King's Korner

Written by Jeremy McGrath Thursday, 12 January 2012 13:08

Jeremy McGrath is the King of Supercross. He helped popularize this sport, in a way that no other had, or has, ever. Supercross is an off-shoot of motocross, but held inside major stadium venues that normally have NFL football or MLB baseball.

Seven times Jeremy has won the coveted AMA Supercross Championship - the most prestigious in off-road motorcycle racing. The most Championships ever in the history of the sport. 72 Main Event wins - again, the most ever in the history of the sport. He also won the 1995 AMA 250 National MX outdoor title.

This is Jeremy's blog, entitled "King's Korner".

This year marks my first time being a team owner, and my nerves for Anaheim were up a lot higher than anytime they have been in the last few years. It surprised me a little. I almost felt like I was riding the race with Andrew (Short). It has been quite a while since I got that feeling at a Supercross race, so it was really fun.

It was really busy during the day of the race - there was just a lot going on, still trying to be "Jeremy McGrath" - the former athlete, but also trying to fit into my new role as a team owner as well.

The day was very busy, with a lot of entertaining, but then it was great to watch the races at the end of the day as the night time program started. But combine my 'normal' responsibilities when I attend a supercross, along with the new components and first race of the season from the team standpoint, I can tell you (and myself) my excitement level and nerves were way up.

As far as the racing goes, this weekend’s track at Anaheim was kind of a strange design, and was not a typical Supercross layout. With a lot sweeping corners, it looked like "follow the leader" out there to me. There were a few passes, but it was pretty much one-lined.

Still, Ryan Villopoto rode great. He came through the pack in his heat race, even though he went off the track on the start. For the final, he kicked butt - no question.

Chad Reed was pretty good and it's a bummer that he fell down. He was riding well, but it did look like he needed to gain a little more speed to stay on Villopoto's pace. He has a good start to the season, though, and he can definitely build from his Anaheim I ride.

Ryan Dungey is surprising. He rode pretty good and he looked strong, and like Reed, he can build from his podium finish. Obviously Dungey is a great rider and I'm impressed with their whole package.

Justin Brayton was strong, and there is no doubt the kid is super fit. He had a crash in his heat race, then he had to come through the Last Chance Qualifier. I’ve been watching Brayton at the test track, when I've been there with Andrew Short, and he looks super strong and it showed in the second half of the race. His night started off bad, and considering that, he should be happy with fourth place.

Jake Weimer was pretty good … surprising actually. He was definitely stronger than I expected him to be. He was out there, but he kind of had the "LaRocco" thing going on - you didn’t notice how good he was doing until the very end. I think Weimer is going to have some great rides this year. He did fade a little towards the end, but a lot of guys did.

It was a weird race for James Stewart, even though he looks pretty good. He started out strong, then it looked like he got a little tired or tight and had a few bobbles that made him drop back. Right before he crashed, you could see that he had that little flash of speed again, … but then he fell over. He was fast, but I wasn't surprised by what happened. He sometimes loses his concentration, and crashes like that one Saturday night in Anaheim seem to happen more often than not.

As for my own rider, I am really proud of Andrew Short. I thought he rode great. Obviously he had that injury in the offseason (two broken elbows), but he was really good on Saturday. If he had been a little stronger in the latter part of the race, I think he could have finished in the top five.

We, as a team, and Andrew, as a rider, have a lot to build on from that first event. There were a lot of good things that happened. His speed was good, … but he didn't get very good starts. If he can get slightly better starts and be up near the front, it will make things a lot easier on him. There were a lot of positives.

In the 250 West MX Lites Class, Cole Seely was awesome. He was one of my picks for the entire offseason, because I've been watching him ride, and that kid has some skill. His heat race didn't go exactly how he wanted it, but in the final he sure was riding really well, and I thought it was awesome. He really put the smack down on Tyla Rattray and Dean Wilson.

But, what more can you say about Tyla Rattray? He's strong, confident, and really steady - that is something any race team would want. I was pretty impressed, and he has gotten a lot better at Supercross. Tyla has some great races ahead of him.

I'm a huge fan of Dean Wilson. I really like the kid and he rode well. It looked like he struggled a little in the main event, and sometimes he can take a while to get warmed up. But, for his first race, he rode pretty well and he will definitely improve.

Eli Tomac was flying. He crashed off the start in his heat race, but then he came back and won the LCQ. Eli is one of those guys that is just so fit. He wasn't upfront right away in the main event, but by the end of the race he was flying and I think he caught a few guys off guard with his fitness. O think he caught Wilson off guard a little at the end as well. Dean was feeling the pressure and washed out. Tomac is a great rider and a good kid. I was stoked for him.

I think fans can expect to see more battling and tighter racing in Phoenix. I’m sure with Phoenix, they have more floor space and a different shaped stadium than Anaheim, so there can be longer racing lanes. With more 180-degree corners, there will be more passing and battling.

In my future columns, not only will I talk about the MX and SX races, the new team, and my opinions, but I'll share with you something else that I do to continue my racing passion - off road trucks. I have a great team with Stronghold Motor Sports, and Monster, and our first race in is March. I'll keep you updated on that too.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to sharing some of the insight I've learned in my many years of being a factory rider, racing, and winning championships.

All the best,

Jeremy McGrath

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