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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| Motocross career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. He 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 races.
Jeremy was also a two-time FIM Supercross World Champion. He won the Motocross des Nations with Team USA twice. While Jeremy was racing, Supercross became much more popular. This was partly because of his amazing skills and exciting style. People started calling him the "King of Supercross."
Another one of Jeremy's nicknames is "Showtime." This came from his cool "nac-nac" trick, which helped start freestyle motocross. Jeremy's fame went beyond motorcycles. He had small parts in movies like Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Motocrossed. He also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A video game series was even named after him!
After he stopped racing motorcycles, Jeremy tried other types of racing. He also started different businesses.
Contents
Early Life and First Races
Jeremy McGrath was born in San Francisco, California, on November 19, 1971. When he was young, his family moved to Southern California. There, he started riding bikes with a friend.
Around age 10, in 1982, Jeremy began entering BMX racing events. He raced near Lake Elsinore, California. Sometimes, he would race up to 10 times a week! By 1985, Jeremy was a top national BMX racer. He won national titles in the cruiser class.
That same year, for his 14th birthday, Jeremy got a Yamaha YZ80 motorcycle. He didn't start motorcycle racing right away. In 1986, he raced at Perris Raceway in Perris, California. He won against everyone in his class. After that, Jeremy became very interested in motocross. He stopped racing BMX to focus on motorcycles.
Motorcycle Racing Career
Starting in Motocross
Jeremy began 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. The next year, in 1990, he won his first supercross race. He finished 2nd overall that season. Jeremy then won the 125 West supercross title two years in a row, in 1991 and 1992.
The "McGrath Era"
Jeremy McGrath won a record 72 main events in the 250cc class. He also won seven 250cc supercross championships. These wins happened between 1993 and 2000. This time is now known as the "McGrath Era."
He also won the 1995 250 Outdoor motocross championship. He was close to winning the 1996 title too. But a late-season injury meant Jeff Emig won instead. Jeremy said he was mad at himself for trying a jump he shouldn't have.
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. Chaparral Motorsports was the first non-factory team to win a Supercross championship.
Later Career and Retirement
At the start of the 2001 season, Jeremy won two of the first three races. However, Ricky Carmichael from Team Kawasaki then won every race after that. Ricky took Jeremy's Supercross champion title. He also matched Jeremy's 1996 record of 13 wins in a row.
Jeremy came back in 2002 to try and win his title back. But he had problems with his arms, like compartment syndrome. Still, he finished 3rd overall in the series. Ricky Carmichael and David Vuillemin were ahead of him.
In 2003, Jeremy signed with KTM. But a crash before the season made him think about his future. He decided to retire just before the 2003 Supercross season began. He did a farewell tour with KTM to thank his fans.
In 2005, Jeremy came out of retirement for a few supercross races. He joined his old team, Team Honda. He showed he could still race very well, like he did in 2001. Even at 34 years old, he often finished in the top 5. That same year, Jeremy also raced Supermoto in the X-Games. He won a silver medal by finishing 2nd.
In 2006, Jeremy changed motorcycles. He switched from a Honda CR250R 2-stroke to a Honda CRF450R 4-stroke. He raced in a few more events. He also competed in the 2006 Summer X Games. He finished 2nd in Step-Up and 7th in Supermoto. Jeremy announced that 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 wins. Only Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart have won more.
Other Racing and Activities
Off-Road Truck Racing
In April 2007, Jeremy announced he would join the NASCAR team JR Motorsports. He signed a contract to become a driver. Monster Energy Drink was his main sponsor.
In the 2010s, Jeremy started racing off-road trucks. He competed in the Pro 2 division of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS). In 2017, Jeremy won the Pro 2 class championship in this series.
Media Work
Since 2016, Jeremy has worked with Kawasaki. He hosts a weekly video series called "Science of Supercross" on YouTube. Parts of this series are also shown during live Supercross broadcasts. Sometimes, Jeremy also works as a guest commentator for Supercross races.
Awards and Recognition
Jeremy McGrath won the AMA Pro Athlete of the Year Award in 1996.
In 2009, Jeremy was added to the BMX Hall of Fame. This was a big honor for his early racing career.
In 2010, Jeremy McGrath was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. This shows how important he is in racing history.
Personal Life
Family
Jeremy McGrath has been married since 2002. He and his wife have two children.
Books
Jeremy McGrath wrote a book about his life called "Wide Open: A Life in Supercross." He wrote it with Chris Palmer. The book tells his story from being a new racer to his life today.
Ken Faught, a friend of the McGrath family, also wrote a book. It's called "Images of a Champion." This book shows Jeremy's activities both on and off the track. It includes his car racing, hillclimbing, and supermoto.
Images for kids
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Gold Medal
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Silver Medal
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Bronze Medal
See also
In Spanish: Jeremy McGrath para niños
