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Awesome read.
"Coming into the 1996 AMA Supercross season, most experts thought it was a foregone conclusion that Honda’s Jeremy McGrath would win his fourth-straight 250SX title. At this point, the humble kid from Murrieta, California, was setting records every time he racked up another win. The year prior, McGrath might have been at his best, adding a 250MX title to his resume for the first time, something some people had wondered if he’d ever be able to do. At his physical and mental peak and with a Honda CR250 that was perhaps never better, MC went into 1996 looking to become the first-ever four-time AMA Supercross Champion. Winning the title again wasn’t the surprise, but the the way he did it has never been topped and still gets talked about now, 20 years later.
This is the oral history of the 1996 AMA 250 Supercross season."
http://racerxonline.com/2017/02/08/jeremy-mcgrath-14-1
"Coming into the 1996 AMA Supercross season, most experts thought it was a foregone conclusion that Honda’s Jeremy McGrath would win his fourth-straight 250SX title. At this point, the humble kid from Murrieta, California, was setting records every time he racked up another win. The year prior, McGrath might have been at his best, adding a 250MX title to his resume for the first time, something some people had wondered if he’d ever be able to do. At his physical and mental peak and with a Honda CR250 that was perhaps never better, MC went into 1996 looking to become the first-ever four-time AMA Supercross Champion. Winning the title again wasn’t the surprise, but the the way he did it has never been topped and still gets talked about now, 20 years later.
This is the oral history of the 1996 AMA 250 Supercross season."
http://racerxonline.com/2017/02/08/jeremy-mcgrath-14-1
What I remember the most about 96 was this... the charisma of MC.... when he walked into a room, any room, all the girls wanted to f' him and all the guys wanted to be him... he sold a LOT of motorcycles... guys would literally watch him win the SX on a Sat night and be sitting at their dealer on Monday morning to pick up a new bike... that is the real point that made MC so much different than other huge names like RC, or Bubba, or even Rick Johnson... not only did he crush it when racing, but his charisma was so strong that it actually sold bikes...
his 96 win streak got so much mainstream media attention, it was mind blowing at the time... the sx/mx scene had never experienced anything like it... I would tune into ESPN's sportscenter and there was MC!!!! they were talking about his streak on a weekly basis... just incredible that year, and his streak helped propel sx/mc racing into a huge surge in the years that followed...
RC and Bubba weren't though, you are right.
The Shop
He definitely caught the best years of mx/sx, before every had to be boring and solely focused on the job of winning.
Danny Stephenson
The big thing about Tampa Supercross to me was I didn’t make the main and because I spent that whole day before the race at the strip club. I was really bummed I didn’t make the main because I needed to make some money back.
Pretty much sums up Supercross in the 90'
You look young but your sik mullet says 80's child
Pit Row
LaRocco (Kawie) to Suzuki
Emig (Yamaha) to Kawie
Huffman (Suzuki) to Kawie
Stephenson (Suzuki) to Kawie
Lawrence (Suzuki) to Kawie
Cool read. I like these formats.
those we're good times for moto, at least thats my perspective. although I hated everything about the freestyle movement that followed...and yes, I do blame MC for that, I was a little guilty of it myself. I remember watching MC do his first nac-nac (publically) and my mind was officially blown. I was out practicing the move the very next day, maybe even that day. I think I was 15 at the time. It made me the cool kid at the track, there's no doubt about that. I probably did a couple hundred of them that summer, showing off like a total boner. I don't think I've ever done one since...
Needless to say McGrath left a huge impression on me then, and looking back, he leaves another one. He's the most graceful champion this sport has ever had, by a long shot, and one of it's greatest ambassadors as well.
long live the King!!!
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