiency and longevity; the competition they raced against; and, of course, pure talent and speed. Remember, these rankings are based on the AMA Motocross Nationals—international events like the Motocross of Nations and Grand Prix events here and abroad will not be factored into our tally.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: Jeremy McGrath is the best supercross racer who ever lived. He was #1 on our previous list of 30 Best Supercrossers of All Time, and there was no doubt about that. Even more than ten years after he retired, no one is close to his record of 72 wins, and no one may ever get close. But this list is about AMA Motocross, something the King of Supercross didn't often put his full effort into. In fact, in the latter part of his career, he signed a supercross-only deal in order to maximize his staying power and focus on his preferred form of racing.

Nonetheless, in the time McGrath did spend on the AMA Motocross tour—from his rookie year of 1991 through the start of the 1998 season—McGrath won 17 outdoor Nationals (15 in the premier class) and the 1995 AMA 250 Motocross Championship in dominant fashion. Given his speed, his time, and his competition, McGrath ranks 20th on our list.

Fran Kuhn

McGrath was a late bloomer, famously working a regular job in a Ralph's grocery store and winning a Novice Class championship at Loretta Lynn's in 1987. By the time he turned pro in 1990, he was being called a natural in supercross—he seemingly came out of nowhere to win the Las Vegas 125 SX. Even back then, when you begin studying Jeremy's numbers, you will see a string of podium finishes in 125 SX, and then outdoor finishes like 20-12-39-8-10.... It was obvious early that outdoor tracks were his Achilles’ heel, just as the indoor tracks were for Ricky Carmichael. At first.

By 1993, McGrath was a two-time 125SX West Region Champ and the runaway winner of that year's Camel 250cc Supercross Championship, having taken his first four wins in consecutive races. It was at that point that he showed something we'd really yet to see: pure speed outdoors. While he raced a CR250 indoors, McGrath dropped back down to a CR125 for the opening round of AMA Motocross at Gatorback Cycle Park and promptly won.

He went on to win the SX crown that year, as well as the next year, and the next year, and the next year. But the '93 125 MX title was lost to his teammate Doug Henry, and the '94 250 title went to Mike LaRocco, as Jeremy finished third and never won a race. The knock was that he just wasn't that good outdoors. That was apparently all he needed to hear.

Fran Kuhn

McGrath came out swinging in 1995, revamping his training program and focusing hard on proving his doubters wrong. He put it to the likes of his longtime rival Jeff Emig, multi-time champs Mike LaRocco and Mike Kiedrowski, and even incoming FIM Motocross World Champ Greg Albertyn. McGrath won more than half of that year's 250 Nationals, clinching his one and only AMA Motocross title. He seemed in control the next year, too, taking five of the first six rounds and holding a 40-point lead, but he made a terrible mistake in practice when he tried to turn two tabletops into one big double at Millville and tweaked his ankle, forcing him to ride very tentatively for 9-7 finishes that day. The next race was Washougal, and he mustered only a 15th overall, pulling out because he just couldn’t stand riding around at the back of the top ten just for points. He would later call it the biggest regret of his career; had he stayed out there and collected a few more points, he would have had a better shot of holding off Emig and repeating as champion. Ultimately, he and Emig went down to the wire nearly deadlocked in points, and Emig beat him with 1-1 scores at the Steel City finale to take the 1996 AMA 250 National Championship.

Prior to the 1997 season, McGrath had a falling-out with Honda and ended up spending a mostly lost season on Suzuki, where little went right, indoors or outdoors. Emig won both titles.

One year later, he was on a Chaparral Yamaha, back on top of supercross, and once again leading the 250 Nationals after three rounds, including a win at Hangtown. But then he cracked his wrist and had to pull out, leaving Doug Henry with a clear shot at the title on his YZ400F.

Racer X Archives

For all intents and purposes, McGrath's outdoor career pretty much ended there. He signed a supercross-only deal and focused on rewriting the entire record book there. He rode the occasional National, showing the inherent speed that comes with being such a remarkable natural talent. The record shows those 17 career wins, plus 35 career podiums.

When we add it all up—the title, wins and podiums, the quality of his competition, sheer speed, and more—we have Jeremy McGrath at #20 on our list of the Greatest AMA Motocrossers ever.

Here's what Jeremy McGrath has on record, locked away in the Racer X Vault.

Other Entries

Recommended Reading

  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #1 Ricky Carmichael 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #1 Ricky Carmichael May 19 - 12:45pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #2 Bob Hannah 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #2 Bob Hannah May 18 - 4:15pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #3 Rick Johnson 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #3 Rick Johnson May 17 - 1:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #4 Ryan Dungey 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #4 Ryan Dungey May 16 - 5:55pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #5 Jeff Ward 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #5 Jeff Ward May 15 - 5:00pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #6 James Stewart 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #6 James Stewart May 14 - 5:35pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #7 Ryan Villopoto 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #7 Ryan Villopoto May 13 - 6:05pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #8 Broc Glover 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #8 Broc Glover May 12 - 10:00am
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #9 Jeff Stanton 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #9 Jeff Stanton May 11 - 4:00pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #10 Mike Kiedrowski 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #10 Mike Kiedrowski May 10 - 3:15pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #11 Jeff Emig 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #11 Jeff Emig May 9 - 3:10pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #12 Kent Howerton 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #12 Kent Howerton May 8 - 4:15pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #13 David Bailey 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #13 David Bailey May 7 - 4:35pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #14 Mark Barnett 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #14 Mark Barnett May 6 - 5:10pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #15 Ken Roczen 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #15 Ken Roczen May 5 - 4:30pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #16 Doug Henry 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #16 Doug Henry May 4 - 3:35pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #17 Marty Smith 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #17 Marty Smith May 3 - 5:30pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers:  #18 Eli Tomac 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #18 Eli Tomac May 2 - 4:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers:  #19 Mike LaRocco 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #19 Mike LaRocco May 1 - 5:20pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #21 Ron Lechien 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #21 Ron Lechien April 29 - 5:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #22 Jean-Michel Bayle 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #22 Jean-Michel Bayle April 28 - 2:20pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #23 Tony DiStefano 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #23 Tony DiStefano April 27 - 4:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #24 Steve Lamson 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #24 Steve Lamson April 26 - 5:30pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #25 Jimmy Weinert 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #25 Jimmy Weinert April 25 - 5:30pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers:  #26 Chad Reed 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #26 Chad Reed April 24 - 5:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #27 Brad Lackey 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #27 Brad Lackey April 23 - 5:40pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #28 Gary Jones 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #28 Gary Jones April 22 - 5:00pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #29 Pierre Karsmakers 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #29 Pierre Karsmakers April 21 - 6:00pm
  • 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #30 Jeremy Martin 30 Greatest AMA Motocrossers: #30 Jeremy Martin April 20 - 5:15pm
  • Where Are They Now: Ian Trettel Where Are They Now: Ian Trettel 3:30pm
  • On This Day in Moto: April 30 On This Day in Moto: April 30 5:30pm
Read Now
March 2021 Issue Now Available
Get Racer X on your iPhone
Check out all the exclusive content this month on any device!
Read Now
The March 2021 Digital Issue Availalbe Now

Motocross & Supercross News - Racer X Online

122 Vista Del Rio Drive, Morgantown, WV 26508 | 304-284-0084 | Contact Us
©1999 - 2021 Filter Publications LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
designed at: Website DesignImpulse Studios