Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1217238
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2020 P123 The 1994 season was a stand- out for Smith. He won a class- leading six of the 10 Supersport rounds in the championship that season, riding the factory Honda, and looked to have the title in the bag until a crash at Sears Point, in the penultimate round, basical- ly handed Yamaha's Jamie James the series crown. Eight years after scoring that surprise first victory at Road At- lanta, Smith had been bouncing around riding for Suzuki, Honda and Ducati before landing with Muzzy Kawasaki in 1996. By that time his last road race victory was two seasons earlier, and Duhamel, on the factory Honda, looked almost unstoppable in AMA Supersport racing. It's true that Smith's '96 Lagu- na Supersport win over Duhamel carried historical significance, it is mainly remembered mostly for being one of the classic 600cc Supersport battles of all-time, a war fought between the two titans of the class. Smith and Duhamel were glued together for the entire 17-lap, 38-mile race with each taking his turn at the front. Late in the race, Kinko's Kawasaki's Thomas Stevens joined the pair in his most inspired ride in recent memory. The three then battled their way to the finish. Stevens' bid was thwarted in the clos- ing laps by lapped traffic. Then on final lap Duhamel, leading, ran into the Corkscrew too hot, locked the rear while downshift- ing, wasn't able to get the Honda slowed in time to make the corner. He was forced to jump the curbing down the left-right combination corner. Smith wasn't able to take full advantage since he'd missed a shift going in, and the pair emerged almost side by side. Smith, though, was in the lead and he held on to the finish. Smith was obviously pleased with his effort. "It was a very good race," the Georgian said. "Riding with new teams each year is liking putting on a brand-new pair of motocross boots: It takes a little time for things to get worn in and get a feel for what's going on. My point is, these guys are so competitive that this is no cakewalk. These guys are some of the best motor- cycle racers in the world. To get on a new team and beat these guys is a tall order for anybody. We just worked really hard and things are starting to come together for us. By no means do I think I'm going to have a big win- ning streak because these guys are going to keep me honest." Smith was right about that final point. Ultimately, his thrilling Laguna Supersport victory would prove his last ever in Supersport. Duhamel rebounded and went on another winning streak to pull away to win the 1996 AMA 600cc Supersport title. For Smith, the '96 season proved his last as a full-time factory rider. He would continue road racing through the mid-2000s as a support rider and privateer and even filled in as a sub for the Harley-Davidson fac- tory team a few times. He again came up just short of winning an AMA National road racing title in 2000, when he mostly dominat- ed Pro Thunder on a Duc Shop Ducati, yet still finished second in the championship. Smith then raced select AMA Supermoto Championship events for a few years before retiring. In all Smith won an impres- sive 18 road race nationals in all classes, but the thriller at Laguna in '96 will forever be one of his career highlights. CN SUPERSPORT TITANS Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives Mike Smith rode for a variety of factory teams.