The Right Stuff
THE RIGHT STUFF
RACE WATCH
Jeff Emig on top
ERIC JOHNSON
SOAKING WET AND COVERED IN MUD, JEFF EMIG CHOKED BACK TEARS as he spoke into the ESPN microphone. The date was October 4, 1992, and Emig, after piloting his shrieking Yamaha YZ125 through the dark brown slop of Budds Creek, Maryland, had just clinched his first AMA National Motocross Championship. A lifelong dream had finally been realized, and Emig was struggling to put his accomplishment into perspective.
Ernig's rise to fame, from that first taste of championship glory in 1992 to his dazzling AMA Supercross title charge in 1997, has been fraught with emotion. it's a story that personifies the dreams of thousands of mo tocross kids across the country.
Raised on the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri, Emig was drawn to motorcycle racing, like most youngsters, by a motorsports-loving father. A staple in the big-cubic-inch, tire-smoking world of car racing, Gary Emig introduced his youngest son to motocross at the tender age of 4.
"My dad rode, and so did my older brother," Emig says. "That's how I found my way into the sport."
Young Jeff caught on quickly. Soon, the family was barnstorming the country so Emig could compete in minicycle events. More often than not, he won. Along the way, he made a favorable impression on the factory talent scouts.
In 1990, after countless youth titles, Emig won a spot on Kawasaki's facto ry motocross team. But after only one semi-successful season with Team Green, Emig went to Yamaha. The move proved fruitful, as the new re cruit won the three Western Region Supercross events in 1991, and fin ished third to Mike Kiedrowski and Guy Cooper in the AMA 125cc Na tional Motocross Championship.
Emig put it all together in ’92. Sparked by his first outdoor national victory at Buchanan, Michigan, he went on a rampage, winning five of the last six races and pulverizing rival Mike LaRocco’s championship points lead. The defining moment of the season came at Budds Creek. It was a classic battle, and Emig rode the race of his life.
“It was a real emotional championship for me,” he says. “It all centered around my father, who wanted to be there that day, but couldn’t. One of the best times in my life was when I called him to say I’d won. It made all those years of amateur racing and all the dollars and hours my dad had invested worthwhile. I thought, ‘Okay, Dad, this is your paycheck.’ ”
With one national title in the bag, Emig seemed to be on the fast track to greatness. But it wasn’t to be. He lost the 125cc crown to Doug Henry in 1993, and again in ’94. The following year, Yamaha bumped him up to the 250cc class, where he placed second to Jeremy McGrath. Despite his consistent results, though, something wasn’t right.
So Emig jumped ship and returned to Kawasaki. “They let me be myself,” Emig says of then-Kawasaki Team Manager Roy Turner and mechanic Jeremy Albrecht. “I told them that I wanted to do things my way, and they said, ‘Go ahead and do it.’”
And do it he did. At Round 14 of the 1996 AMA Supercross series in St. Louis, not far from his home town, Emig defeated McGrath, ending the Honda rider’s 13-race win streak. Then, in September at Steel City, Pennsylvania, he beat McGrath again in the final moto to take the AMA 250cc Outdoor National Championship.
“That was such a huge confidencebuilder,” Emig says. “It was the first time in four or five years that McGrath had lost a championship when it appeared he was going to win. I beat him straight up. That race motivated me more in one day than anything that could have happened in five years.”
During the off-season, Emig flew overseas. Using the momentum gained from the outdoor championship, he won the FIM World Supercross title.
“Beating McGrath really helped me that winter,” he says. “Then, winning the World Supercross Championship helped me going into the ’97 AMA Supercross opener in Los Angeles. At the start of the season, though, I put too much pressure on myself. Everyone kept telling me, ‘You’re the man!’ I really wanted to win it.”
Despite sixthand 14th-place finishes at the first two rounds in Los Angeles, Emig found his stride, winning the third round of the series in Tempe, Arizona. He also was victorious in Indianapolis, Daytona, Houston and Dal-
las. Then, it was on to Las Vegas, where he clinched his first supercross championship, and perhaps more importantly, found himself in the role of the world’s best motocrosser.
“I’ve got confidence now,” confirms Emig. “When I first started racing, I was so intimidated. I couldn’t believe I was racing against guys like Jeff Ward. Now, I’m not intimidated by anyone.”
This year, as the defending champion, Emig has taken a more strategic approach. “I have the gun in my >
hand,” he says, smiling. “I’m going to use the first 3-5 races to take aim, then I’m going to pull the trigger-and look out! I’m going to work into the season, rather than try to do it all on the first day.”
Then, there’s the McGrath factor. Emig is keenly aware that the fourtime champion wants his Number One plate back. But the 26-year-old Emig isn’t ready to cough up something he has worked his entire life to win.
“He’ll do well, at least better than last year,” says Emig of his long-time rival. “He’s been through a lot of change. Some people believe that riding a different bike each season will hurt him, but sometimes change is good. I can attest to that.
“Jeremy and I are probably better friends than ever,” he continues. “But maybe he’s friends with me now to try and find out how I won the title. And how to get it back.”
Helped by the intense competition, supercross is booming in popularity. Massive crowds, prolific television coverage, substantial corporate support and mainstream acceptance have creat-
ed a powerful wave of momentum. And truth be told, Emig could not have chosen a better time to step out of Mc-
Grath's shadow and into the spotlight.
“I feel extremely lucky to be on top right now,” Emig says. “Going into this season, the insiders are saying that there are 10 different guys who can win races. I feel, however, that there are only four guys who can win the championship: McGrath, Ezra Lusk, Doug Henry and myself. My teammates Damon Huffman and Ryan Hughes are stronger than ever, and will be right up there, too.”
On Saturday, January 10, in front of 61,855 screaming spectators seated in the rain-soaked Los Angeles Coliseum, Emig began his
’98 title defense. After running up front during the entire race, he settled for second behind Frenchman Sebastien Tortelli.
“I’m really happy with second,” said a smiling, champagne-soaked Emig, high atop the Olympic stadium peristyle. “The track wasn’t too bad, but it was just too dark. With my poor eyesight, I had a tough time out there. But I’m really happy, and it’s a great way to start off my season.”
From his humble Midwestern beginnings, through his emotion-filled 1992 AMA 125cc National Championship, to his crowning achievement, the 1997 AMA Supercross title, Jeff Emig has certainly matured. More importantly, the Riverside, California, resident has rediscovered his enthusiasm for racing.
“Life is good for me right now,” he says with a big grin. “I’m like a fine wine, or maybe a good bourbon. I get better with age. My enthusiasm is at an all-time high. A few years ago, I was lacking enthusiasm, which explains the dead spot in my career. Now, I’m really happy, and all I want to do is race.” □
