Vital MX Forum QNA: Jeremy Albrecht

7/15/2015 7:39pm
You have had the opportunity to work with many extremely talented riders in your lifetime, who would you say was/is the most fun to work with...
You have had the opportunity to work with many extremely talented riders in your lifetime, who would you say was/is the most fun to work with? I'm sure many of us(myself included) consider what you do to be somewhat of a dream job in the motocross industry. With that being said what do you enjoy most about your job and what do you enjoy the least?
I have a few favorites and only a few that were tough. I really like people who are real and not fake. When I can give advice and the listen it is rewarding...not all of these riders like to listen to someone who has not won a SX but even my kids can point out some things to improve on from the TV. The guys we have now have been the best group together and I feel they all have respect for us on the team. Emig was a really fun time and with Stewart we went through it all and won lots of races. I don't regret any decisions I have made because they have all helped me learn for the next challenge. The only part I don't like about my job is when we fire people or move on to others. They all become friends and it's hard to see them go but that is racing.
7/15/2015 7:41pm
nytsmaC wrote:
How do you keep your head of hair so luxurious, luscious and full?
lol...no hats and hair gel..HA HA
7/15/2015 7:50pm Edited Date/Time 7/15/2015 8:18pm
RCB33 wrote:
What was the hardest part about building JGR? As always, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.
The hardest part was having patience as we had to build everything from benches to a test track ..We did not have one bolt when we started. We had a plan and knew it would take time but it was harder then I thought it would be. I would say the part I had to learn was how to be the manager. It was a lot easier for me to only worry about one rider and his bikes.

The Shop

7/15/2015 7:52pm
TeamRags wrote:
Did JGR actually come close to switching brands before the signing of James Stewart or, was his signing something that brought a better deal to the...
Did JGR actually come close to switching brands before the signing of James Stewart or, was his signing something that brought a better deal to the table with Yamaha?
We did have some good talks with other brands. The Yamaha deal was what we always wanted so we signed it.
7/15/2015 7:54pm
Hi Jeremy,

was there any HP power gains from Stewart's '02-'03-'04 KX125s?

Do you remember HP outputs from his KX125s?
7/15/2015 7:57pm
What do you consider to be the trickest bike youve ever wrenched on in the two stroke days?
I would say Stewarts KX125...We had a really good team of people.
MXant15
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7/15/2015 8:10pm
J-bone,

Do you still ride and how is your brother Joel doing?
7/15/2015 8:12pm
newmann wrote:
Long time fan here so thanks for stopping by. 1)You have been around to see the transitition from box vans to semis, a mechanic to teams...
Long time fan here so thanks for stopping by.

1)You have been around to see the transitition from box vans to semis, a mechanic to teams of specialists and manfriends and 2 strokes to 4 strokes. Do you feel the racing and or the sport has actually gotten any better or are the bikes, tracks and business in general just different these days?

2)You've been quite successful in the sport for a long time now. How far do you think you could have gotten without your amazing marketing skills?

https://youtu.be/cRgkDLlxwbk
I think the riders and bikes are better. RC changed the sport when he started training with Aldon Baker. Now the guys all train hard and put way more effort into racing. Kids start riding SX tracks on 80's when the old days you had to be on a factory team to ride a SX track. The competition gets better each year. The sport is more of a job and mainstream now if you want to make it. It was more relaxed during the week 20 years ago as long as we were serious a few days before the race. After the race was another story. The sport is growing so we are changing with it. If we still had box vans I would not be going anymore. I did enjoy it for sure and made the best of it but flying is much better. It is nice to fly home each week to see my family and regroup at the shop.
7/15/2015 8:16pm
MXant15 wrote:
J-bone,

Do you still ride and how is your brother Joel doing?
I still like to ride but it only happens a few times a year. My brother is doing well working for Two-bros and Rokform in CA. I need to start riding more....I hope I have a different answer next time.
7/15/2015 8:24pm Edited Date/Time 7/17/2015 5:37pm
Mit12 wrote:
When James Stewart joined JGR it had to bring along sponsorships and build up the teams creditably, how bad did his leaving the team hurt your...
When James Stewart joined JGR it had to bring along sponsorships and build up the teams creditably, how bad did his leaving the team hurt your program? Second when you first started your program your bikes looked like they had so much horsepower that riders had trouble controlling it, now your bikes look like they produce the more usable power than any other bike in the field. In saying that how much horse power did you produce in the begining and how much do they produce now?
When we hired JS we gave up some sponsorship deals...Muscle Milk, Shift, Etnies etc..we did get a longer Yamaha contract. We did things we did not know we could do as a team so in that way it was worth it. It did take a while to recover but I think we learned a lot and it made us better.

The power is still really good. We do learn all the time so I would hope the bikes look better each year. The bikes are more powerful now for sure.
ML512
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7/15/2015 8:27pm
Jeremy, I have one, since I won't be at the races for a bit it'll be way easier on here. Grinning

Speaking of the sponsorship deal with Muscle Milk, did their choices have anything at all to do with Justin Brayton? Seems like a weird coincidence that they were a major sponsor of three different teams (MDK, JGR, then Honda) he was a part of and switched twice when he switched.
7/15/2015 8:30pm
TailSoHard wrote:
Certain riders mesh with certain bikes better than others and when a rider feels completely comfortable on it, something almost magical happens. Are there any riders...
Certain riders mesh with certain bikes better than others and when a rider feels completely comfortable on it, something almost magical happens. Are there any riders that made you go "holy shit, there is absolutely no way that anyone can go faster than that guy?" Who was the most impressive bike/rider combo (if we don't count injuries, race wins, or championships), just simply based on how fast they went? Which rider/bike was the perfect combination? MC on his Honda? Poto on his 250f? Stewart on his 125? Reed on his YZ? Carmichael on his CR? Dungey and his KTM?
Well that is true....it just started happening with Barcia. It takes a while to get comfortable enough to win. All these guys are really good and have to be perfect to be up front. Honestly Stewart was like that for me for a long time. Before that MC was way to fast and smart. I feel Barcia is the way now too.
7/15/2015 8:33pm
Switch wrote:
What is one true regret during your career in the industry? One thing you look back and think "I'm so glad I chose this path over...
What is one true regret during your career in the industry? One thing you look back and think "I'm so glad I chose this path over that path"?
I have no regrets...I had good people around me to help with the tough decisions. When Emig left Kaw he told me to stay so I would have a good career and it worked out. if I left Kaw back then it would have been different I think.
7/15/2015 8:37pm
Thanks for fielding our queries!

This is awesome!
7/15/2015 8:37pm
kkawboy14 wrote:
Thanks for the answers Jeremy! Do you Think that Barcia was having a hard time getting setup at first because JGR is so advanced in its...
Thanks for the answers Jeremy!

Do you Think that Barcia was having a hard time getting setup at first because JGR is so advanced in its suspension adjustments?
With so much adjustability, he maybe was getting a little lost?
I think it took a while for us to understand what he needed. It was a new bike, team, mechanic, tires etc.. We were all lost a little bit. We kept working together and still do. We want to be the best and that is really hard to do.
steve_97060
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7/15/2015 11:16pm
Hi Jeremy,

The Yamaha has a reputation for having steering issues due to the frame geometry and mass centralization, how problematic has this been for you guys?

has it had a negative affect on signing or keeping riders?

thanks..
Starcrossed
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7/16/2015 9:43am
If a factory supported rider, say Barcia for example, desired to compete in the upcoming USGP, but the team was not going, what type of support, if any, would JGR provide? Is there anything in riders' contracts that prevents them from doing one-off events? I can't imagine that many teams would be pleased if their rider was injured in a race that didn't matter to, or wasn't supported by the team.
IWreckALot
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7/16/2015 10:35am
Jeremy has answered more questions than Jimmy and Justin combined. Kudos to him.

What do you work on with Barcia's riding style the most? It seems like he has more close calls than most riders but is also better at saving those close calls. Do you guys push him to keep in more control like Dungey or do you let him do his own thing when it comes to aggression. I also noticed that he seems to be racing forward more this season rather than looking to run a rider wide to stay in front of them. Is that a coaching thing, or just a maturing/learning thing he's done on his own?

As for Weston, it's awesome of JGR to pick him up. I know there were a lot of guys on here crying asking why WP couldn't get a factory ride after his 2013(??) performance. I remember in 2012(??), the race where he kicked his bike over, that LCQ in Daytona was when we all realized the heart and drive he had. He hucked the finish line at Daytona and overshot it by a good 30' just to win. How long did you guys express interest in signing him before the deal was done? Does it happen quickly in that case or do you have to negotiate back and forth for several months?
JM485
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7/16/2015 2:12pm
Just out of curiosity, is there any place for mechanical engineers within the industry, either with individual teams or the manufacturers themselves? I'm going into my third year in the mechanical engineering program and am wondering if this is a possible option to pursue, or would I be better off looking for work somewhere else and just enjoying riding as a hobby? I don't really know exactly what I'm going to do yet, I'm just playing around with a few different options and though this could be a good fit for me, thanks for any info/advise you might have.
7/16/2015 5:26pm Edited Date/Time 7/16/2015 5:26pm
Thanks so much for answering my questions, Jeremy! Good luck to you and JGR!
Bosco
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7/17/2015 7:10am
JM485 wrote:
Just out of curiosity, is there any place for mechanical engineers within the industry, either with individual teams or the manufacturers themselves? I'm going into my...
Just out of curiosity, is there any place for mechanical engineers within the industry, either with individual teams or the manufacturers themselves? I'm going into my third year in the mechanical engineering program and am wondering if this is a possible option to pursue, or would I be better off looking for work somewhere else and just enjoying riding as a hobby? I don't really know exactly what I'm going to do yet, I'm just playing around with a few different options and though this could be a good fit for me, thanks for any info/advise you might have.
I was literally just going to ask this question! I'm currently doing an internship before starting my 5th year in September, and looking at what I'm going to pursue in the big bad world next year.

I was wondering would a college degree, specifically a technical degree like Mech. Eng. hold any weight in the motocross industry? Would it be a valuable asset to a suspension guy or motor guy, or is it mostly irrelevant?
ridge
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7/17/2015 5:30pm
Hey buddy, it's Ridgway.

So glad to see you succeed in the sport/industry we love so much.

You've always been a class act, even since we were kids. Good luck in the future and I'm excited to see what's next from you guys!
7/17/2015 9:07pm
ML512 wrote:
Jeremy, I have one, since I won't be at the races for a bit it'll be way easier on here. :lol: Speaking of the sponsorship deal...
Jeremy, I have one, since I won't be at the races for a bit it'll be way easier on here. Grinning

Speaking of the sponsorship deal with Muscle Milk, did their choices have anything at all to do with Justin Brayton? Seems like a weird coincidence that they were a major sponsor of three different teams (MDK, JGR, then Honda) he was a part of and switched twice when he switched.
It was not all about Brayton but they did like him. We could have hired another rider but that is who they wanted on our team and we were already talking to him any way...it just made my decision easy. Brayton and Shane were really good friends and that helped but I dont think that was a deal breaker for any team to hire Brayton. I could be wrong but I did not feel like we had to hire him to get them or keep them as a sponsor. We talked openly and when it was going to be Stewart they thought he would not leave Red Bull so they left.
500guy
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7/17/2015 9:10pm
if you have time one more question.

What do you like to do for fun not moto or family related , like fishing, hunting or something?
7/17/2015 9:18pm
JM485 wrote:
Just out of curiosity, is there any place for mechanical engineers within the industry, either with individual teams or the manufacturers themselves? I'm going into my...
Just out of curiosity, is there any place for mechanical engineers within the industry, either with individual teams or the manufacturers themselves? I'm going into my third year in the mechanical engineering program and am wondering if this is a possible option to pursue, or would I be better off looking for work somewhere else and just enjoying riding as a hobby? I don't really know exactly what I'm going to do yet, I'm just playing around with a few different options and though this could be a good fit for me, thanks for any info/advise you might have.
Bosco wrote:
I was literally just going to ask this question! I'm currently doing an internship before starting my 5th year in September, and looking at what I'm...
I was literally just going to ask this question! I'm currently doing an internship before starting my 5th year in September, and looking at what I'm going to pursue in the big bad world next year.

I was wondering would a college degree, specifically a technical degree like Mech. Eng. hold any weight in the motocross industry? Would it be a valuable asset to a suspension guy or motor guy, or is it mostly irrelevant?
For sure a collage degree is helpful in any job and Mech. Eng. even better. You would still need to get in and get experience so that is the hardest part. With the bikes getting more technical we use engineers more and more. I have worked with a few over the years and it's helpful. Our car team hires lots and they have a bigger staff, so that might be a easier path. MX teams are small, so it's a little harder but not impossible. Keep asking and see what comes available, but car teams hire more engineers. Good luck!
7/17/2015 9:20pm
500guy wrote:
if you have time one more question.

What do you like to do for fun not moto or family related , like fishing, hunting or something?
I like camping and snowboarding.
7/17/2015 9:33pm
yak651 wrote:
While working as James mechanic were there any "racist" comments/situations that made you uncomfortable?
sostoked wrote:
worst question in human history
KMC440 wrote:
Excellent question ... followed up with how did you and James handle such situations in private? My granddaughter is mixed race and I'll tell you that...
Excellent question ... followed up with how did you and James handle such situations in private?

My granddaughter is mixed race and I'll tell you that if someone went all kkk racist on her they better not see me ever. She's perfect.

honestly is was not often. I remember at Washougal on year he had a problem with a fan while he was racing and maybe one or two SX races, but that is all I remember. I'm happy to say I did not see it much and I did not have to deal with it.
7/17/2015 9:43pm
OR Racer46 wrote:
What does a typical day consist of as a team manager ?
it is always changing. Time cards, ordering products from sponsors, phone calls, emails, planning test dates, etc...I try to go to the track when the riders test but that does not happen as much as I want. I will change that soon I hope. It seems like something always comes up like this....maybe I need to turn some stuff down...Ha Ha

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