Jeremy McGrath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jeremy McGrath |
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McGrath signing autographs in 2009
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 19, 1971 (age 53) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1989–2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Jeremy McGrath, born on November 19, 1971, is a famous American former professional motocross and supercross racer. Many people think he is one of the most popular and important riders ever in motorcycle racing. McGrath won seven AMA Supercross 250cc championships. He also won one 250cc AMA Motocross championship and two 125cc West championships. He holds a record of 72 wins in the top supercross class. He was also a two-time FIM Supercross World Champion. Plus, he won the Motocross des Nations with Team USA twice.
During his career, Supercross became much more popular. A lot of this was because of McGrath's amazing skills and exciting style. This led to him being called the "King of Supercross." Another one of his nicknames was "Showtime." This name came partly from his cool "nac-nac" trick. This trick helped start what is now called freestyle motocross. McGrath was so popular that he even appeared in movies like Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Motocrossed. He was also on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A video game series was even named after him. He also appeared in other off-road racing video games.
After he stopped racing motorcycles, McGrath tried other types of racing. He also started different businesses.
Contents
Early Life and BMX Racing
Jeremy McGrath was born on November 19, 1971, in San Francisco, California. When he was young, his family moved to Southern California. There, he started riding bikes with a friend. Around age 10, in 1982, McGrath began entering BMX racing events. These races were near Lake Elsinore, California. Sometimes, he raced up to 10 times a week!
By 1985, McGrath was a top-ranked BMX racer in the country. He won national championships in the cruiser class. That same year, he got a Yamaha YZ80 motorcycle for his 14th birthday. He didn't start racing motorcycles until 1986. He raced at Perris Raceway in Perris, California, and won against everyone in his class. After that, McGrath became very interested in motocross. He stopped racing BMX from then on.
Motorcycle Racing Career
McGrath started racing motocross at age 15. He had already been very successful in BMX. In 1989, he finished 8th in the 125cc West Region supercross season. He won his first supercross race in 1990 and finished 2nd overall that season. McGrath then won the 125 West supercross title in both 1991 and 1992.
King of Supercross
McGrath won a record 72 main events in the 250cc class. He also won seven 250cc supercross championships. This happened between 1993 and 2000. This time is now known as the "McGrath Era." He also won the 1995 250 Outdoor motocross championship. He almost won the 1996 title too. However, a late-season injury caused him to lose to Jeff Emig. McGrath said he was upset because he thought he was "invincible." He tried a jump he shouldn't have and got hurt.
McGrath also helped the U.S. team win the Motocross des Nations twice. These wins were in 1993 in Austria and 1996 in Spain. His teams in 1998, 1999, and 2000 were special. The Chaparral Motorsports team was the first non-factory team to win a Supercross championship.
Later Career and Retirement
At the start of the 2001 season, McGrath won two of the first three races. But then, Ricky Carmichael from Team Kawasaki won every race after that. Carmichael took McGrath's Supercross champion title. He also matched McGrath's 1996 record of 13 wins in a row. McGrath tried to win back his title in 2002. However, he had problems with his arms, like "arm pump" and compartment syndrome. Even with these issues, he still finished 3rd overall. Carmichael and David Vuillemin finished ahead of him.
In 2003, McGrath joined KTM. But a crash before the season started made him think about his racing future. He decided to retire just before the 2003 Supercross season began. He did a "farewell tour" with KTM. This was to thank his fans and sign autographs.
In 2005, McGrath came out of retirement for a few supercross races. He rejoined his old team, Honda. He showed he could still race at a very high level. He was 34 years old but often finished in the top 5. That same year, Jeremy also raced Supermoto in the X-Games. He finished 2nd and won a silver medal. For the 2006 Supercross season, McGrath changed motorcycles. He switched from his Honda CR250R 2-stroke to a Honda CRF450R 4-stroke. He raced in a few events, getting several top 5 finishes. He even ran as high as fourth in the points standings.
Jeremy competed in the 2006 Summer X Games. He got 2nd in Step-Up and 7th in Supermoto. He then announced the "McGrath Invitational." This was an off-season supercross race with a new type of track. McGrath said the 2006 Invitational would be his last professional Supercross race.
He has the third-best record for total AMA supercross and motocross wins. He has 102 career victories. Only Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart have won more.
Other Racing and Business Ventures
After his motorcycle career, Jeremy McGrath explored other types of racing.
Off-Road Truck Racing
In the 2010s, he started racing off-road trucks. He competed in the Pro 2 division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS). In 2017, McGrath won the Pro 2 class championship in this series.
Other Ventures
Since 2016, McGrath has worked with Kawasaki. He hosts a weekly video series called "Science of Supercross" on YouTube. This series is also shown during live Supercross broadcasts. Sometimes, McGrath also helps commentate Supercross races.
He also helped create a video game series called Jeremy McGrath Supercross. The first game came out in 1998. In the first games, McGrath was the main character. Later games let players create their own riders. But McGrath was still in the games as a competitor and a guide. He helped players learn racing strategies.
In 2005, McGrath helped start Pole Position Raceway. This is an indoor go-kart track. It uses electric go-karts that are good for the environment. In 2020, McGrath also helped start Arma Sport Inc. This company makes sports nutrition products.
Awards and Achievements
McGrath won the AMA Pro Athlete of the Year Award in 1996. In 2009, he was added to the BMX Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2010.
Career Wins and Championships
- 250cc AMA Supercross Championships: 7 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000)
- 125cc AMA Western Region SX Championships: 2 (1991 and 1992)
- 250cc AMA National Motocross Championships: 1 (1995)
- FIM World SX Championships: 2
- Member of Winning US Motocross des Nations Team: 2 (1993 and 1996)
Overall AMA Career Wins: 102
- 250cc AMA Supercross wins: 72
- 250cc AMA National Motocross wins: 15
- 125cc AMA Western Region SX wins: 13
- 125cc AMA National Motocross wins: 2
Personal Life
McGrath has been married since 2002. He has two children with his wife.
Books About Jeremy McGrath
McGrath wrote a book about his life called "Wide Open: A Life in Supercross." He wrote it with Chris Palmer. The book talks about his journey from a new racer to his life today.
Ken Faught, a friend of the McGrath family, also wrote a book. It is called "Images of a Champion." This book shows his activities both on and off the track. This includes car racing, hillclimbing, and supermoto.
Images for kids
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McGrath signing autographs in 2009
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McGrath at the Mammoth Motocross 2002
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McGrath's 2009 Short Course Offroad Truck
See also
In Spanish: Jeremy McGrath para niños
