Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

For the past couple of seasons Scott Sheak has been proving himself on privately backed Suzukls in the AMA 125cc Supercross and National Motocross circuits. He has earned a full factory ride from Honda in '97 for his efforts. By Eric Johnson Photos by Kinney Jones "Th~ first time Wess (McCoy) 22 called me, my mom answered and when she told me later that afternoon that he had called, she ~as practically in tears," said Scott Sheak in reference to the day he received "the call" from Team Honda. "They called me, and of course, I was totally shocked by the phone call," Sheak said. "At that time - it was the weekend before the Millville National - I was negotiating with Suzuki and it was really going well. Then I got that phone call from Honda and it kind of shook me up a little bit. They really wanted me bad, and that was about all it took. It all happened real quick." The last time I spoke to Scott Sheak, from a journalistic perspective, he was a journeyman, empty-pocketed privateer traveling the United States in a box van and, at times, living in it. Pretty glamorous, huh? Scraping nickels and dimes together in an effort to make it to the next event, Sheak lived the life of the true American motocross privateer. Eking out a living with some minor support from American Suzuki and a host of other sponsors, he kept the faith, never gave up, and plodded away, managing to crank out some eyebrow-raising results along the way. A National moto win at Mount Morris, three topthree overall scores at the Gainesville, Mount Morris and Southwick Nationals, in addition to a solid fourth overall in the 1996 AMA 125cc East Region Supercross Series, soon had the factory team managers lurking within the shadows of his well-worn box van. And then it happened. All of the hard work and tenacity paid off in a big way. In early August, the most prolific and powerful motocross team in the world Team Honda - came calling on the 22year-old native of upstate New York. From the time they first started racing motorcycles at the 1959 Isle of Man IT, Honda has been home to some of the greatest motorcycle names in history. From legendary Grand Prix road racers Mike Hailwood, Freddy Spencer and Mick Doohan to motocross and supercross icons Roger DeCoster, Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Johnny O'Mara, David Bailey and now Jeremy McGrath and Steve Lamson, Honda has been a veritable Hall of Fame to the greats. Now Scott Sheak has his chance to join that elite pantheon. His days of a handto-mouth privateer existence are now behind him. Will he miss the eternal struggle of being a privateer? "I don't miss the hard times, but it's all part of trying to make it to where I am now," Sheak says, somewhat philosophically. "It's a lot of hard work and I put as much as I could into it. I knew what I had to do and I went out and did it. I have always been very positive, and now it has all paid off. "I've arrived at the dream that I have always had in the back of my mind. I've gotten to the point now where I have to set my goals higher and think about things I want to do now. It's a wonderful feeling. I have accomplished something that has taken a long time; but I made it, and it feels great." , All through the 1996 season, Sheak had fans wherever he went. From the smoky, klieg-lit, beer-soaked stadiums of the AMA Supercross Series to the roughand-tumble U.S. National motocross tracks, the American race fans were very aware of the true-to-life, David-andGoliath story of Scott Sheak. "People pull for people who earn something, or work hard for something," Sheak proclaims in regard to all of the fans that came out to cheer him on against the might of the U.s. factory teams. "And I sure did that. Now that I have landed at Team Honda, they don't see me for where I am at; they see me for what I have done and how I have gotten there. My fans give me a lot of credit." In this day and age of American professional motocross and supercross racing, it is not uncommon for a young racer to receive back-door support from the factories at a very young age. In fact, a number of today's current crop of racing superstars were supported - by one factory effort or another - from their days on 50cc minicycles all the way through to the professional ranks. Not Scott Sheak. While he did receive a smattering of support here and there, he arrived at the level he is at today the hard way - by earning it through hard work and determination. Does he appreciate his new-found fame and fortune more than those who may have it a bit easier? "I'm not too sure about other people; as for myself, I appreciate it so much," says a genuinely grateful Sheak. "It makes me feel so much better when I go to the gym, or I'm with my trainer, or out practicing. I have a little cushion now. It really makes me feel better about working very hard 'and putting everything into it. "When I was a privateer, I was always looking ahead at striving to get to the position I am in now. Now I'm at that position, and I am doing the same hard work that I was doing as a privateer. I feel like it has all paid off. "Now I take the combination of the two," Sheak says. "I've got the ride that I wanted and I'm putting my work ethic and motivation toward what I have to do. I'm putting it all together. Like before, when I was struggling, I was scrapping for whatever I could. That's the big difference between being a factory rider and being a privateer - everything t~at you have to deal with in being a privateer is really hard. Now r have to kick back and concentrate on what r have to do. Everything is given to me to win which makes it a lot easier for me." With any new venture in racing comes the harsh realities of remarkably different surroundings. New people, new machinery, new race clothes, new mechanic, new lifestyle, new responsibilities and new expectations are all mind-boggling elements Sheak now has to contend with as he gets up to speed as a member of Team Honda. How has it gone thus far? . "Honda has been great," Sheak says enthusiastically. "All of the people have been so good to me. That goes along with the amount of work r put into it. Now I have what I need - a great bike and a great team. I'm not intimidated at all and the team is not putting any kind of pressure on me. I know that I have the best equipment and the best people behind me." To help Sheak adjust to his new job at the factory, a veteran mech8!ric has beel) plucked from the high-speed world of the Honda road race department and. teamed up with the new recruit. "My mechanic is Bobby Winedor£ who just came over from the Smokin' Joe's road racing team where he wrenched with Honda road racers Steve Crevier and Mike Hale," explains Sheak, who appears to be very much at ease with the unique pairing. "We get along really great. He's a real nice guy and real determined and he has really been on top of everything so far." While Sheak pulled down some outstanding results in the 1996 AMA 125cc National Motocross Series, his supercross results were a bit more suspect. Although he finished a creditable fourth in the AMA 125cc East Region Supercross Series overall point standings, Sheak didn't exactly set the world on fire in that discipline of the sport. However, that said, Sheak now has his nose to the grindstone in an effort to become a major threat in the stadiums. "Since I've been out here, we've been practicing, practicing, practicing supercross," Sheak declares. "I plan on doing way better than I did last year. In 1996, I only practiced supercross six times all year. That six times was the most I had practiced supercross in my entire life. Now I have access to a factory-prepared supercross track and the best people behind me in testing. r really feel that I have gotten so much better thus far. I plan on doing real well in supercross this year." Inconsistency is a problem for a number of American privateers, and for

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