I searched and didn't see a thread on this yet. This was an incredible interview. So many takeaways to pour through here.
1. After recovering from getting his knee blown out by a Jeff Alessi takeout to start 2011 sx, he had an accident riding shotgun in a mule. Remember those Lucas Oil dropoffs with the banners across them? John Ayers drove off an unmarked dropoff in Colorado and the mule came down on Josh's leg and blew his other knee out. I had no clue this happened. 4 races and two blown out knees and it was all she wrote at HRC for him.
2. He was pretty much over racing in 2012 and ready to step away to be a Dad but came to find out he was broke from his Mom stealing all his money. He came back for the '12 season out of necessity on that Jeff Ward Kawi team. Which i thought that team folded before they ever went racing? Josh had some solid finishes that year
3. The '09 Yamaha was amazing and those first gen '10 Yamahas were piles of dogshit lol. No newsflash there.
4. Josh opened the first cannabis dispensary/grow operation in Lake Elsinore at the tail end of his career while with Factory Kawi. He did it on the down low because of the negative optics of owning a business like that while being a professional athlete. It really saved him financially since he didn't make a lot of money post 2012 after finding out he was broke and his career was winding down
Lots more gems in the interview. Great job Ping! I still remember Josh in the 2005 TGO video, a baby faced pimply teenager, who just won the first moto of his career at Budds Creek. Now he's a man and a moto Dad himself
Those weed shops make a killing in Cali. I wonder if he still has it?
He said yeah he does but he said the taxes are ridiculous & it’s a nuisance. He lives in Florida now & sounds like he’s trying to find something over that way
Yeah sounded like the red tape of owning the business in CA was rough. He either opened a second location or was in the process of opening a second location. Seemed like his plan was to build the business to a certain point and then sell it. Cool story though. He had to go before the city council and plead his case for them to license him. I wasn't that much of a Grant fan when he was racing but I really came away from that show impressed
Great interview. JG’s story about practicing on a supercross track way bigger than scale was pretty interesting. Sending it on those carbureted 250f’s had to be scary at times.
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Only the growing operations with their own retail shops are surviving in the cannabis market. It's not nearly as lucrative as people thought, mainly because growers over produced past demand and the market price tanked. Lots of wholesalers are bootlegging to stay afloat. Retailers seem to do ok, but wholesale growers are struggling to stay in business. Not a surprise he's trying to find something on the east coast now.
https://youtu.be/lelIQsyOnTk?si=N2djSA8zhzxp9uIC
I watched a little lastnight. It went from 52-60 to 92 today with 78% dew point, worked on the 04 , , etc on blacktop all day . I stopped sweating the last 5 hrs. Anyway he turned pro in 04 the crf was fast no mention of a cr125 . R Mills raced the 125 in sx & got a 4th I remember. In 03 in 125 b mod Grant got 3 rd @ LL & won mini world gp or whatever it’s called. 125 b a few months later holeshot a national is Rare speed. Honda of Houston JM Racing did his 03 cr125 engine not mention on the show. But John mention Josh,s name of the cr125 rippers who did well and probably like him or he wouldn’t mention him. Because there quite a few riders with his engines that did well like Vohlsnd & the GP riders . I think it was as a little risky with the 250f un know bike = dnf,s . Stew stuck with the 125 because of it. . A 04 cr125 mod bike is quite a bit better than a 03 modded . Surprised there was no talk of choosing 125 or 250f . Confidence move to throw a scorcher 30 min down & pack up & tell them if that isn’t enough etc. . Holeshot & lead his 1st moto & podium at red Bud think about it that’s a Awesome pro riders start.
Can we try this again... but this time in English. My head hurt from reading that.
I'll always remember him beating Dungey at Colorado and winning that moto at Glen Helen in 2014
There has been quite a history between Josh and the Alessi knees ...
I asked ChatGPT to make it readable:
I watched a bit of it last night. The weather jumped from 52–60°F to 92°F today, with a 78% dew point. I worked on the '04 [bike] out on the blacktop all day. I actually stopped sweating during the last five hours—it was brutal.
Anyway, he turned pro in 2004. The CRF was fast, but there was no mention of a CR125. R. Mills raced the 125 in Supercross and got 4th, if I remember right. Back in 2003, in the 125 B Mod class at Loretta Lynn’s, Grant got 3rd and also won the Mini World GP (or whatever it's called). A few months later, in 125 B, he holeshot a national—pretty rare speed.
Honda of Houston / JM Racing built his '03 CR125 engine, but that wasn’t mentioned on the show. However, John did mention Josh’s name among the CR125 rippers who did well. That says something—he probably liked the kid, otherwise he wouldn’t bring him up. A lot of riders ran JM Racing engines and had success—like Vohland and some GP riders.
Running the 250F back then was risky—unknown bike and DNF potential. Stewart stuck with the 125 for that reason. An '04 CR125 mod bike was definitely better than a modded '03.
I was surprised there was no discussion about the choice between the 125 and 250F. Throwing down a heater lap, packing up, and saying “if that’s not enough, I’m out”—that’s a serious confidence move. Holeshotting and leading his first moto, then podiuming at RedBud—that’s an incredible way to start a pro career.
Uh… You said it Boomhauer.
The interview with Ashley Grant on the Whiskey feed was very telling.....what Josh's Mom did was ridiculous
Can you break it down so I don't have to go find the video and watch, please, Sir
He won Red Bud in 09.
I always loved watching that kid ride! Perfect combo of aggression and style. I remember we were sitting next to his friends/family up in the nosebleeds when he won Anaheim with the banner stuck in his wheel. He always ripped at Glen Helen, too.
His mom gambled away 1.5 million of his money and left him completely broke. She went to jail for it.
Pit Row
Listened to this on my R/T drive to Laguna to see my Dad. It was great, and I have a whole new level of respect for Josh, both as a racer and as a Man.
Thanks for this Ping.
Josh has a compound about an hour south of me, near Bonifay, FL. Looks like he eventually wants to turn it into a training facility.
https://grantranch.co/home
He was always super fast at Glenn Helen as well. I was a fan.
Yup
Oh thx Bro I was heated up big time working on bikes, van on blacktop . I dropped the drain plug on the van & a wind gust hit & blew oil all ovr my face, glasses & hair. Drop the filter & got it again In the morning then work until 8pm. But anyway I would’ve chose the cr125 in 04. In 03 it won Southwick , 190 lb Preston beat Stew in sx. In 03 they ran a electronic power valve in sx & a mechanical at the nationals. A plate under the cylinder to run a longer crank . Fastest 125 in 03. Fastest 25 125 is the TM it has a electronic pv. The cr was 20 yrs advanced in 04. He had experience riding the bike & did well enough to get a ride. The chassis upgrades in 04 made it more sturdy at high speed in the rough. The New unleaded fuel more or less killed the 125,s off. People would talk about him like Stew today if he rode the 125.
Wonder if that 2011 Jeff Alessi takeout had something to do with High Point in 2009...
Its happened to a few big names in moto, unfortunately.
Was always a fan of his, speed to burn that's for sure.
wasn't Grant in the epic battle with Dungey and Lawrence at Budds Creek on 250's?
either way always been a big fan will have to give it a listen. thanks for the heads up
edit... found the video, epic
Was a big JG fan growing up. Really enjoyed seeing him and his father’s relationship on The Moto inside the outdoors around the HRC timeframe of his career.
When I was working at my local dealer years in ago in college, Josh came in with his son before Day in the Dirt Down South to pickup a Stacyc for his boy. My coworker was super over the top and fangirling over him so hard, even though he had to ask me who he was. By the time he exerted all his energy, I got to talk back and forth with him for a few minutes about all kinds of stuff other than moto. Really good guy.
Another great show by Ping.
Yeah he's got an Instagram page for it too. Give it a follow everyone. Anyone know how good his older son is? Sounded like he didn't show a real interest in racing until he was a little older
I completely forgot, but he did a documentary in 2016 called Intersection: The Story of Josh Grant that was really good. Did a quick Internet search and couldn't come up with a copy, though.
Fawk yes!! Thank you for posting that!
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