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/127607
INTERVIEW C eleN Rider of theY Ric G ews ear raham (Left> Though the season is over, Graham continues to train in preparation for the chall enges that lie ah ead. G rah am hammers away at his punc hing bag; much in the same way that he hamm ered his comp etition in '93. (Below) Graham's newes t "toy" is a high-dollar mou ntain bicycl e, courtesy of Team Yeti. Clyde, h is dog, keeps Graham company on his daily training rides. 8 won't even be fu n an ymore: But I found that it's a hundred tim es .better sober! Life with drinking is like liv ing in a fog . No w I w a ke up every mo rning a nd feel great. I apprecia te th in g s m or e - m y loved ones, m y frie n ds, an d my ta le n t to race a motorcycle." Well a w a re of his talent to race m ot orcycl es, Graham went on to cha nge h is attitude about racing as well. "I just decided to put all of the negative things out of my mind," said Graham . "Instead of complaining about the lack of sponsorships and real money to be made, I just worried about putting my butt on a motorcycle and go ing fast , just like I did when I was champion ." Teamed w ith Johnny Goad, Graham returned to the sport's p innacle in '92, winning one race and finishing the season th ird overall. But still, the people talked. "A lot of people thought that the '92 season was a fluke, and that I would start drinking again because I did well," said Graham. "You know, I just couldn't win for losing. No matter what, some people always see m to hope for the worst." But Graham didn't return to the bottle. Instead, he trained harder than ever and came back in '93 - fit and ready to win. In the off-season, Graham and Goad had teamed with Jim Landes, father of rookie expert Brett Landes and owner of several successful automobile dealerships. Landes supplied a transporter for the team, in exchange for a Honda RS750 for his son to race. Thus was born Team Undo. Serious dirt track fans need not be reminded what unfolded during the ' 93 seas o n. Perhaps Graham's tuner Johnny Goad summed it up best, saying, "There were times when Ricky lined up for a National that I actually felt so rry for the other 16 guys. They had no chance of beating him , and we all knew it." Graham dominated the series, wi nning 12 of 21 rounds and, a long the way, set a number of records (s ee si d eba r). Graham cl inched his th ird Grand National Championship w ith four races left in the se ries, leaving not only his compet ito rs, but his doubters as well· in awe. "When I see those peopl e who I know used to talk bad about me, I just smile an d say hello as if I d idn't know a thing. But they know who the y are and so do I," sa id Grah am . "I' ve proven myself; I just w ish that there hadn't been all of that bad press in the past, just because I wa s a professional racer. "One television reporter asked me, 'But doesn't that come with the terri- tory ?' What does that mean? What terr itory? Wanting to be a motorcycle racer? I ne ver asked to be a star - a role model - all I' ve ever wanted to do was race . " But the best thing that has come of .all this , I guess, is tha t in being a "role model" - I was able to set a good e xa m p le for tho se who migh t be struggling with similar problems. I've gotten a lot of letters from people saying that I've inspired th em. That, to me, is very special. That's the reason I d ecided to come forward - to go public with the whole thing." . But w as this year, and the things that have unfolded, worth all of the bad times in the past? "I would defini tely sa y tha t th is season overshadowed the past, all of the bad stuff," Graham said. " But like I said, being an inspiration to others is what is realIy meaningful. " Still, there is a thorn in Graham's side. "Now, there 's some peop le ou t there saying that since I'm doing good again and winning , tha t I'm on some high horse," sai d Graham. "They say that I think I'm a b ig s ho t. I can't believe the things I'm h earing . I'm still the same ol "Ricky Graham . It hurts so much to hear these things, but I guess that ' s jus t how th e dirt track crowd is. They jus t gotta bring you down." Perhaps t hat is p ar t of w h a t prompted Graham 's latest decision the decision to ta ke to the pa vement in '94, rather than defend his title on the dirt. "I've always wanted to go road racing," Graham explain ed. " Basicall y, I'm at an age where I want to be able to do what I want to do, and what my heart yearns to do is to further my road racing career. "Johnny Goad wa s very understanding about it. I told him that I have a lot of interest in road racing, and to commit to race d irt track with him for another year wouldn't be fair to him if a road racing opportunity were to arise. It would crea te con- . flict." But why walk aw ay from the series in which he carries the number-one plate? "I'm not leaving d irt track behind," said G ra ha m . " I simply will not be campaigning the entire series. I will still attack to win at the races in which I compete; lowe the fans that much. "The bottom line is tha t no one is paying the bills. Even though I won the cham pion ship last year, I can honestly say th at, in finishing second and thi rd, Chris Ca rr and Sco tty Pa rker probably mad e more than I did . That's pretty degrad ing. I can 't say for sure, bu t I bet Carr, as a factory rider, made at leas t $70,000 before he even sat on the bike. Me? I had about $1500. Then, th e p urse money's not all tha t go od, and on top of it, I split it all wi th Johnny. "A lot of people say that I won't ma ke m u ch in road r acing, but I'd rather make nickels an d d ime s trying