Seven-time former Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath talks about his Brand Ambassador role at Kawasaki and life in general.
We don’t just happen across motorcycling legends every day, but during a recent trip to Pala Raceway near San Diego, California, to sample the 2016 Honda CRF450R, we just happened to run into supercross’ most prolific champion, seven-time former Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath, who was working in his role at Brand Ambassador for Kawasaki by spending a day on the motocross track with none other than FIM World Superbike racer Jonathan Rea. The 43-year-old McGrath was also taking the time to work out some suspension gremlins on the number 96 Kawasaki of neighbor and friend Axell Hodges.
We figured it would be cool if we caught up with McGrath to see what he has been up to lately. Here’s what he had to say:
So, how are things going in your new role as Brand Ambassador for Kawasaki?
It has been great, man, I love it. It’s been since November, so about 6 months. You know what’s cool about it is that it’s very reciprocal—they like what I’m doing, and I like what they’re doing. We’re having a good time. We’ve got some really cool stuff in the works. I appreciate what they’re doing for me, and they appreciate the same. Having it be that way is really a nice feeling.
We see you brought a friend with you to Pala Raceway today [Kawasaki factory World Superbike racer Jonathan Rea].
Yep, me and Jonny Rea came out to do a ride day together, just hang out and get to know each other better. He’s a great guy, and he’s a really good motocross rider. Did you see him ride?
Yes, we did, and all we could think about was how the bosses might not be too thrilled if something happened to him! (Laughs)
Well, we made it through unscathed, so that’s good.
Have you been involved in any product testing for Kawasaki yet?
Not really. I mean, I have ridden the final version of the 2016 KX450F that will be out soon, and they have done a really good job on it. But I don’t really get into testing too much with them. That isn’t part of my job. At Honda, it was, but that is not my position here, and that is fine with me. I don’t need to be a test rider here. I just need to be Jeremy McGrath, and that has been rad.
Being Jeremy McGrath is still pretty much a full-time gig anyway, yeah?
For sure. I’m really busy these days. I’m going to Loretta Lynn’s [34th Rocky Mountain ATV/MC AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship] on Saturday, then coming back and going to Mexico to race my short-course truck. Then, when I’m done with that, I’m flying to Pennsylvania to for the 2016 Kawasaki intro at Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.
You were a Team Green rider, and you raced Loretta Lynn’s back in your amateur days, so it has to be cool for you to be going back there to witness the next generation of our sport and maybe give them some advice from the perspective of an eight-time AMA Champion.
You know what? I’m just happy to still be relevant and for these kids to even know who I am, to be honest. There are guys who come and go, but I have been fortunate enough to be able to stick around in a good way. But I’m not a coach, and I have never wanted to be a coach. If anyone can learn from my experiences, I am more than happy to share that, but when it comes to riding I am not going to say to someone, ‘Hey, I know better than you,’ because that is just not my style.
So it is more a case of lending moral support than technical advice.
Exactly. Of course, I can assist with technique of someone needs it, but I’ve seen too many people who think they know everything about that, and that isn’t me. Team Green has a great program in place already.
What are your thoughts about the state of the professional side of Kawasaki racing?
With all that went down this year with the motocross team, Kawasaki has obviously lost some of the momentum that it had, so if I can help in any way to get them going forward, I’m happy to do that, and that’s obviously where my experience [as a pro] could come in.
But it truly is a case of you representing the overall brand rather than specializing in any one area.
Yes, and it has been great. They’re using me as a whole. I use all of their products in my off-road truck series–the Mule, the Teryx—and I have my daughters riding now.
That’s right. It’s easy to forget that you’re also Jeremy McGrath the family man.
That’s first and foremost. My wife is doing great, and my daughters are 7 and 9 now, and they keep us busy with gymnastics and soccer and all that kind of stuff.
And you still find time to treat people with class…
(Laughs) Well, I think that you can be a champion, but in order to be great, it isn’t about what you’ve done, it’s about who you are as a person and how you relate to people in every-day life. To me that’s where it’s at.
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