This Week in Yamaha History: The 1992 Final
Thursday, September 6, 2012 | 1:00 PM
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PrintWe are heading into the final race of the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championships, so for This Week in Yamaha History, we're looking back at a dramatic series-clinching outdoor motocross final.
When it comes to title clinches at the final round, not many can beat Team Yamaha’s Jeff Emig walking away with a very unexpected 1992 125 National title. Starting the season out pretty slow, Emig was not expected to be one of the main front-runners for this title but around halfway, Fro simply caught fire as he started winning moto after moto. But the points leader, Kawasaki’s Mike LaRocco, stayed consistent, and with four motos left in the year, Emig was still 48 points down to “Iron” Mike.
The penultimate round at Steel City (coincidently also the penultimate round this year and I just put that in there to use the word “penultimate” once again. Penultimate! There's another!) took off with Emig running in third, then passing for second when Ryan Hughes went down. After that Emig worked on DGY Yamaha’s Doug Henry for the lead before getting by him. LaRocco, then running in third, had disaster strike as his Kawasaki gave up the ghost and that was it, a DNF and 25 points gained for Emig.
Emig was the unlikely winner of the 1992 125 Championship.
Fran Kuhn photo
In the second moto it was more disaster for LaRocco as his carb fell off and Emig once again rode great to a second and the overall win on the day. That was it, a 48-point lead reduced to just one, folks. Just like that. And even though he was still second in points, there was no doubt that the momentum was all behind Emig and his YZ125.
Budds Creek, Maryland hosted the final round, and before the race LaRocco said that his “rock bottom” was at Steel City and things were still looking great for the title. But oh no, it would get a lot worse for Mike!
But first Emig did his part by leading early in moto one, while LaRocco was third. Starts being Mike’s downfall for most of the year, a third-place start was good for him, and he looked solid. But then, more problems for LaRocco as his Kawasaki KX125 lost a shifter in a collision with Suzuki’s Ron Tichneor. He tried to pull in and get one put on but his mechanic (and father, Mike LaRocco Sr.) didn’t have one in his tool bag.
Another DNF for LarRcco and a clutch ride for Emig -- who won the moto and now had an amazing 24-point lead going into the final moto of the year. Again, that's three straight DNF’s for Larocco and a 72-point swing in the championship. Makes Blake Baggett’s 14-point lead this weekend look pretty small, no?
Needing a miracle, LaRocco pressured Emig early in moto two but soon dropped back into second. Emig had another great race to “stamp” his first ever professional title and a very unlikely one at that. At the end of the day, Yamaha had claimed another 125 National Championship title and Jeff Emig was on his way to becoming one of the greats.
He just needed a little luck, that’s all.
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You go FRO !
Had LaRocco's Dad not been his mechanic I think the results might have been different but, it is hard to go against family- just ask Alessi!
LaRocco always had the worst luck always strong but coming up 3rd fiddle most of the time he was a career podium guy which is not bad but just think of what his record could look like !!
1992 was wary last race win on a 500cc MX Vaults is wrong when yo read the year in review.I also love the B Team for MXd............Most of the big studs turned it down.........Interesting........
I rememeber that year, That would bug me the rest of my life!!! What a way to lose a title!! that sucked big time for Mike!! Your the best for the whole year then 3 DNF's?? How?? Nuts!!!
@RG807 I don't think you know Mr. LaRocco so how can you say something like
that? Mike Sr. owned a motorcycle dealership and was and still is one heck of
a mechanic. Yes, the carb issue was due to possible clamps left loose. I don't know. Also Mike Sr. can't control the shifter being sheared off.
Good for Emig to pull it off...but I'm sure this issue still bugs Mike (both of them)
from what happened...
My racerX name says it all...
@ Larry Witmer
Great call you old Elkhart Maffia man.......................I know Sr also He knows his business !
@ Emig--Back in the mid 70's it was a big deal when the Kansas City and Kansas racers made it to St Peters MO. There were some fast dudes in Kansas also. All of us had some good races. I remember Patterson when I was ribbing him about getting beat by Shekel he said "there was no disrepect gettting beat by him" Also you had Tracy Lusemberg (sp) coming up on the XR75, he had one trick bike. I remember some good battles with the Kansas guys.
Larocco's karma caught up with him.
Nice story Weedge.
Is it true that this is your penultimate column for the outdoor season ?
I'd like to read another story about all the bad mojo deciding the season. (Langstons wheel, Hughes chain ect.)
Now about Emig,
I have really come to respect Jeff as a broadcaster these last few years, great job Jeff!
Your speech and grammar do seem to suffer when R.C. is co-hosting though.
See you at L.E.mx
The Big story on that day was Healey's Ride to win the 2nd moto. Riding a clapped out rm125 practice bike after driving 2700 miles in a soccer mom mini van ( ford aerostar) was the biggest upset of the year! If there was a record for the biggest rider to win on a 125 it would have to be Healey.... He was pushing 200lbs... He road blocked every uphill and turn for the last 6 laps to take the win open face helmet and all. I watched it the other day on a VHS tape.
1992's final round was a classic and took place on a real outdoor mx track. Too bad this years final, which could be a classic, takes place on a burnt out flat piece of ground with man made obstacles. This is progress MXSports?
Hey Laker23, give the race a chance. I've been to the track, and while it's no Unadilla (well, actually, Unadilla is no Unadilla anymore), they've done an awesome job. The track looks challenging and difficult. I'm gonna wait to see how it pans out before I judge.