Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

TIME REMEMBERED Wise won the made-for-TV season on the California circuit to get that ranking, but at an AMA Tules meeting Dave Arnold made a proposal that would allow the top 100 riders in motocross to get their pro ranking in road racing, just like they did with the going to tell you that if you will ask dirt trackers. The rule was changed and Jesus Christ to come into your We Wise found himself sitting on the grid and take over, your life will begin a for the Daytona 200 just a few months brand-new path.' And that's what I later, wher.e he finished seventh. did." But before Daytona, Wise wanted to And Wi e became a born-again try his hand at dirt track racing and Christian. went to the Houston IT. Just for the fun "My life really changed around. of it. ''That was an incredible night," Wise I just kind of got refocused again and it was the greatest thing that remembers. "Sometimes people think ever happened to me, even far factory riders have the absolute best bikes, but that bike (the one he rode at "" beyond my racing experience. I ::. was able to really get a solid life, I Houston) was a thrown-together bike. got married to my precious wife My friend Jimmy Straight was, that Saundra (and) if 1 hadn't really morning, filing the head with a rat-tail file, trying to get it to where it would come to the Lord I wouldn't have been marriage material." have less compression so it wouldn't Another stall so easily in those big change in tight turns. It basically Wise's life was a stock CR480. ~ was just cu t to Honda approached me and The frarne wasin, and around the pu II the rake said, 'Steve, you know, we corner. we built most of it at "Honda wanted to know you want to my house. The track approached me and that year absolutely road race. said, 'Steve, we wantsuited me perfectly. It ed to know if you want had gigantic jumps, to road race.?' but I was so sick the "Freddie Spencer night before that I was going to Europe and, at that time, didn't even come for practice and I barely made it in time for qualification. I got my MX contract was up. I was talking to a few of the other companies. Husky there five minutes before qualifying had contacted me, they wanted me to go stopped, and I just went one lap and to Europe for '82. I was talking to Suzuqualified 36th out of 40. ki a little bit - I really didn't know what I "The first heat race I missed the was going to do and, really, I was pretty transfer by one position, but I easily much burned out on all the training (for won my semi. What was so wild is that motocross). When Honda offered me these dirt track guys, the way they set up (their bikes) and the way I was set the deal to go road racing, I jumped on it. I said, 'Well, let's go.' We went to up, were so different that I had to ride a Willow Springs (which was) my firstcompletely different style. I couldn't" come in and back it in, I'd come in there ever ride on a l000cc superbike. with the front brake and just stop right "Honda wanted me because I won the Superbikers two years in a row. there in the middle of the corner and Eddie Lawson was with us in '81 and I totally wreck all their momentum. was as fast or faster than him on the That's the only way I could pass, so I pavement, on an MX-type motorcycle, did it: I was riding supercross style and anyway." they weren't used to that stuff and, man, At Willow Springs, Wise took his we had some serious arguments. first ride on a road race bike. "We were pitting down there and 'Tll tell you what, talk about a shock. there were guys walking by cussing at You're talking about a ISO-horsepower me telling me off:' Wise remembers. "Steve Eklund and I almost got in a fist motorcycle that weighed 3S0 pounds. fight. He wanted to fight me right there. Man, I couldn't believe it. Here I am, He was so mad at me. I'm going, 'Hey, running at Willow Springs at ISO mph. I Steve, I'm trying just to ride my race couldn't believe how tough it was. The wind starts blowing, I remember the and I'm sorry, I don't mean to be doing anything.' wind was about 40 mph, and I'm coming around turn nine trying to make '1n the main event, I started on the these good times, right? I want to back row. In three laps I was in third impress these troops, and I almost got off a couple of times so bad and I just looked up at God and said, 'Thank you ~ so much for not letting me crash: The thing would wheelie down because it was unreal. I mean, I'm coming out of the comer in third gear and the hill at Willow Springs, I the front wheel would come up. I mean didn't know what to do, just I couldn't believe this thing. ''That bike was incredible, the powerhang on. I ran off the track band? There was no powerband. That three or four times, I was out thing didn't corne on until about 8 to 10 of control. grand and here I am, a rank amateur. It would wheelie down the hill at Willow Springs. I didn't know what to do. Just hang on. I ran off the track three or four times. I was out of control." au t of control or not, the Honda place and dicing with Ricky Graham, brass liked what they saw and hired Mickey Fay and Mike Kidd, and we Wise, who was now officially a were all dicing back and forth. I'd pass motocrosser-turned-road racer. But in the tight turns and they'd go around there was still one hitch, as the AMA me on the outside of the sweeping turns. would not give Wise a pro license to I mean pinned, and I'm trying to work road race, saying that he had to earn his it. I couldn't slide that thing. I'm trying pro ranking, which would take about a to hang the inside pole the best I can, year to do. Wise was set to use the 1982 use throttle control and they would SUperblkers race lit Carlsbad In 1980 and '81. if going to let you go. Thank you.' We shook hands and that was pretty much going to be it with me and Honda." Wise had come to a point in his life where things suddenly got confusing. What was he going to do? "At the age of 24 it just seemed like I was lost," Wise says. "I didn't know what I was doing. Here I had raced all my life from the age of 14, and [was just burned out. It just seemed like, 'Is that all there is? What arn I doing? Where arn I headed? What direction arn I going in Eddie Lawson and dirt track's Ricky Graham. Little did Wise know at the time how much this win would affect his career later on. Again, Wise had high hopes going into 1981, but a broken navicular bone in his wrist suffered early in the year q~ckly doused those expectations. In fact, the injury would, for all intents and purposes, lead to the end of Wise's motocross career. life?'" "I couldn't get that thing healed," It was during this trying time that Wise says. "I had electromagnetic things Wise says he turned to God in hopes of on over night, trying to get this thing answers. healed up and finally about the end of "You know, I was really looking for summer, it got better, and then that's answers. I was really searching in my when I almost won Unadilla." heart, then someone Wise carne within a told me something small crash of winning that really shook me, the 2S0cc U.s. GP at that really got me Unadilla that year. He ~ diced back and forth You know, I was really looking thinking more. "They (his friends) for the lead with Hanfor answers. I was really told me that if I played nah throughout the race but hit a rock in a searching in my heart, then the song by Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to berm and went £lying someone told me something Heaven," backward, I over the handlebars a few laps "from the end. that really shook me, that real- would hear something that would scare the Moments later, Hanly got me thinking more. hell ou t of me. I said, nah crashed and Don'Hey, man, lets do it,' nie Hansen assumed and we did. Jimmy the lead and took the Page, while he's win. Wise smoked singing, he says, 1 live with Satan.' I'll everyone in the second moto but his 4-1 tell ya, when I heard that played backscore simply did not hold up to the 2-2 ward it scared the hell out of me. What posted by Great Britain's eil Hudson it did was made me just want to know that day. more about God, want to know more Wise competed in the Superbikers race again a few months later and, as he about spiritual things. What is going on? Why are we living? Why are we alive? Is did the previous year, smoked the field, there a purpose? this time beating out another World MX "There was a guy who I used to ride Champion - Graharn Noyce - to the finwith all the time, and I knew he was a ish line. Christian. I thought he was kind of Despite Wise's bouncing back from. strange. 1 thought, 'Man, he's kind of his injury quite well, Honda chose not to weird.' But we were friends. He always renew his contract for the '82 season. told me about Jesus and that I ought to Suddenly, Wise was at a major crossgive my life to Christ and I'm thinking, roads in his life. He still wanted to race, 'Yeah, right, one day maybe when I'm speed was in his blood, but he had no 70 years old.' Well, he came over to my one to race for. house one night, just during this time, "Dave Arnold was the Honda tearn and I just said, 'Sam, you know that I'm manger, and Dave was a friend of really going through some time - I'm mine," Wise recalls. "He came to me losing my job with Honda, I heard this and said, 'Steve, you know, we're not song, I'm really searching for purpose. I going to renew your contract for '82. just want reality.' He said, 'Steve, I'm Your second year is up and we're just

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