; INTERVIEW Motoaosser JeremyMcGrath
e
From the backyard to the big time
By Nate R a u ba
Photos by Rauba and Ken Faught
ust one loo k at J erem y McGrath 's
backyard gives an indication as to
wh y he's been so dominant in th e
125cc Western Regional Supercross
Seri es.
_
Th e ac reage b eh ind McGrath ' s
home in Su n Ci ty, Ca lifornia , is
sur ro unded by farmland and co ntains
a small stand of trees, a few blades of
grass that hav e pushed th rough th e soil
after recent rains, and - get th is a su percrqss course! T he track pushes
rig ht up to the por ch . No wonder
McGrath used to spend man y hours
after school " p laying" in his backyard.
These days, McGra th doesn 't spend
quite as much time "playing" in his
backyard. He's a member of the newl yformed Peak Antifreeze/Pro Circuit
H onda team and practice now involves
J
"With my own track, I
can ride when. I want to
every day",'
.
18
traveling abo u t 100 miles to Honda
Land in Simi Valley, wh ere Honda
maintain s a Iull-blown su pe rcro ss
co urse where McGrath p ractices with
his teammates or Honda 's two-t im e
Cainel Supercross and 250cc National
Champion Jeff Stanton.
Although th e home track is wellworn now - partially due to the fiveyear drought California has su ffered ,
McGrath figures th at being able to ride
every day in his own backyard was a
signi fica nt factor in hi s success.
,n wanted to be where
Rick was at because he's
a big hero ofmine."
"Tha t help ed me a lot ," McGr ath
says. " When I wasn ' t old enough to
driv e, I'd come hom e fro m school and
cou ld still ride. A lo t of kids can 't go
riding o u t in th eir ow n backyard. I
di dn 't have to load up to go riding ,
wh ich I hate. With my o wn track, I
can rid e wh en I wa nt to every day."
In ter estingl y eno tig h , th e tr ack
wasn't or ig inally intended for motor cycle practice. Althou gh McGrath said
he's been riding motor cycles since he
was about seven years old, his first love
was bicycle motocross and the co urse
was ' co ns tructed to pro vide a place
Jeremy McGrath has dominated the
125cc Western Regi onal Supercross
Series by winning four of six events.
