The records he set in supercross pale in comparison to the impact he had on the motorcycle industry. Those of us that know him are privileged; he is so much more than the greatest racer ever. Dave Coombs, Racer X Illustrated, editor in chief, on Jeremy McGrath: "The record book shows Jeremy McGrath at the top of almost every category: 89 career wins; 72 supercross main event wins; eight major titles; 13 main event wins in a row; 17 total race wins in a row; 15 wins and a pair of supercross titles in the class.
But it will be years before we can fully appreciate his contributions to the sport and what he really meant to supercross. Jeremy ushered in a new era of popularity and professionalism in supercross. His technique, his charisma, his everything has made the sport better, stronger and faster.
There is no way one could oversell what he's meant to supercross directly and the industry in general. It was the industry - the media, the fans, his friends and his competitors - that changed it to the "King of Supercross. Coming from a BMX background, he incorporated those low-jumping techniques into his approach.
This revolutionary style saw him dominate the sport for almost a decade before the next generation of riders - all of them employing some of his trademark technique - finally started to catch up.
His signature nac-nac trick, another BMX-inspired move, ushered in the video and contest era. And his remarkable ability to whip the bike around in the air thrilled supercross fans all over the world. Whether it was the parade lap, the first lap or the last lap of a race, everyone was watching Jeremy to see what he would do next. He brought a new era of professionalism to our sport by breaking into the mainstream almost single-handedly.
McGrath, who had switched manufacturers from Yamaha to KTM after the season, finished seventh in the Netherlands and sixth in Switzerland in world championship supercross events won by veteran David Vuillemin of France and rookie Chad Reed, who is moving up to the cc class after winning the cc eastern regional title last year. The AMS supercross season will open Jan. McGrath, who began his racing career riding bicycle-motocross as a teenager, won his first cc supercross championship as a rookie in and won six of the next seven years.
In , after switching to a new bike, he finished second, then also was second in to Carmichael. Last year he was third. He was one of the first guys involved in the freeriding movement.
He has graced the covers of countless magazines, been interviewed on T. V shows and has had some hugely popular video games released in his name. Since those days he has been enjoying raising a family and has turned his hands to off road truck racing, supermoto and NASCAR.
He also carries out testing for Honda Motorcycles to try and improve their range of dirt bikes for you and me. Jeremy McGrath was, is and always will be a true legend of the sport. And just to ensure no one forgets, in July he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. If you visit you will find a bronze statue of the man himself performing a Nac Nac over the finish line.
0コメント