Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Jeff . Stanton and mechanic Danny Betley celebrated their fifth title together aft-er the final round at the Los Angeles Coliseum. than in the 1992 Camel Supercross Series, in which Stanton won the final round at the Los Angeles Coliseum to claim the title by three points, despite the fact that Team Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw had won nine main events to his three. "1 pretty much was consistent all the way," says Stanton. "My worst finish was a fifth place, but I was always right there. To be honest with you, I didn't think I was going to come close to doing it (winning the title) after San Jose (the next-to-last round, where Bradshaw won and overtook Stanton for the series points lead). But like he (Bradshaw) told everybody, the pressure got to him at the final round. Fortunately enough, I'd been through that and experienced that before, so I knew how to take it. "Los Angeles definitely had to be the high point of my season.. I wasn't quite as consistent as maybe I would've liked, but in the end it all turned out, so I just look forward to a stronger year next season. In '93, it's going to be the same as far as needing consistency, but I'm going to need to win more races as well. That's my goal- to win more races and be even a little more consistent." Though Bradshaw was Stanton's stiffest competition in the Camel Supercross Series this year, Stanton feels that he will also have to keep his eye out for several other competitors in 1993. "1 sure hope Damon's experience last year (losing the Supercl'oss title) will help him. You never know. We'll see what happens. I think he'll be motivated, but maybe too motivated. I don't know what he thinks like. I'll just have to go out and do what I have to do and not worry about it. r don't think there's anyone person who will be my biggest threat. Damon will of course be in there and I've got two teammates who are going to be tough in (Steve) Lamson and Qeremy) McGrath. Mike Kiedrowski·1 think has picked it up a notch, and you never know, guys like Jeff Emig and Mike LaRocco could be in there as well. They're riding good right now." For 1993, Stanton will be a part of a Honda team that is very different than that of last year. Gone will be Jean- (Right) Stanton says that his fans are a vital ingredient to his success. (Below) The more adverse the conditions, the better Stanton seems to perform. Michel Bayle, the controversial Frenchman who Stanton sometimes had trouble getting along with. Bayle won the Supercross, 2S0cc and SOOcc MX National titles in 1991, but some allege that he didn't try his hardest in 1992, instead concentrating on his upcoming road racing career. "Before last season (1992), I knew both Bayle and Bradshaw were going to be my toughest competition, and that's what it turned out to be," says Stanton. "1 think there was a little doubt in Bayle's mind, where he wanted to go road racing or whatever, but he still wanted to win. I truly feel he gave it a good effort, but he h!1d that road racing stuff in his head too, and I know what it's like when you're not 100 percent concentrated on something. He was a little lackadaisical in some areas, but I still think he wanted to win." . With Bayle gone, Stanton will now be joined by Lamson and McGrath, as well as 125cc specialist Doug Henry. Stanton says that he is very happy with his new team members. "All of us get along great. We work together well, and it's the best team we've had by far. Rick Qohnson) and I got along good, and this is much the same. There's no comparison to the Bayle situation last year. I think that if any of the young guys start coming on strong, it will be McGrath. He rides supercross good, but I think he's shown that when it comes to outdoors, he's not so good. There's a lot of good young racers out there, but there's not the depth that there used to be." Considering how well the new Honda team gets along, one would think that perhaps the riders would practice and train together the way that Stanton and Johnson did in 1989, when Stanton first joined the Honda team. "We all have homes in southern California, and we all ride together," says Stanton. "If they (my teammates) want to do the same thing (tha t Johnson and I did), then sure, but it's hard for guys like them, who haven't trained, to do what I do. It's impossible; I do so much. They can do the riding part, but when it comes to my physical training, they can't keep up, so it's something they're probably going to have to do on their own." As Stanton says, he does have a home in southern California, where he stays when his testing, and racing responsibilities require him to be on the West Coast. But his real home is in Sherwood, Michigan, where he was raised and where he now lives with his new wife. Following the 1992 season, Stanton married Sarah Knowles, his longtime girlfriend. "Sarah and I went out for about nine years before we got married," says Stanton. "We lived together for the last couple years, so nothing has really changed a lot. The wedding was awesome. It was a big wedding with lots of people, and it was a lot of fun for both of us. There were some indu·stry people, but mainly just friends from back home. Sarah has been very s.upportive of my racing. We've been together for so long that it's become a part of both of us. She enjoys the racing, and she gets along with all of the people involved." Stanton, too, enjoys racing, and that enjoyment is his prime motivation for competing. "If it wasn't fun for me, I wouldn't do it," says Stanton. "That's the b~ggest thing. I don't try to win a certain amount of races or championships or anything. After Bayle got his Supercross

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