Jeff Ward - MXoN Legend

Jeff Ward will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in motocross. 'Wardy' won seven AMA national championships and proved to be perhaps the most versatile rider in the history of the sport, winning 125cc, 250cc and 500cc national motocross titles. 

After he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his motocross success, he further proved his versatility by winning the 2004 AMA Supermoto Championship.

During his motocross career, Ward won a total of 56 AMA nationals, placing him third on the all-time motocross/Supercross win list at the time he retired from motorcycle racing in 1992. He had one of the longest careers of elite motocross riders, covering 15 seasons in the pro ranks. 

Ward was born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 22, 1961. He moved to America when he was 4 years old. Riding motorcycles was a part of Ward’s life early on. He was part of the minicycle craze that swept Southern California during the late-1960s and early 1970s. He began racing minicycles and became the best minicycle rider of his era, and some believe of all time. When he was just 10 he had a bit part in the classic movie “On Any Sunday,” doing a long wheelie on his little Honda 50. 

Ward joined the professional motocross ranks in 1978 riding an FMF-backed Suzuki in the 125 class. He earned five top-10 finishes and finished his rookie season ranked a very credible seventh in the series. 

In 1979, he moved to Kawasaki and would remain with that team throughout the rest of his career. That year, he again took consistent finishes in the 125 class, ending the season ranked sixth. The year was highlighted by his first podium finish – a third overall in a 125cc outdoor national in Houston. Ward got his first taste of Supercross racing in ’79, also by racing in select events. He actually led parts of the final at the Los Angeles Coliseum, which bolstered his confidence immensely. 

Ward continued to progress steadily through the ranks. In 1980, he finished third in the 125 motocross standings and earned his first Supercross podium finish (a third at Seattle). In 1981, he took third again in the 125 series, and in 1983 he finished a very close runner-up in the 125 series to Johnny O’Mara. 

Ward won his first AMA national (in the 125 class) on April 18, 1982 at Lake Whitney, Texas. He proved that the win in Texas was no fluke by winning again at Washougal, Washington — a track he called his favorite. 

For Ward, 1984 proved to be a breakthrough season. He started the season by winning his first Supercross race at the Kingdome in Seattle. In all, he won four Supercross finals that season. He then hit the ground running in the 125 outdoor series, winning an amazing eight of the 10 nationals and earning his first AMA national championship. It marked the first 125cc national title for Kawasaki. Winning the ’84 AMA 125 Motocross Series was the culmination of seven years of hard work and persistence on the circuit, and it also proved to be just the beginning of Ward’s run of championships. 

The 1985 season proved to be Ward’s finest. He was in his prime and it showed. Ward finished in the top five in eight of the 11 rounds, including a victory at Houston, to edge out Broc Glover by just two points to win his first Supercross championship. He then went on to prove that he could win on 250cc bikes in the outdoor series by winning five 250 nationals and earning the 250 title. Like he had done the year before in the 125s, Ward’s 250 title marked the first AMA 250 National Motocross championship for Kawasaki. 

Ward came back and won his second AMA Supercross championship in 1987 over Rick Johnson. En route to the title, he won five races and finished on the podium in 10 of the 14 rounds. The rivalry with Johnson continued in 1988 in the 250 motocross series – both Ward and Johnson won three races, but it was Ward nudging out Johnson by seven points for the championship. 

Looking for new challenges, Ward moved up to contest the 500cc national motocross series. He won two championships on the 500s in 1989 and 1990. His 56th national victory came in the 500cc class at Delmont, Pennsylvania, on September 27, 1992. Those two titles brought his total number of AMA national championships to seven, tying Bob Hannah and Rick Johnson for the most motocross/Supercross championships. Ward retired after the 1992 season. 

Beyond his domestic successes, on the international level Ward also became one of the elite riders by being part of seven winning U.S. Motocross des Nations teams. 

After retiring from motorcycle racing, Ward began a new career automobile racing. He came within a few seconds and a yellow light of winning the 1997 Indianapolis 500 in an exciting race that saw him finish third. He won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Award. 

Later, he returned to professional motorcycle racing in his 40s, competing in the new AMA Supermoto Championship and winning the title in 2004 against riders half his age. Demonstrating his incredible versatility as a racer, Ward even turned a few practice laps at Daytona International Speedway on a Formula Xtreme racebike in a 2005 tire test session. Incredibly, in his first time ever on a road race course, he lapped within 10 seconds of Miguel Duhamel, who would go on to win the Formula Xtreme championship in 2005. 

When Jeff Ward started his professional career, many said that at 5 feet, 7 inches tall, he would have a tough time handling the tall pro-level motocross bikes. Despite his smallish stature, Ward proved that he could win on any type of track and on any size of motorcycle.

MXoN - Expect the Unexpected

The one thing that you can count on at the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations is don’t count on anything. More than not this event throws up something that will turn any countries team manager into a nervous wreck.

Ask Cooper Webb about the unexpected, when the Team USA rider crashed with just minutes to go in the final moto of the 2016 event, (with American just ahead of the Dutch and French) held at the Maggiora circuit in Italy. I have never seen a rider more devastated by a turn of events, and it will probably haunt him until he gets the chance to race for the red, white and blue again, and gets a victory.

Of maybe spare a thought for Team Netherlands, who were holding down first place with two corners to go of that very same event, when Tommy Searle, who said he didn’t want to get involved in the battle for the win let Romain Febvre pass and handed Team France a very lucky victory.

It seems like it wasn't possible, but that 2016 MXoN also brought us the moto victory by Jason Anderson, beating a charging Jeffrey Herlings, then being landed on by a Japanese rider and out of the event. Former Team USA rider Jeff Emig told me on that day that he has never seen so much drama in one single event, and he was correct.

Spare a thought also for Joel Smets, who with Belgium, the heavy favourites for the 2001 Motocross of Nations at the Namur circuit got some track side fencing caught in his back-wheel, and his bike stopped at the bottom of the Namur circuit. Again, when Smets was hunched over after the podium presentation, he looked a broken man. Belgium might have finished second, but that DNF cost his country victory. Smets was lucky enough to win a handful of MXoN for Belgium, so maybe that day wasn’t as harsh as 2016 was for Webb.

Another Belgian, Kevin Strijbos bike stopped at the MXoN in 2006, and Smets as team manager was there to console him. Leading the points standing going into the second moto five points up on Team USA Strijbos cruised to the side of the track, and yes, again track-side fencing caught in the back wheel, just like his team manager some five years earlier.

Holding down 11^th place in the moto and his team-mate Steve Ramon in ninth place the Belgians were battled with Team USA who held 1-4 results in that vital second race.

Again, Belgium would make the podium, but that DNF by Strijbos cost Team Belgium victory on that amazing day at Matterley Basin. Stefan Everts would win the final race of the day with Ramon fifth, while Team USA scored 2-9 results. Again, drama for the Belgians.

Of course 1990 shouldn’t be forgotten, when Team USA and Team Belgium were in a massive battle for the Chamberlain Trophy. Belgian Jacky Martens would win the opening moto with American Jeff Ward right behind him, while Dirk Geukens was fourth and Team USA rider Damon Bradshaw was nowhere to be seen, way down in the pack and struggling in the deep sand in Sweden. It looked like the American team were out of it and would lose the defense of their 1989 victory as Bradshaw again had problems and crashed in the second race of the day.

Finally team Belgium would win this thing again, but then in the final race of the day, with Belgium leading the standings Team USA rider Jeff Stanton and Team Belgium rider Dirk Geukens collided. Stanton said he was tired of the way Geukens had been trying to play with him in Saturdays practice, while Geukens said Stanton just took him out. However you look at it, that crash cost Belgium victory, as they lost by one single point to Team USA.

Of course the 1997 MXoN, held at the Nismes circuit in Belgium was one of those races where eyebrows could be raised. Team USA with Jeff Emig, Steve Lamson and John Dowd looked a good bet to battle for the victory with home favourites Belgium, led by Stefan Everts, Joel Smets and Marnicq Bervoets.

All was looking rosy for the Americans until they arrived at the Nismes circuit on the Sunday morning only to find it covered in water. Not a drop of rain had fallen during the night, but somebody sure made sure the circuit was like ice as only Jeff Emig was capable of running in the top ten and that was only in the opening moto when he finished second to Kurt Nicoll, and Team USA finished in eight place, their worst results in 20 years of them participating. Pit Beirer went 1-1 for his greatest day in the MXoN.

Of course there are a thousand stories like these ones, and I could go on forever, but lets just sit back and watch the 2018 version of the unexpected as the best motocross riders in the World fight for the Chamberlain trophy for the 71^st time.

RJ Speaks MXDN

Herlings 1-1 Again!

Red Bull KTM factory rider Jeffrey Herlings has once again gone 1-1 and scored his 84^th GP victory, in a career that is so young, and has so much ahead of it. The Dutchman will now head to the Redbud circuit in America, for the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations, and we all know he is looking for his first ever 1-1 performance that the MXoN.

“It was a great weekend,” Herlings said. “To become world champion is one thing, but this weekend I was dominant again, got the holeshot but had a tip over (in the second moto). Number 84 on the wish list, done. I can’t wait for the Motocross of Nations for my country and also individually. Thanks to KTM they work so hard for me.”

All weekend Herlings was in a class of his own, and he so rightly deserved these performances. Four world championships and already a legend of the sport. Is it even possible to better this season? Can he finish it with an MXoN victory, the first ever for The Netherlands?

Herlings was into the lead in the first corner of the MXGP second moto, then came Desalle, Gajser, Nagl, Tixier, Simpson, Lieber, Paulin, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev.

After four laps the lead by Herlings was 5.5 seconds, then came Desalle, Simpson, Lieber, Paulin, Van Horebeek, Bobryshev, Coldenhoff and Strijbos.

Gajser suddenly started making ground on Herlings, as the Dutchman made a mistake and slipped over, and the HRC rider pushing hard to catch the seemingly uncatchable.

Herlings though just put the pedal down and pulled well away from second placed man Gajser, and Desalle held down third place. Shaun Simpson proved strong in fourth place and ending his season in style.

As the moto rounded out the top ten was Herlings, Gajser, Desalle, Lieber, Van Horebeek, Paulin, Simpson, Coldenhoff, Strijbos and Bobryshev.

Herlings won it from Gajser and Desalle.

MXGP - Grand Prix Race 2 - Classification

1. Jeffrey Herlings (NED, KTM), 34:35.763; 2. Tim Gajser (SLO, Honda), +0:34.828; 3. Clement Desalle (BEL, Kawasaki), +0:50.772; 4. Julien Lieber (BEL, Kawasaki), +1:01.847; 5. Jeremy Van Horebeek (BEL, Yamaha), +1:03.991; 6. Gautier Paulin (FRA, Husqvarna), +1:06.621; 7. Shaun Simpson (GBR, Yamaha), +1:07.493; 8. Glenn Coldenhoff (NED, KTM), +1:09.285; 9. Kevin Strijbos (BEL, KTM), +1:15.790; 10. Evgeny Bobryshev (RUS, Suzuki), +1:20.562;

Dean Wilson to Europe?

One of the best motocross riders in the World, Dean Wilson needs a ride, and I can't think of a better addition to the MXGP series than the Scotsman. While team places are short in Europe, and they have a similar problem in America, surely we can find a team for him to contest the MXGP championship?

"As much of a hard pill to swallow," Wilson said. "I want to thank Rockstar Husqvarna for such an awesome two years. I thought there was going to be a chance I was going to stay but unfortunately the three man 450 team got shut down. I’m really gonna miss this team they really made me feel like home. Thank you Bobby , Scuba, Murph, Mohead and all the mechanics. My team mates were awesome and there is nothing I could say bad about this team. Thank you for everything. I think I may have to call Dad to get the old sprinter running again. Who knows what’s next."

Jonass Pulls Out of Imola Leaving Jorge Prado 2018 MX2 World Champions

 

Pauls Jonass at the Ortema Clinic. Photo: KTM

 

Reigning MX2 World Champion Pauls Jonass has had to withdraw from the Grand Prix of Italy at Imola this weekend, the twentieth and last round of 2018 MXGP, to undergo surgery on his right knee.

Pauls’ absence from Imola this weekend means that teammate Jorge Prado is confirmed as the 2018 MX2 FIM World Champion.

The 21 year old Latvian was advised to have a reparative procedure on his right ACL in the wake of his crash at the Grand Prix of Turkey earlier this month. Jonass decided to race with painkillers at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands two weeks ago to revive his chances of defending the MX2 crown on the KTM 250 SX-F.

Despite his efforts to take the MX2 title fight to the last of the twenty rounds and forty motos this year, Pauls was regrettably forced to have the operation. He travelled to the renowned Ortema facility in Stuttgart and was under the supervision of Dr Jorg Richter as the partially torn ACL was fixed without the need for a full reconstruction on Wednesday.

He is expected to leave the clinic in Germany by the end of the week. He will begin the process of rehabilitation and look towards a debut term in MXGP in 2019.

“After Turkey I had some tough times. The doctors actually told me not to race any more this year but I didn't want to give up on the title so easily," Jonass explained.

"I raced in Assen with a lot of pain and so went to see the doctor again afterwards and they said surgery was necessary. We came to Germany and had the operation yesterday here at Ortema and I’m very grateful for the work done by Dr Richter. The ACL was not completely torn but it was badly damaged. It is a pity to miss Imola but health comes first and I’m still young and want to think about the future. The focus now goes on my rehab and to think about getting back on the bike as soon as possible to prepare for MXGP.”

Dirk Gruebel, Team Manager, added, “This is obviously disappointing news for Pauls and the guys but the writing was on the wall when we learned the extent of his knee problem in the days after Turkey. Credit to him for pushing through a difficult grand prix at Assen and for wanting to fight for that number one plate until the end. The season had some big highs and some tricky moments for him but his determination stayed the same throughout. I’d like to thank the great work done by the Ortema Clinic: their support and professionalism really shone through. We hope and expect Pauls’ recovery to go well, and we’d also like to congratulate Jorge for an outstanding year. The MX2 title is staying in the KTM family for a good reason.”

With his only title challenger Pauls Jonass out of the final round Jorge Prado now goes into the round as the new MX2 Champion. Photo: Ray Archer

2018 DC Vet Homecoming Highlights

Chad Reed interview

King of the Pipes — The Golden Era of Two Strokes

There is nothing quite like the sound, the smell, and the feel of a two-stroke dirt bike. In the modern era of racing, they may be considered “old technology” by the factory teams, but their allure to the general public has staunchly remained, with millions of ardent riders and fans considering them the only “true” dirt bike.

King of the Pipes takes a look back at the heyday of the two-stroke, when all pro start gates were lined exclusively with these machines. Revisit this golden age through the stories of the “holy trinity” of pipe manufacturers—Mitch Payton of Pro Circuit, Donnie Emler Jr. of FMF, and Bill Cervera of Bill’s Pipes—and prepare for the all two-stroke lineup at Red Bull Straight Rhythm.

Dave Thorpe interview - MXoN

Dave Thorpe really needs no introduction when it comes to our brilliant sport. Three World 500cc championships, 22 GP victories and a long list of battles against the all-mighty American riders during the golden era of American motocross.

Thorpe put his hand up on many occasions for Team Great Britain, and while he might not have won the Chamberlain Trophy as a race, he did win class honours, and took moto victories. He also led the British riders to victory in 1994 as team manager. There have not been many riders in the MXoN history who represented their country as well as Thorpe.

Always polite, modest, and quiet, it’s a pleasure to chat with the British legend, and we thought with the Motocross of Nations just around the corner it might be nice to get his opinion on some things and tell us some of his experiences in this amazing event.

MXlarge: Motocross of Nations is coming up, and everyone gets excited for this event and of course from the old stories from past events. Do you still get excited for this race?

Thorpe: I am excited, but I will be watching on the television. It’s the biggest event in the motocross calendar.

MXlarge: What are you most looking forward to this year?

Thorpe: I think the Jeffrey vs Tomac thing probably excited me more than anything. It is always nice to see the best riders going head to head.

MXlarge: I am watching Jeffrey in the GP’s, and he looks so fast, and then I watch the highlights from the Nationals and while Tomac looks fast, he doesn’t look crazy fast like Jeffrey does. What is your opinion on it?

Thorpe: I think Jeffrey, he  has a little more pace than anyone. If you look at Tony, he has ridden amazing, but Jeffrey still has a little bit more. If you look to America, Eli has ridden really well this year. He will be stirred on by his home crowd and he will be pumped up, but Jeffrey will as well and you wouldn’t discount Tony from winning the individual overall either, because I might come back stronger and faster than before.

MXlarge: Did you watch the Assen GP, and if you did, what did you think of it? To me it was like an MXoN atmosphere.

Thorpe: Yes, it looked amazing. I think when the calendar was produced at the start of the year, I can imagine that the promoter and Jeffrey would have hoped it was going to be the championship decider, and it must have been a dream come true for both of them.

MXlarge: We have talked about it before, and you were in an era when the American teams dominated the MXoN and one of the Europeans that kept up the battle to make sure were didn’t look stupid. Did you have a favourite des Nations where you were really happy with?

Thorpe: I kind of, enjoyed them all. It would be true to say I enjoyed Maggiora least, because Johnny (O’Mara) beat me on a 125, of which people still remind me, which is funny. The des Nations is about three people from a country producing on the day, and the Americans back in the 1980s, with Johnny, David Bailey, Ricky Johnson, Jeff Ward, Ron Lechien, all those guys pulled together really well and made a fantastic unite, which made them difficult to beat. It wasn’t about an individual win for them, but a team performance and when you look at it on that basis, what is why they were so successful through those years.

MXLarge: When you mentioned Maggiora, or course that was one of the most popular ones and I remember back in Australia it was a popular one, because Craig Dack finished I think fourth in the last moto and mentioned that he was catching you. You must have had experiences when you were young, when you first came into the event and you had an experience like that, catching somebody who you maybe looked up to?

Thorpe: No, when I was young, one of my first was in Bielstien in Germany and from memory we lost by one point to the Americans. We finished second and as a youngster that was one of my first ones and it was a special experience. It was with Danny Laporte, Chuck Sun and I had some great races with them, and I was only a youngster. I remember, the crowd was massive and I was thinking towards the end of the day, our pit board was saying we could win it. As a young boy, stepping into the deep end it was a big experience. To race against Danny and those boys, it was special. You saw them in the magazines and then all of a sudden you were lined up next to them.

MXlarge: You mentioned you didn’t like Maggiora, but I imagine you won races where you won the overall?

Thorpe: I had some great races with David Bailey and Jeff Ward at Gaildorf in 89, we had a good battle in one of the races and I came out on top. Once at Wohlen I had a good race with Danny “Magoo”, but he had a bit more pace than all of us that day. Again, we had a good battle that da. When you think of the American riders and the Grand Prix riders, everyone has had a long season. It wasn’t easy keeping the motivation and the fitness for that one extra race. A lot of the times it was about being motivated to ride for your country and wear your heart on your sleeve. That was the motivation.

MXlarge: Obviously as a team manager you won with Team GB in 1994. Did that make up at all for not winning as a racer?

Thorpe: It was fantastic, because nobody expected us to win, and everything that happened that weekend, with the track, the prep of the track, it all worked for us. Paul (Malin), Kurt (Nicol) and Rob (Herring) all rode amazing and that is all you want from your riders.