Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

··INTERVIEW Steve Lamson I By Donn Maeda uite often, a taste of victory and the extra boost of confidence that comes hand in hand with success is all that it takes to propel athletes over the top. Other times, finally winning after years of trying can cause them to relax, knowing that their goal has been met and their worth· proven. Recently crowned 125cc National MX Champion Steve Lamson swears tha t in his case it's the former, not the latter. "Winning the championship definitely makes me want to win more and more," says Lamson. "To beat everyone and know that you're the absolute best is the greatest feeling - one that I've never felt before. I want to feel that way over and over again." For Lamson - known affectionately by his friends as "Lammy" - the road to victory has been a long one. The quiet Northern California native first made his mark in the professional class in 1988, dominating the races held in the Sacramento area as soon as he made the jump in class. Two years later, after gaining the attention of and securing a Westerrr Regional 125cc Supercross and 125cc National ride with Team Peak/Pro Circuit/Honda in 1991, Lamson found himseli second in the final indoor point standings. UnfortUnately, Lamson had earned too many points to qualify for the 125cc Supercross class in '92, and was in turn ineligible for the Peak squad. Team Suzuki saw the potential in Lamson, and he promptly rewarded them with a win at the Hangtown 125cc National. Oddly enough, Lamson's first career National win came after a multi-week layoff, as he broke his femur earlier in the year at the Houston Supercross. "That first win was great," says Lamson. "No one really expected me to do well, because I had been injured. Sacramento is my home track, and [ knew that I had it in me. After I got hurt, I took my time coming back and it paid off at Hangtown." Lamson's performances aboard the yellow bikes were good enough to attract the attention of another team; this time, it was the powerful Honda squad. Lamson was admittedly surprised when he was told he would be competing in the 250cc Supercross and 250/500cc National Championship Series. "I had always been a 125 guy," says Lamson. "But Honda wanted me to ride the bigger classes, so I did." Lamson fared well in the bigger outdoor cJasses, but remained winless indoors and out. Tn '94, Lamson requested that he be allowed to return to the 125cc National class, and his wishes were granted. That year, ~amson began to show his true colors and took control of the series point lead early on. At one point, he led his teammate, defending 125cc National Champion Doug Henry, by as much as 24 points. "[ was glad to be back on the '25s," B At the off-season European supercrosses, Steve Lamson has learned to cut loose a bit. "All I heard about last year was naenae this, nae-nac that," says Lamson. "It's cool that Jeremy does that, but I think that I'm ready to get the crowd going, too." says Lamson. "Some people think that the class isn't as prestigious, but in my opinion, the 125S are more competitive. The 125 class is much more intense. You can't make mistakes on a 125 like you can on a 250." Unfortunately, Lamson saw his series point lead dwindle away following a hard crash at the Unadilla National. "I guess you could say that it all fell apart in Gravity Cavity," says Lamson, referring to the first-lap crash that saw him return to the pits for his first DNF of the season. Henry wen t on to win his second-consecutive 125cc National Championship that year, and Lamson ended up third. On to the '95 season. With two-time 125cc champ Henry moving up to the 250cc class and former 125cc National Champion Jeff Emig joining hirp., many automatically expected Lamson to dominate the '95 125cc National Championship Series. Including Lamson himself. "When I found out that I was racing 125s again this year, I knew that I had to friggin' win," says Lamson. "Doug was out, Emig was out. That left just me, and I fully expected to come'away the champion. I knew that Ryan Hughes and Damon Huffman would be tough, but I was confident that I could do it." Lamson started the season off with a bang and won the first moto at the series kick-off at Gatorback Cycle Park, but he would be sidelined in the second go-round with a broken front whee1. "I was really happy after the first moto," Lamson says. "I rode 'well and smoked those guys. When my wheel broke in the second moto I figured, 'Oh well, one moto isn't gonna break me.'" One moto, no. But three motos, maybe. Lamson crashed a few weeks later at the Dallas Supercross and sustained serious damage to his right ~ee. . "I was skimming across the whoops in practice and lost the front end," says Lamson. "My legs got caught up in the bars and I twisted the heck out of my knee. I tore the ACL and MCL, and the doctor told me that there was no way that I could race at Hangtown the next weekend." Dejected, Lamson sat at home in Riverside while the rest of his rivals competed in Sacramento and gained precious points over the former series favorite. "At that point I was pretty much defeated," admits Lamson. "That was 75 points that I had missed out on, and I pretty much knew that my chances to get the title were over. I knew that there was a slim chance, but I wasn't counting on it. After that, I figured that I would just try to win as many races as I could and prove a point." And win he did. Though Lamson's 35 finishes at Mount Morris - his first race back - weren't overly impressive, the gritty 23-year-old went on to score four National wins in a row and close in on the series point leaders. "I won at Budds Creek with a 2-1 and it seemed like I gained a lot of ground on Huffman and Hughes because they had bad days," Lamson says. "I figured then that if things kept going that way, I might have a chance. Then I won at Southwick with a 2-2 and gained some more points. But things really started clicking when I won Troy and Red Bud with I-Is." Lamson's incredible four-win streak changed the way he looked at himself. "Before, if I finished second or third in a moto, I would be happy," he says. "After winning all those races, nothing but first place was acceptable. When I didn't win at Unadilla or Millville, I was ·furious. I was s

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