The List: Way to Go (Out)
Thursday, January 24, 2013 | 10:30 AM
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By Jason Weigandt and Davey Coombs
How did Kevin Windham's glorious career end? After a few laps of untimed practice at Anaheim 2, he had an epiphany: He knew the time was right and his heart wasn't in it any longer. He took his gear off and said, "I think I'm done."
Hardly the way it should have ended. But in this sport, there isn't much of a script to follow. So this week in The List, we highlight the ways some other top riders went out—with a nod to those who didn't get to choose their departure time.
Jeremy McGrath: For this piece, we'll exclude MC's 2004-'06 comeback rides, because he announced right from the start he'd only race a set number of events. That was all bonus time anyway. McGrath's regular full-time career ended, much like Windham’s, quite suddenly. On the eve of the 2003 season, literally days before Anaheim, the all-time SX King, trying to adjust to a new KTM and coming off of a hip injury and two disappointing World Supercross rounds in Europe, just realized he couldn't make it happen anymore. He did come to most of the races in 2003 to do a victory lap and salute the fans during opening ceremonies, much like Windham plans to do now.
On a TWMX cover, MC proclaimed, "I will win races on my new KTM." It didn't quite work out, and he retired before the domestic AMA SX tour even began. We thought it was over when this issue came out, but McGrath did return to race some in 2005 and 2006.
Cudby photo
Ricky Carmichael: The opposite of sudden, Ricky actually announced his retirement plan at the pre-race press conference for the 2006 Las Vegas SX. He explained that he would race about half the races in 2007, then do the Motocross of Nations (if selected), then call it quits. In September of the following year, that's exactly what he did. He also won two supercrosses in '07, every national he entered, and that Team USA squad won the Nations, although Ryan Villopoto’s unreal 1-1 on a 250F stole the headlines that day.
Bob Hannah: The Hurricane was still a member of Team Suzuki by the late 1980s, in more of a PR and R&D role. He'd only race select events each year, and then announced before the '89 Unadilla USGP that it would be his last race. He didn't win it, but he did get cheered like crazy all the way around the track, all day long. He ended the day with a victory lap, on which he was joined by the race winner, Rick Johnson.
Jeff Ward: Wardy announced prior to the 1992 season that it would be last. He hoped to go out a champion in the 500 Nationals but ended up third in the series. Budds Creek marked his last race, and he went 4-2 for third overall on October 4, 1992.
In a crazy 2007 AMA MX National Championship, RC could have potentially won the title without even making all of the races! But he stuck to his retirement plan and skipped the final rounds.
Cudby photo
Jean-Michel Bayle: This retirement was as bizarre as any, and on the exact same day as Wardy—October 4, 1992. After JMB won everything there was to win in 1991, he announced he would race in 1992, at Honda's insistence, and then retire from moto to try road racing. At that same Budds Creek National where Ward’s career ended, JMB actually slowed at the end and let Kawasaki-mounted Mike Kiedrowski pass him, hoping to avoid seeing his rival (and teammate) Jeff Stanton take the 500cc National Championship. Stanton went 1-1 for maximum points, but it wasn’t enough to beat Kiedrowski, who ended up with 2-3. The final points difference was three (229-226). Had JMB gotten between Kiedrowski and Stanton, Stanton would have won the title.
DeCoster raced the 500cc GP tour and won his last race, the 1980 Luxembourg 500cc GP, with a 1-1 sweep.
Moto Verte photo
Damon Bradshaw: Okay, Bayle announcing his retirement while also holding three AMA #1 plates was bizarre, but Bradshaw topped that a year later when, after a disappointing 1993 season, he just up and called it quits. Bradshaw was only a year into a massive three-year Yamaha contract but cited burnout as his reason for an immediate, and possibly permanent, hiatus. He tried a few comebacks after that but never quite got back to his old level. But the record books show his last win to be 1997, in the mud at High Point Raceway, on a Manchester Honda CR250
Mike LaRocco: At his home-state Indy SX in 2006, The Rock announced he would retire at end of SX season. Then he broke his wrist in practice. Season (and career) over.
When Damon Bradshaw won the Atlanta Supercross in 1993, it looked like his house was back in order. Instead, he struggled through the rest of the season and never won another supercross race. He retired at the end of the season, at age 20!
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Stefan Everts: Everts kicked everyone's asses all year in the 2006 GPs, winning twelve races and his tenth FIM World Championship. He went out a winner at his final race, the 2006 Motocross des Nations, to boot. He and Carmichael were practically running parallel lives in "How to Go Out on Top" status, but we have to give Everts the edge in dramatic farewells, because he beat James Stewart in both MXdN motos, then took his leave as gracefully as anyone ever has in motorsports racing.
Dominating the GP season and the 'Nations in 2006, it's hard to top Stefan Everts' final season.
Cudby photo
Broc Glover: The Golden Boy embarked on a final racing season in the 1989 250cc GPs, developing an all-new KTM. It was a rough year, but he did win the last moto of his career, at the season finale at Belgium's Angreau circuit, where some half-dozen years earlier he helped Team USA win the Motocross des Nations.
Roger DeCoster: Old-timers might recall that The Man spent a decade racing for Suzuki, winning five 500cc World Championships for the brand. But then he was let go before 1980 and signed a unique R&D deal, as in “retire and develop.” DeCoster raced the 500cc GP tour and won his last race, the 1980 Luxembourg 500cc GP, with a 1-1 sweep. Like Everts and RC, he went out on top of the world.
Broc Glover won the last AMA race he ever entered--the 1988 Los Angeles Supercross--and then won the final motocross moto of his career the next year, at a GP in Belgium.
Moto Verte photo
And the greatest retirement ever (even on a list that's in no particular order):
Sweden's Håkan Carlqvist was winning his last race ever—the 1988 500cc Grand Prix at the fabled Citadelle in Namur, Belgium—by such a large margin that he stopped to drink a Jupiler beer in front of the Monument Cafe on the last lap with the fans. And he still won! Here's a YouTube clip.
Drinking a beer during the race with the fans while on the way to a win. That’s how you go out! Man, if New Orleans were still on the SX schedule this season and K-Dub could have just hung on for a few more races....
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Good write up on some great riders... When your the best at something, that time can take away from you, it is hard to know when to walk away. Leaving the addicting admiration of the fans, the excessive amounts of money and the other perks fame brings must be devastating...To those above, who knew when it was time and chose to go out on their own terms go big props..as leaving the only thing you know, can be a frightening and depressing situation to be in...
They said they have to give the nod to Everts because he beat Stewart at the MXDN....Isnt that who RC was beating at every National he entered?? Yes it was, and although RV beat RC in thier one moto together at the Des Nations at Budds Creek (RC gave up his gate pick to RV) RC won his second moto in that same Des Nations..
And I am glad to hear Windham is doing a little goodbye tour and riding a parade lap, that is cool..
On a similar note, a bit of trivia I ran across yesterday.The Pontiac Silverdome, which for many years was home to the Supercross series, was built for a cost of just over 55 million dollars and was sold at auction last year for $600,000. The new owners deflated the roof, which then tore, under the weight of the snow and wind of winter. The pictures of before an after was a sad reflection of today's economy. The new owners say they do plan on fixing it back up and trying to revive the building to its former glory. Who knows may be it can once again host a Supercross event..
Really should have put Brad Lackey on the list. He retired after making his life long dream come true and becoming the first American to win a 500 GP championship. Same track as Roger had his last race. One of the greatest stories in MX. The GP fans carried him off the track.
He was offered almost a millions dollars to race in 83 but said no because he had a bad feeling.
I never knew Ricky Carmichael was a Nazi. That photo of him giving the Heil Hitler salute on the top of the jump is AWESOME. Ricky C is my new hero.
SIEG HEIL RC.
Never heard of another athlete who left on top the way Carmichael did. Must've been tempting to stay in 07 with the points lead he had. He would've easily won his 11th outdoor motocross title. Anyone who doesn't think he earned the nickname GOAT is crazy.
Technically Lackey did race one more race the 83 USGP with the # 1 plate, but that was just like a farewell ride. .
Good article! KDub has done whats right for himself and family Cool!
@ BD25
Hate to burst your bubble !! LOL !!
Pardon the pun...
The roof was being deflated because of a tear that was notices in advance of the bad weather as a precaution! It was and still is going to have a new roof anyway, and major rehabilitation as was scheduled, Hence a little more of a mess in the construction process. This was a planned event for a while on the renovation for at least 2 years even with and idle building there were tenants that used it! There are no conspiracy theories here or none intended! Its look is worst than its bite. It will be better than before…
I'd forgotten that Bradshaw called it quits at the ripe old age of 20. Imagine what he could have done in his 20's had he somehow found a way to relieve the stress that caused him to walk away from his ride with Yamaha.
I finally got to meet Bad Brad Lackey at a National 1/2 mile they held here in Colorado about 10 years ago He was running a T shirt booth, I thought to myself "that Dude looks just like Lackey" it was. Got to B.S. with him for some time, I didn't give a sh*t about the flat track, he made my trip worthwhile. He should have been on this list.
CR500AF, how you doing? I busted up some ribs snowboarding, I still suck. Owwww!
For some reason I remember that the magazines back in the day saying that Bradshaws contract with Yamaha was for five years at a sum of money for the time of $550k a year.I just remember it being for five years not three.I could be wrong but I don't think so.
This would be a great article to bring back a little inside info many new (and old) fans don't know about Bradshaw. Contrary to popular belief, he did explain his reasons for quitting, and there was no mystery about it. I can see why it has been swept under the rug, however, because sometimes the truth is just too ugly for people to stomach.
In '93, Bradshaw dropped the retirement bomb, and did an interview for a defunct magazine called "Inside Motocross." (Not to be confused with the current Canadian publication operating under a similar name.) He also did a short 15 minute interview with Dave Despain on the Motoworld TV show. Basically, Bradshaw spent some time in a motel room frenching the barrel of a shotgun, because he was so unhappy with his life, and struggling with his disappointment. Of course, this part wasn't able to be covered on the televised interview, so the code words "...it seemed old being at the races..." was used to sidestep this ugly truth about what happened.
Still to this day, Bradshaw uses these code words... And, man do people in this sport have extremely short memories.
That is all.
I also think that Stefan Everts won three seperate GP classes 125,250and500 on the same day.This was his last GP races.Back then they were running all three classes on the same day and there was only one moto.That has never been done before and can't ever happen again under the current system.He also won two World championships in two different classes that year.
Yeah, Bad Brad Lackey sporting the number one plate at Carlsbad USGP. What other American racer has done that? What he did was as big as Team USA winning the MXDN's. Unfortunatly he was a little forgotten because he raced in Europe ost of his career.
lol no offence fred but you're talking out of your ass. He did win three GPs in one day but that wasn't his last GP at all, and he never won both classes in 03, he did race most of the 250f GP's that year but finished 2nd to Steve Ramon.
Hardly the way it should have ended?? I think its pretty original!! when your kevin windham you can do whatever you want!! Instead of pondering all winter if he should have retired or not, he went out there and tried his best and know he knows it in his heart!! and thats all that matters!! thanks for all the memories kw! especially that last holeshot at millville!! that was awesome!!!!
@Looper Stefan won the 250 and 500 GP championships in the same year.It was the year that they ran all three classes in the same day.I might be wrong about his last race but I am correct about the two championships in the same year.I suggest you google it.
@Looper148 I must be crazy.I think that you are right and I'm wrong.Hahaha!!!!
This is the wrong title for the story ..
The List: Way to Go (Out)
should be put witha story on McBrooks and the Andrew Short story..
All the riders that get screwed with out a kiss !!
Doug Henry?????
chowder.............. i think it was a bushmaster military semi-automatic assault rifle? he had to be......... cause shot guns are for hunting hahahaha
Retiring at 20 is a serious meltdown !
JimM
Pala374
Hannah retired at the end of 1987 not 1989. Also, i thought Bradshaw's deal was for 5 years, although I don't remember the dollar figure. I think he was the first to sign any deal worth over 1 mil.
Hey Sloan, SHUT UP! Last I looked any post of yours barely makes sense, I dont think Racerx needs your input, Squid!
EuroMike is proud to be a nazi?!
WStewart34 wrote: about 11 hours ago
Hannah retired at the end of 1987 not 1989.
-------------------------
He continued to race part time until 1989.
Are you denying Hannah raced the 1989 USGP at Unadilla?
@ DC & Weege, why give Stewart the lay-ups? His ass was kicked just as the rest of Everts' competition in '06. Everts had a great career by any and all standards and he flat beat an "in his prime" Stewart on his farewll tour, easily being ten years his senior.
Oh yeah, now I remember why I disliked Bayle.
Wouldn't ride in defense of (then teammate) Kiedrowski in '89, so Honda loaded up his bike, but in '92, just three years later, gives the title to the same Kiedrowski by sandbagging to deprive Stanton.
Frenchie is SO lucky Stanton didn't beat the pizz out of him.......I would have.