Tuesday Conversation:
Jeff Ward
Two wheels or four, Jeff Ward is one of the most gifted natural talents in the world of motorsports. This seven-time AMA title-holder is the only rider ever to win championships in every motocross class (125, 250, 500cc, supercross). He also placed third in his first-ever Indy 500 and added the 2004 AMA Supermoto championship to his trophy case. He’s currently the points leader in the 2005 AMA Supermoto campaign, with only one stop (two races) to go, at this weekend’s AMA Red Bull Supermoto-A-Go-Go, in Reno. We caught up with Wardy for a quick chat just before practice at last Saturday’s AMA Supermoto race in Nashville, just hours before he rode to 2-1 finishes to win the event.
Story and photos by Ben Johnson

RRX: Let’s start with a couple of timely topics. With Team USA you won seven Motocross des Nations back in the day. What do you think of the “of nations” this weekend?
Jeff Ward: I’m really glad we’re going again. I’m usually pretty upset that nobody wants to go so they can get ready for supercross. There’s the U.S. Open, but it doesn’t mean anything but money. It seems like it’s more money-oriented than anything because nobody gets paid to go over there [to the des Nations] … I never got a penny the seven times I went there, and I probably lost a lot of money because I bought so much stuff while I was there! I’m glad they’re going and they picked a good team. [Ed note: Team USA won the race.]

You were pretty successful in making the leap from two wheels to four in the ‘90s. What do you make of the rumors that Rossi may go into Formula 1?
I think he can do it. He’s extremely talented and there’s just a few things he’s got to learn. I saw that might happen in 2007, so he’s not going to leave what he’s getting paid his bread and butter for right now. He likes winning.

Back in the day, you basically started the professional minicycle movement with the Honda XR75. How did it feel to be a factory racer at the time?
It was cool. I was like 11 years old, with factory support from Honda, but I didn’t really know what was going on. I got a lot of recognition from my heroes like Marty Smith, and they knew who I was. Nobody had done that before because they didn’t grow up with any support from the factories. I mean, they were barely getting support at that age when motocross was just taking off in the States. To be a kid getting it was pretty special, and so was being recognized to help the kids that were coming up. I never rode for Kawasaki’s Team Green because it wasn’t even formed when I was racing there, but that started right after that to give the kids some support to go to amateur races. I was probably one of the first kids to get support from the factory right up until I turned pro.

What do you think about the professional nature of amateur racing today?
I think it’s great. It’s nice to see these parents getting some money from somewhere to make it to all these races and get to the level you need to be when you turn 16. You’ve got to do that, you’ve got to travel the country and ride different tracks and ride with the best riders to get noticed to get the support. It’s too expensive otherwise.

I stopped by Loretta Lynn’s yesterday and I remember that you attended your first race there a couple of years ago. The whole Loretta’s deal started right after you turned pro, didn’t it?
So did Ponca City. What was around was the Mini-Os in Florida.

Compare your first minicycle title to your first AMA Supermoto title last year.
On the minicycle stuff, you don’t realize you’re winning. You’re just racing as a kid. It wasn’t as big as it is now. If you win Loretta’s, you’re focused on and you get support. When I won the Mini Olympics six or seven times and the World Mini, it wasn’t as big a following.

I appreciate the championship a lot more now than I did then, because of how hard I have to work for it to get it. Back then it wasn’t work; it was just fun, and if you win you win, and if you don’t you don’t. There wasn’t as much pressure on you back then.

Why did you take up Supermoto? I hear that Scott Russell was the culprit…
I got my first taste of it back with the Superbikers in the ‘80s when I won five of those. But Scott was doing the California round of one of the series out there and called Troy [Lee], and Troy called me and Jeremy [McGrath] and said he was going to be out with a couple of bikes. I don’t remember why we were out there, probably just because Scotty was riding and we went out to watch. I rode his bike and it was a blast. My bike was a just a motocross bike on Wednesday, I got some wheels from White Brothers I think, and Jeremy and I raced that next Saturday [at a California event]. Then we were hooked.

You’re on the verge of winning your second AMA Supermoto title…
It’s never over ‘til it’s over.

So what’s been the key to your success?
I don’t know, just being consistent. It’s a motorcycle with wheels, you know? The dirt’s actually harder for me than the pavement is. On the dirt I’m used to having traction and being able to use the front brake. But on the pavement, you’ve got a ton of grip, so you can ride it almost like you can the dirt with the brakes and how strong you use the brakes.

I was always a rider that chose lines well and was really always thinking ahead. You’ve always got to be ahead of everything in supercross and motocross. When you get behind and don’t think, that’s when you crash and do stupid things. You’ve got to keep it all in perspective.

So the maturity helps?
I was doing that when I was 17! I wasn’t a big risk-taker when I was 17 either. I did what I needed to do to win championships, not take me out of them.

So, is Supermoto really going to be the Next Big Thing?
I hope so. I’d like to be part of it. I think where it’s going with the X Games and the venues we can get into, I think all the [motocross] riders like [Chad] Reed and [Travis] Pastrana want to run it. Right now, the way things are looking in the other series, it might be that when everything ends, they can ride this as well.

A lot of them don’t want to run outdoors, so when supercross is over… [Mike] LaRocco talked to me about it at the Honda meeting a couple of weeks ago. He said, “I don’t like the speed,” but I said it’s not that fast. So he’s thinking about it. A lot of guys might do that. This may be the next thing that all the big guys come over and then outdoors [AMA National motocross] may become a smaller series, I don’t know.

I don’t know why guys don’t like riding outdoors any more. They don’t want to put in the effort. The guys who put the effort in win. If those guys weren’t there, then it would be fun for the guys who don’t because they all get tired. But they’ll never beat somebody like Ricky [Carmichael], who trains that hard.

Is that your deal, you always wanted it more than the next guy?
Yeah, that’s why I trained real hard.

So that’s why you keep competing?
Yeah, I just love challenges, I guess. I mean, it’s a big challenge for me to be out here at my age, running the speed I run and the training I do and the motocross training I do and the guys I ride with. There’s a lot of risk-taking and a lot of effort to keep my body functioning every day to not get tired and sore.

What’s the next big thing for you?
I’m still having fun at this. Look at Troy; he’s still having fun at it. I like winning, and if I wasn’t winning as much, maybe it wouldn’t be as much fun. It may come to a point where I don’t win so much because of my age or injuries or whatever, but I can still ride out here and get anywhere from 5th to 10th.

Look at Kurt Nicoll. He’s fast and he’s not winning a lot, but he’s still having fun. He’s at a point where I don’t think he’s expecting to win. Right now, I’m fortunate to be one of the fast guys that has a chance to win every week, but then there’ll be a time when I’m off the pace a second or two but I’m still having a blast. I’ll keep doing it because I have a name that can help the sport and helps all these guys coming in.

You’re only 44, so maybe it’s early for this, but what about life after racing? You have a company called Ward Sports Management, so is athlete management in your future?
We haven’t done too much with it yet. David Atlas and Will Prappas have a great foundation with what they’ve done already with motorsports with David being Penske’s attorney for 10 years, and they’ve done just about every contract in racing. He’s still on the board of the IROC series and still runs Penske’s car dealerships in California. So the guy’s spot-on with contracts and outside sponsors.

My expertise is in the motocross area. We’re helping some younger kids out so when they get in, they’re not taken advantage of and get into deals they shouldn’t be in because it looks great and they’re pumped. They may actually be better than they think they are. There are things you can do to help them not get locked in to bad deals.

How long is your contract with Team Troy Lee Designs?
I just do it year by year, like I always do. Next year nobody knows how Supermoto is going to look, so you can’t make a plan until everything’s finalized.

Thanks Jeff.
Thanks Ben.