Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

INTERVIEW By Davey Coombs Photos by Kinney Jones he 1996 AMA 250cc National Motocross Championship was not decided until the final moto of the series when Team Kawasaki's Jeff Emig crossed the finish line two places ahead of title rival Jeremy McGrath. It was the second championship of the popular rider's career, and quite possibly the longest day of his life. We spoke with "Jeffro" a few days after he took the crown, and he talked us through that long but rewarding day. First of all, congratulations on your being crowned the 1996 AMA 250cc National Motocross Champion. Thank you very much, Cycle News. Was the Steel City National finale your best race ever? Well, it's hard to say that it was my best race ever, but I can say it was my best race since my last championship back in '92. It was the last 125 ational of the year at Budds Creek, and I remember a journalist telling me that it was the fastest he had ever seen someone ride a 125 to that point. That was a great day because you were just flat gone as soon as. the gate dropped, but at Steel City you spent all 70 minutes fighting it out in the trenches. There was someone Geremy McGrath) on my rear wheel the whole race in that first moto, but the second moto it was kind of a good thing that Greg (Albertyn) and Jeremy were so dose because it kept my mind off of the title and the points and all that good stuff. I just had to race the bike and that was it. How was your mental state going into that first mota? You had a two-point lead on paper but it was pretty much a win or lose situation. You're right - the points lead was nothing. Two points is like no points h Jeff Emig when there's two motos. I could've finished first and second in the two motos and still won, but that's not what I was focusing on Sunday. I didn't want tcr split motos with McGrath. I wanted to guarantee the title, and I focused on winning both motos, which is something [ had only done one other time this year (Millville). Fortunately, that's what happened. There's been a trend all this year where you seemed to buckle under Jeremy's pressure every time he came up behind you, but not on Sunday. What was different? It was different this time, that's for sure. There have only been a couple of races this year where I rode my own race and a lot more where I let him get the best of me. I was just more focused and mentally ready this time. McGrath did pass you early in the first mota, but you immediately went back past him with a wide-open move on a superfast jump. That was a pretty gutsy move. Yeah, everybody seems to think that was a crazy move and all, but on the bike it didn't seem like it was that intense. It felt pretty easy, actually, because he passed me pretty easily a tum before, but I was set up to pass him back. To me, the repass wasn't that big of a deal. But it was like the move you made on Greg Albertyn the week before at Broome-Tioga where you just nailed a tricky jump wide open - the only time all day you did that - when you really had to. What can I say? Drastic situations call for drastic measures! There was no way at that point that I was going to let him get in front of me and take control of that moto. McGrath is so super at doing that, so good at making that early pass and then getting away from you. I feel that the two of us, Jeremy and I, are two of the best at getting out in front of races and doing exactly what we have to do to win. That's why the start is so important any time we are racing each other - we're both really good at getting out front and doing our thing, especially Jeremy this year. He just had a great year doing that same thing in every race. Jeremy mentioned to' us after the race that you came over on top of him off the start in the second mota. (Laughs) I came over on him in both motos! I will go over on him [off the start) any time I can because that's part of racing, part of the plan. Any good starter is going to use that move in his game plan. After the start and the early pass and repass, did you think Jeremy would attack you a little more aggressively than he did? From what I've heard from some people who were watching, he was working pretty hard, and I seemed to be riding a little more fluid. I wasn't going into the turns as hard as he was, but I was coming out much better. There was a Httle give and take there. The lead gap was just like back and forth in every section of the track. You know, it felt really good to win that first moto because that was the moto of the year. We both knew going in that it was the one moto that would have the most influence on the outcome of the title - it was real important to win that first moto, and it really felt good. How did you feel between motos? I just did my thing in the Kawasaki truck, stayed by myself, listened to some real good tunes on the radio and thought about what I had to do. I was really relaxed and confident, but at the same time I was hoping and praying that the second moto would go my way, which fortunately it did. Okay, you're sitting on the starting gate, everyone's revving their bikes, the card is about to go up and the 35 most important minutes of your career are about to begin. And Josh Demuth fouls a spark plug and holds the whole thing up for two minutes. (Laughs) Oh man, that was, like, forever. Bevo (forti) made a joke that you and McGrath probably aged a year in that span of two minutes. . Well, it wasn't that bad.] tried not to be looking all around and worrying about things. I just looked ahead at the first tum, not to the right or left of me. ] was just focused on what I had to do and Hstened to what my mechanic Jeremy (Albrecht) was telling me, little pointers like where to go in this tum, where to hit that jump, things like that. I just waited the spark plug thing out, but yeah, it was funny. The race was already late and behind schedule, and then to have that last little delay thrown in there, it was a long day. You mentioned your mechanic Jeremy. He told me during the second mota that he wasn't telling you where McGrath was on the track because you didn't want to know. Is that true? That's right, I didn't want to know, I didn't want to think about it. It was beside the point. Regardless of the points and all that, I still wanted to win the race itself. That was the very best way to make sure I got the championship. That was the. way I went in, thinking that it was about winning the race, not winning the whole series. It was like, "Okay, let's go will these motos." I wanted to win both motos badly.

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