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/127870
INTERVIEW AMA Western Regiona/125cc Supercross Champion Kevin Windham II / (Above) Windham has said goodbye to the 125cc class and will now be compet ing in the 250cc class full time. (Left) Kevin Windham. here leading Jeremy McGrathat the Charlotte Supercross. is the only rider to win a 125cc main and a 250cc main in the same season. By Er ic Johnson ...100"'. . . . or Kev in Windham ,-the 22 1997 racing season epitom ized b oth the best o f t im es and the worst of t im es . While th e gifted young Team Yamaha rider experienced the glory of becoming th e first fu ll-time 12Scc supercross racer to win an AMA 2S0cc s u p e rc ross m ain eve nt when he did the deed in April at the Charlott e Motor Speedway, he also had to deal with an amazing ru n of bad racing luck (ra nging from failed ignitions to smashed exhaust pipes) which to a large extent was instru men tal in lettin g 16-year-old SplitFire /Pro Circuit/ Kaw asaki icon Ricky Carmich ael drift off with the 1997 AMA 12Scc National Motocross Championsh ip - a championship that Windham, heading into the opening round at Ga inesville ba ck in March, belie ved was his for the taking. In posses s ion of a classic natural born rid in g technique that oo zes style and grace, Windham is, by all accounts, . one of the most dazzling talents to race in America in the past decad e. How ever, none of it has come easily . Years of devotion, practice, racing and co ns tant chall en ges have polished Windham into one of the best riders in the world. "My older brother was racin g se riously when I was born," says Windham from his home in Baton Rou g e , Louisiana. "He is 12 years older than I a m, a nd. se ns! ng that I might hke to ride a s w ell , m y p a rents go t J' 'Jj me a bik e. 1 rod e once when 1 wa s 3 year s old , bu t I fell off 'J •• • a n d didn ' t want to d o it an ymore . Ab out th ree months lat er, I cam e hom e fro m so mewh er e and told my dad that I wa nted to rid e ag ai n. So we would go to the races a n d I w ould r id e a ro u n d w hile m y brother competed." Soon thereafter, Windham was gra nt- ed his wish to race and began to comp ete in local races in th e hu m id ity s oa ked Louisiana vicinity. However, that wouldn't last long, as he quickly found the pace requi red to match his s kill aga inst America' s fastest yo u ng mini cycle racers. So, from that point forward, the Windham clan hit the road to see how th eir young son would fare on th e" loosely based farm syste rn" circuit of ' th e U.S. a rna teur mo tocross tour. "Wh en .be g a n racing , Lo uisiana wa sn ' t • known for it s great m otocross tracks ," reflects Windham , "so we began to travel alot. We were go ne every weekend. My first big ama teur race was in the 60cc class at Pon ca City, Oklahoma, and I d id real well, and Kawasaki's Team Green program started supporting me after tha t "I rode once when I was 3 years old but I '"ell of;f{ and didn't want to do it anvmore " eve nt. So af ter that , we wer e racing all over Te xa s, Florid a and Oklahoma ever ~where . We w ere a lw ays on th e road. Right from the beginning, Windham proved himself a wi nner. From Ponca City, Ok lahoma , to Hurricane Mills, Tenness ee, to Las Vega s, Nevada , to Lake Whitn ey , Te xas, to Gainesville, Florida, Windham slashed a hu ge swath throu gh the amateu r ranks, racking up num erou s amateur titles . First he excelled in th e ring-ding 60cc classes, then made a suc cess fu l transition into th e h ighly co m petitive BOcc division, and then ultimatel y began a reign of terro r that resulted in a firm grip on the throat of the 12Scc Intermediate class. In a qu est to help propel Kevin toward the professional ranks, the Wind ham s had devoted and invested massive amounts of time and financial resources - and in the spring of 1994, it would all payoff in spades. On a bright and sunny May afternoon along the southwestern Pennsylvania border, 17-year-old Pro-Am ride r Kevin Windham lined u p for the first moto of the Mount Morris 12Scc AMA National and, when the gate dropped, blitzed the field with a major holeshot. " I don 't rem embe r how I got the holeshot," laughs Wind ham. "I was so nervous, I just put my head down and went. I was coming from raci ng amateur events, w her e you race just four or five lap s, and here 1 am running up front in a 30-m inu te mo to, with the pressure of Doug Henry be hind me - it was just overwhelming." Wit h one lap to go, Windham let the veteran Henry slip by for the win , but held on to second , and with it, gained im med ia te, "o ve rnig h t" re spect from the Am erican professional mo tocros s con ti ngen t. A nd soo n th ereafter, the offers started pouring in. "Mount Morris kind of turned every-