Jeremy McGrath:  A Championship Supercross Racer

Jeremy McGrath; there is a good chance that you have heard that name before. Jeremy McGrath is a California born man, who is most well-known for his supercross motorcycle racing skills.  In fact, he is commonly referred to as the “King of Supercross.”  Jeremy McGrath is most well known to those in the supercross motorcycle racing community, but his name and fame is so wide spread that you have likely heard of him before, even if you are not a supercross motorcycle racing fan.

Although Jeremy McGrath accomplished a lot with supercross racing, he is, perhaps, most well-known for his rookie season.  He was the first rookie racer to win the 250cc Supercross Championship. That win can in 1993.  However, his rookie year was just the beginning.  Jeremy McGrath went on to set even more records.  He, currently, is known as having the most wins at supercross events, namely the main events.  

Like many racers, including supercross motorcycle riders, Jeremy McGrath has made a number of career moves. Those moves had a focus on his teams.  When McGrath started in supercross motorcycle racing, he was with Team Suzuki.  After a while, he decided to switch to Team Honda. Like his fellow supercross competitor, Ricky Carmichael, this move was widely criticized by many, including his fans.  It is a wonder if his fans saw what would be coming in the future.  After a hard year, Jeremy McGrath made the switch to Team Yamaha. That team switch came in 1998.

The switch to Yamaha racing proved lucky, unlike his highly publicized move to Suzuki in 1997, it proved to be a good move.  In fact, Jeremy McGrath later went on to with the Supercross Championship in 1998.  The same year that he started with Yamaha.  Not long after that, McGrath made a bold career move. He agreed, with Yamaha, to only race at supercross motorcycle racing events, instead of competing in motocross events as well.  This allowed him to focus solely on his supercross racing career, which in turn lead to even more wins.  However, in 2003, Jeremy McGrath made the decision to retire from supercross motorcycle racing.

Although McGrath chose to retire from supercross motorcycle racing, in 2003, it appeared as if he just couldn’t let the sport go.  He later returned in 2005.  His return caused excitement in the hearts of many fans; however, his return was only on a limited basis. When he did return, he returned with his old team. That team was Team Honda. Despite the fact that the results were not the same as he had seen in the past, they were pretty good.  In fact, considering his age and all of the injuries that he had suffered, in the past, the results could easily even be considered great.  

Despite recently coming out of retirement, in 2005, Jeremy McGrath has stated that 2006 will bring him to his last professional race. In fact, that last race is centered on him.  Honda, Jeremy McGrath, and their other sponsors have worked to create the Jeremy McGrath Invitational.  This event is highly anticipated as it will take place in the sport’s off-season.  It is also expected to be a big event because the payout, otherwise known as a purse, is $500,000, the largest cash purse, ever, in supercross motorcycle racing.  If you are unable to make it to Carson, California on October 6th and 7th of 2006, do not worry. The race will be broadcasted at a later date.  

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