Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eINTERVIEW IN Motocrosser Mike Kiedrowski By Kit Palmer ine times he's finished fourth, 12 times he's been third and two times second. But there in that all-important win column, was always this big, ugly zero, that to Mike. Kiedrowski must've looked like a giant blinking neon sign on a moonless night. Since first competing in the prestigious Camel Supercross Series in 1990, and before last week's Daytona Supercross, Kiedrowski had yet to record his first SX victory, though he had come close more times than he'd like to remember. Fourteen times the Californian stood on the rostrum but never on the highest step, but that all changed March 6 at Daytona International Speedway. At any other Camel Supercross race, Kiedrowski's first win really wouldn't have been a real surprise, since he's come close many times before, but at Daytona, in a race that had been won by three-time Camel Supercross Champion Jeff Stanton for the past four years, Kiedrowski's victory did come as a surprise. But what was even a bigger surprise was that Kiedrowski simply blew everybody away, including Stanton, as well as series points leader Jeremy McGrath and Damon Bradshaw. "People have been asking me a lot lately when I'm going to win my first Supercross," said Kiedrowski, a factorybacked Team Kawasaki rider of three years. "I've always said that 1 was waiting for the big one, well, 1 guess 1 was . right. My first win was about as big as you get - Daytona." Everyone knew that Kiedrowski's first win was just around the comer, but no one really thought that around the corner would be Daytona, except for maybe two people - Kiedrowski and his tuner Shane Nalley. "1 knew 1 had a chance. 1 prepared real hard for this race," said Kiedrowski. The weekend before the Daytona Supercross, Kiedrowski scored the win at the opening round of the AMA National Championship 250cc MX Series then spent the middle of the week concentrating on the following weekend's Daytona Supercross. "I practiced and trained a lot on sand tracks during the week, once in Orlando and once in another town between , Orlando and Daytona, n said Kiedrowski. "I felt really good going into Daytona, and in my heat race, 1beat Stanton. 1 knew 1 was riding good by staying ahead of him; at that point 1 knew 1could win." Kiedrowski flat out beat everybody in the 20-lap feajure, and he made it look easy despite having to pass, at one time or another, thre.e of the sport's most notable riders: McGrath, Stanton (Right) Mike Kiedrowski scored his first SX win at Daytona. (Below) Kiedrowski and his tuner Shane Nalley. 18 and Bradshaw. When the checkered flag appeared, Kiedrowski crossed the finish line with a commanding ll-second lead over runner-up McGrath. Bradshaw was third and Stanton fourth. "I've been concentrating a lot on supercross lately," said Kiedrowski. "I just finished building a supercross track in the front yard of my home. 1 feel better right now than I've ever had." Nalley was perhaps more excited about the win than Kiedrowski himself. "I was super excited, n said Nalley, who lives in Booneville, Indiana. "I've been trying to picture him winning for so long, it was just so exciting to finally see it actually happen. lt was a combination of extreme happiness and relief. And it was great that his first win came at Daytona. If 1 could've hand-picked a place for him to win his first one, it would've been Daytona. 1 wouldn't trade this win for McGrath's four." At the age that most motocrossers are considered to be in their prime - 24, Kiedrowski has set a big goal for himself, to win every major U.S. MX title, and he's already half way there. In 1989, Kiedrowski earned his first AMA National Championship title in the 125cc class, and backed that up with another 125cc crown two years later. Last year, Kiedrowski earned the National Championship 500cc MX Series title, and if he wins this year's Camel Supercross and 250cc National MX titles, he'll accomplish his goal in record time. Only one rider has won all four (125, 250, 500cc MX and Supercross) titles, and, ironically, that's his former teammate Jeff Ward, who completed the "hat trick" when he was 28 years old. Ward retired after last season. But to accomplish his goal, Kiedrowski still has his biggest hurdle ahead of him, winning the lucrative Camel Supercross Series title. Kiedrowski is currently placed third in the series point standings, 13 points behind the leader McGrath, and one point behind Bradshaw. But can Kiedrowski catch McGrath, who has already won four 5upercross rounds in his rookie year? "Sure 1 can. There's still eight races left in the series and anything can happen. Now, 1just have to make it happen. I'm going to have to win some more races, and things are going good for me now. I'm going to try harder but basically just keep things going the way they are; there's no sense in changing things when everything is working." Kiedrowski also has other incentives to win championships - it's going to be contract time for him at the end of the season. "My contract with Kawasaki runs out at the end of the year. When I first came to Kawasaki in 1991, 1 signed a one-year deal, and in 1992 1 signed a two-year contract. More championships means more bargaining Rower, but for now, I'm real happy at Kawasaki and always have been." Kiedrowski also gives his mechanic Nalley a lot of cred.it. "He's very important to me and 1 1isten to everything he says. What more can 1say?" "Mike's a real nice guy and we're pretty good friends," said Nalley, who's turned wrenches for Kiedrowski for four seasons now. "But on race day, we're pure business. 1 know how he works and he knows how I work." So how does Nalley describe his rider's style on the track? "Mike rides as smooth as he can, which makes him look a little rigid, and that requires strength. He is very strong. Mike is also a very calculated rider and rarely takes chances; he always appears to be in control, even when he's not." No one will argue with Nalley that Kiedrowski is nice. He is, perhaps, the friendliest rider on the circuit, and he rarely turns an autograph-seeker away or is seen without a huge smile on his face. Bu t on the track, Kiedrowski is anything but nice to his competitors. And now, after having broken that "first-win barrier," Kiedrowski has announced to the world that he is a serious threat for this year's Camel Supercross Series crown. t::N

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