Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ Interview:'Supercross Champion Rick Johnson ~ W 4 i n n in g t he Su percross Championship Isn 't the most Important thing to T eam Honda ' s R ick J ohnson, but that's not sayi ng that he takes it lig htly. J ohnson realizes that it is very important for him to w in the ch a m pio ns hi p for h is emp loyer, H onda. " A motorcycle race is a race," says th e 24-year-old from EI Cajon , California. " I line up with the same ~uys ou td~rs, so a supercross race IS no more Important to me as a racer. But as far as the manufacturers go, th ey get more exposure in su percross. In th e U.S. the supercross title is number one, that's what all th e manufacturers want. " And this is the year that supercross will be thrust out of the shadows of th e stadiums and into the spotlight of national television with a Ill-week series devoted entirely to the series. Plus Camel is injecting a $125,000 point fund into the sport. Just because the championship isn' t th e most important thing to Johnson doesn't mean that it carries no significance for him . J ohnson wan ts another cham pionship, a nd another, and another . . . Winning titl es will help him ach ieve his goal in racing - to set an unbreakabl e record of cha m pionships. This year he tied Bob H annah a nd Broc Gl over 's record of six AMA Nat ional Ch am pion sh ips by tak ing the Su percross and 500cc Nationa l titles, but J o hnson wan ts to keep going. J ohnson also hol ds th e 1986 Supercross, '84, '86 a nd '87 250cc National and '87 500cc National Ch ampionsh ips. H annah still holds the record wi th three supercross tit les, and Johnson would dearl y love to join him and break o ut 'of th e two-ch ampion ship tie wit h Jeff Ward for second. What's rea lly important to J ohnson is how he wins the cham pionship. Just cruis ing around a nd bein g consisten t doesn 't cu t it in Johnson's book. You have -to be co nsistent consisten tly first at every race. And winning races is the most important thing to Johnson. " I can ' t get on a motorcycle and not try to win," explains Johnson. " I can' t sit and follow someone and be content to finish second, I like winning races.. I love racing and I like beating people who th ink they are go ing to beat me." Last year J o hnson did a lo t of wi n n ing. H e wo n a ll but th ree ro unds in the supercross series alone. Joh nso n doesn 't lik e to see o ther people win , not when it comes at th e expense of h im losi ng. H e also hates to be give n a victory. " Like whe n J eff Wa rd 's b ik e brea ks or he's hurt and can't ride well," Jo hnson says. " I don't get a thrill ou t of that." Wh at th ri lls J o hnso n is a close race, o ne where he has to prove that he is superior tha t day by out-riding h is riva ls to earn h is win . J ohnso n says there' s no better feelin g, but he rea lizes tha t as soo n as it's over, it's over. No matter how close the race, as soo n as the checke red flag flies the glamo ur is go ne and Johnson is left to pick up his winnings in a da rkened stadium amid th e rumble of trac tors rem oving th e track. " It's th e hunt, not th e kill ," he says. " It's winning th e race, not th at you've wo n. It feels better wh ile you're o ut th ere ra cing with someb ody a n d p a ssin g th em , go ing aro und th at obstacle, th an it is after th e ra ce wh en everybody is grabbing at you." • year since I've done well for a couple of years now," Johnson said. " Bu t I'm only 24, so I'v e go t a lot of years in me. The ball is j ust starting to roll for me." There's also a new kid on th e block wh o will be aim ing to shoot Johnson down and make a name for himself. Damon Bradsha w surprised everyone by bea tin g Johnson at the Osaka Supercross in Japan, but Johnson wasn 't so surprised. " He reminds me of myself when I was his age," says Johnson. " H e doesn 't back down to anybody when someone challenges him , and he's confident but not arrogant. It wasn't a fluke that he won, he was faster than everybody and he rode a smaner race than I did, so he deserved to win iL " The most important thing is • • winning races' By. N ate Ra uba T his year J oh nso n 's hu nt for supercross wins and the title is likely to be more intense since Camel has po sted a rider poi nt fund. The cham p ion will pocket $50,000 of th e fund and th e runner-up wi ll receive o n ly half as mu ch , with the remainder of th e mo ney pai d ou t down to 10th pl ace in the series. The extra money is just an added in centive to the other competitors to try and beat J ohnson th is year. By th e end of las t year's AMA Supercross Ser ies he had th em demoralized, wonderin g wh at th ey had to do in order to beat h im . Now they are tired of seeing just one rider win and are .' o ut to shoot J ohnson down. Bein g a m arked ma n does n't bo ther J ohnson in th e least, it mo tiva tes him. It 's all a part of bea tin g people wh o thi nk they are go ing to beat him. " I hear th at people are going to try new things to try to psych me o ut mentally," Johnson says with a sly smile. " Bri ng it onl If th ey want to get into a ramming fest on the track, if th ey think that's what it takes to beat me, then let th em try. I've been through all of it. " Peop le were talking to m y cousin, J eff Bo yd , sa yin g that I 'm was hed up, not going to do well this Although J ohn son has an intense desire to beat people and win races, it's not the only important th ing in his life. Johnson credits a balanced lifestyle for h is success last year . It may not work for everybod y, he says, but it was obviously just what he needed since he won all but three rounds of th e '88 series. " I have to have th e right am ount of everyth ing," he begins. "The right amou nt of tim e traini ng and riding so I'm strong on th e weekend, the right amount of time to spend with my girlfri end and family, my friends, laughing and doing stuff wh ere I'm not a mo torcycle star, I'm just Rick Johnson th e person wh o adm ires th em just as mu ch as th ey adm ire me. It j ust has to be balanced. " Friends are an important part of J o hnson ' s l ife. Like a ny racer, J ohnson has the usual favori te race shots of himself on the walls of his living room and office. But there are also many photos of friends. There's a photo of Johnson and Glover together at a ra ce, photos with friends on a ski trip, a drawing of a friend and him on a Mexi can vacation. Johnson is al so very close to his girlfriend, Stephanie Hodgetts, and has a very good relationship with his parents. H is respect for his parents is one reason why Johnson stopped riding minis at 12 to ride a 125. " I didn 't lik e the politi cs," he says. " I didn't like. people fighting with my dad over me knocking their kid over on the track or something. " My mom always gives me a lot of little inspirational stuff," he says while thumbing throu ~h a stack of cards and papers, holding out short prayers and p h rases. A bumper sticker , given to him by his mother, is pasted to th e wall by his phone in th e kitchen: " Aim at nothing and yo u will hit it ". J ohnson also must have the right amou nt of spiri tua l inspiration since hi s fai th as a Christian is al so a big part of his life. Bible study is pan of hi s routine o n Wednesda y even ings. Listen carefu lly to Johnson 's pos t-race interviews and he often thanks God. " I' m not saying that because I became a Christian th at I started winning races; I won 't claim that," he says. " When I have troubles it 's th e one thing 'that's always there for me. It stays inside, keeps me motivated and helps me through." J ohnson beli eves that good living pays off. Another thing Johnson does, and does well , wh en he's doing interviews is acknowledge sponsors. He not only. th anks his personal sponsors, but those sponsoring the events.

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