Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eINTERVIEW e 20 Steve Lucero ri ders. T he riders are no t putting a ny money down o n th e tabl e to bu y tires a nd fix th e engi nes. T hey just sho w u p a t th e races and race. It is mu ch easier (for Russell 's riders ), b ut I still feel th at you ca n be very co mpetitive wit hou t bein g factory sponsore d. Spee dway is a tot all y different sport than a ny ot her. A lot of the newer fans do not realize that you spent the 1984 season racing in the British League. I rode for Eastb o urne a nd Wol ver ham pton. I gain ed a bit of expe rie nce a n d I h a ve n o reg r et s o f r idi ng overse as, It was so me th ing different a nd I kn ew I had to go th ere, especia lly w he n I had th e chance. So me days I wi sh I co u ld turn back th e time a nd be 20 yea rs o ld agai n a nd start a ll over. Would yo u ever consider going back to England to race full time? No, but l -would go to visit and after qual ifying for th e Ov erseas Fina l: America is my hom e a nd I thin k it is goi ng to sta y that way . While you were in England , you finished third in the Under-21 World Championship at King's Lynn. That is a pretty big race. . I feel 1 did well with th e little experien ce (on bi g tracks ) I had at th e time. I a m th e last Am eri can to m ak e th e podiu m. I a m hopin g th at one o f the you ng Amer ica ns th is year does well in it. It is ti me for us to wi n tha t again or at least get on the pod iu m. That was a great da y. It was al so a tough da y as a rid er from Swed en , Leif Wahl man , lost his life in tha t ra ce. It was kind of tough , b ut I did n 't find ou t abou t wha t hap pen ed until la ter. I feel bad tha t a young rider lost h is life. bu t there is risk in all mo torsp orts, When you ride bikes, especia lly over there on the bi gger tracks, som e things like tha t ha ppen . It reall y hurts th e sport whe n anybo dy dies . Especia lly the bigger riders like Kenny Carter a nd Bill y' Sa nders (two r iders who took th eir own lives in the mid 1980s). T hose are th e riders th at should not have di ed. When yo u first ca m e to southern California to race, there were big crowds every night at sp eedway. A rider could make a lot of money every week. Things sure have changed. Definitel y (la ug hi ng)! Influen ced by th e start o f th e eco nomv a nd th e recession , it is tough for fa';s to afford th e en tertai nment. It is pre tty to ug h fo r the fam ily o f fou r to go, especia lly with th e price of adm issio n. This is fun , action- packed raci ng . T here is nothin g lik e it. I hope thi s year we ca n cha nge t h ings. Th e p ri ce o f ad miss io n co uld go down . H ave a fam ily ticke t for a family of four. Ge t peo pl e in here is wha t we ha ve to do. I think we are just go ing to have to help th e spo rt some how. I think th is year shou ld turn it around. Do you think the racing is as good as it was 10 years ago? a h yeah. Co mperi tion is sti ll good. We have a lo t of up a nd com ing riders . Wh en I first came down here th ere were so man y top ranked co mpe ti tors. So me n ights it was to ugh to m a ke th e program . I was Second Division for a wh ile. Now we some times struggle to fill th e program. Quite a few of our to p co m pe titors are rid in g overseas. I wis h th ey wo u ld co me over here mor e ofte n to give us a little bit more co m pet it io n and to br in g back some di fferent crowds. People li ke a Sa m Ermolen ko or Kell y Moran. Peo pl e come to see them. Over the past winter southern California lost some very good riders. Alan Christian moved to Reno and Phil Collins is moving back . to England. Josh Larsen and Don adorn are hea ding to the British League and yo ur brother-in-law, Scott Brant, retired again. These guys are tal ented. If the money was as good as it was 10 years ago, do you think the se g uys would be leaving. If th e m on ey was better it wo u ld cha nge th ings . It is no t th e main reaso n th ese ri ders have left sout hern Ca lifornia. Alan moved u p nort h to be closer to hi s fam ily. H e will be racing up north a nd will prob abl y, occasiona lly , ride do wn here. Phil has j ust had a new bab y a nd I don 't know a bo u t h is p lans . I ho pe he does ride. J osh Lar sen is rid ing th e 1992 season over in Engla nd a nd he is o ne to watch . My brother- in -law , I reall y don 't kno w wha t he is doiri g. The cost of racing has i ncreased a nd th e pu r se h a s decreased. T he p romot ers, riders and fans need to pull toge ther a nd m ak e it happen ag ain. Can you see speedway rectifying itself down here? Yes it ca n. We need more me dia How long ag o was that? It was a few years ago, but it is possibl e for it 10 happen . I think it co uld br in g different peo ple into th e sport . Esp ecia lly th roughout th e Un ited Sta tes. We need racing all th rough th e U n ited Stat es to mak e it happen. I think J apan co uld help it. A lot o f people do not wa nt to ge t into it because it is a little bit difficult. Like I said , I have alread y ex p eri m ented wi th o ne (J a p an ese engi ne) a nd it is a good eng ine. Is Japanese in volvement a dead issue right now or is it something that could . come about within th e rrext . two or three years? It all depends on th em . It is hard for me to go th ere and sa y, ' Go build a speed way bike. ' T hey hav e to see so me th ing . They co uld ge t a hold o f me. I would show th em th eir engine. I ha ve th e fi rst four-valve engi ne (Honda four-valve in a Junior bike). Me a nd my da d pu t two years into this engine. Wh en we bu ilt th e H onda engine, th ey d id not have four-valv e I wouldn 't be wh er e I a rn toda y with ou t th em . You have other people backing you. Who are they? Wendy a nd Kyle, J eff G ran t, Ara i H elmets, T eam Scopeli u e, Racecralters, Action Rentals, Economy HV AC, O akl ey, Oilzall , K&N, T erry cabl e, CTi Braces, Slic k 50 a nd Paul H asselgren Racing. Wendy and Kyle, your wife and daughter. Within the past couple years you got married and now have a 14-monthold daughter. Has that changed your outlook on racing at all? I don 't think so. My ou tlook on racing has not cha ng ed since my marriag e to. Wendy o r sin ce t he birth o f o u r daughter Kyle. I always give 100% on race day. Wh en I do well, I get to share it wi th som eon e now . It feels good to hav e someo ne th ere th at I can share it with. I used to just go home a nd wa it for the next day. I see them when they come down from th e sta nds . If I do well, th ey are happy. If I do bad , they are . coverage. .Local newspapers, Cycle News: m agazines a nd m o re maj or sponsors . Fo r 'a n exa m p le , Ca me l suppo rts flat track a nd supercross . We need someo ne lik e that to back speed wa y. A big sp on sor like tha t br in gs in peopl e, it ca tches th eir eye. I thi nk it will happen soo ne r or lat er. You are always willin g to help the sport wi th personal appearances and such. We are indep endent racers with no factory backin g. I will do any thi ng to help promot e the spo rt o f spee dway . I have don e radi o, TV a nd ben efit s. I was even o n Sunday Nigh ts Spo rts (KNBC in Los An geles) after some controversy in vo lvin g Bobby Schwartz a nd m yself. What would you lik e to see happen in speedway? I wou ld l ik e to see th e J apanese involv ed in speedway lik e they a re in volv ed in mot ocross. T ha t co uld poss ibly mak e the sport grow. I have alrea dy experime nted wi th a H onda speedway engine. J a was ou t yet. T hey were st ill racin g the two-val ves. T hey were j ust co mi ng out wi th th e J aw a four-val ve. I race d it a nd wo n th e Juni or Cha mpio ns h ip wi th it. It just needs th e J apanese help wit h it. I beli eve tod a y that if I had th at mo tor together a nd in a good fra me like th e kid s do no w, I bet it cou ld beat a Weslak e (J u nior Spee d way 250cc Weslak e). Wh en you first started racing, did yo u have any racing idols? I starte d ridin g a t fou r. I sta rted raci ng motocro ss, flat track a nd road racing a t seven. Kenny Rob ert s has always been m y idol. I feel he is a n a ll -aro u nd rac er. H e is still m y idol tod ay. Two o f your biggest fans are your mother and father. T hey have had a lot to do with your success through the years. My pa rents back my sister a nd I 100% . in any th ing and everything we do. Be it baseball , wrestling, soccer or go lf. I chose mot orcycle racing a nd th ey ga ve me 100%of th em selves to su p port me. T hey are very special to me and sad wi th me. They are the grea test thing th at has ever happened to me. What do -you do away fro m the track for relaxa tion? I lik e to spe nd tim e with my family first o f a ll. I work as much as po ssible, we need mon ey, espec ia lly in these times. I ge t a few ro u nds of golf in . wh en ever I can. I a lso enjoy sp ending tim e in Shasta trying to fish and relax. Do you have plans for other types of racing later on? One day I wo uld like to pi ck up a NASCAR ride. If I had a cha nce to drive, I would love to try. I wo u ld like to dr ive some thi ng tha t doesn 't hav e ope n wh eels. I don 't lik e o pen -whee l cars. With Ri ck J ohnson go ing in to th e stadiu ms with Mickey Thompson , I think I cou ld do th at j us t as well as he ca n. Do yo u have any goals for this year? Win, win , win! Race a t peak performance a ll year long, give my sponsors as m uc h 'exposu re as possibl e and ta ke care o f unfinish ed bu siness th a t didn ' t ge t tak en care of in 1991. t:N

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