Above - Eli doing awesome Eli stuff
Eli Tomac really filled up the trophy cabinet this year, as you know. Taking the 450
Supercross and 450 motocross titles and topped it off nicely winning the MXON championship. Winning 3 championships in a year is an amazing feat, it’s only been done 4 times this century.
If I told you last December that this was going to happen, what would you have said and what would be the odds? He’s also competing in the first round of the World Supercross Championship, imagine if he won that Championship? Is it a championship at only 2 rounds anyway? That’s another story. But I sure would love to see him in Melbourne.
Here’s a look at seasons past where a rider collected at least 3 championships.
David Bailey 1983
The 1983 season was the first of only 2 seasons of the “Grand National Champion” which was awarded to the rider who earnt the most AMA points for the season, from the 125, 250, and 500 motocross series and from the supercross series, which at the time was 250 only. Yes 250 only, so a first-year pro had to line up for his first supercross against the best in the world, imagine that. It would be like Evan Ferry having to line up for his first heat race with Chase Sexton.
Bailey aka “The Little Professor” would earn that Grand National Championship as well as the 250 Motocross and Supercross titles and was part of the winning Motocross des nations (500cc) and Trophy des nations (250cc) teams, along with Mark Barnett, Broc Glover and Jeff Ward.
Hell of a season especially considering his first-ever pro race win was at Anaheim, round 1 that year. And with teammates like Johnny O’Mara and Bob Hannah he wasn’t even the hottest prospect on his own team.
Above – “The Little Professor” 1983
Jeff Ward 1985
“Wardy” the 1984 125 motocross champion, filled his trophy cabinet in 1985. Taking out the 250 Motocross and Supercross titles, the latter being in a dramatic and controversial final round. Going into that last round 4 riders had a chance to win, Wardy and Broc “Golden Boy” Glover were on 211 points, Ron Lechien “The Dogger” was on 209 points, and Rick Johnson “The Bad Boy” was an outside chance on 201 points. Wardy would prevail, finishing 4th but
ahead of Glover 5th , Lechien in 7th and Johnson in 11th . Wardy also escaped penalty from bump starting his bike backward down the face of a jump after a heat race incident. Wardy would also win the Motocross des nations in 85 with teammates Bailey and Lechien.
Rick Johnson 1986, 1987, 1988
Yes, he was good! Already the 1984 250 motocross champion on an underperforming production Yamaha. Over the three years on team Honda prior to his career-altering/ending injury in 1989 “The Bad Boy” won the 1986 250 Motocross and Supercross titles, the 1987 250 and 500 Motocross titles, and the 1988 500 Motocross and 250 Supercross titles. He was also part of all 3 years of winning Motocross des nations teams, partnering with Bailey and
Johnny O’Mara in the famous 1-2,1-2,1-2 sweep at Maggoria in 1986, Wardy and Bob
Hannah in 1987 and Wardy and Dogger in 1988. RJ was also dominating the 1989 supercross season and looking better than ever when injury struck, imagine what could have been.
Jeff Stanton 1989, 1990
If you weren’t a fan (or old enough) in 1989, I can’t explain just how much Jeff “Six-time" Stanton stepped straight into his mentor/teammate’s shoes when RJ departed the 1989 season, it was as if the batten of victory was passed on. Jeff had not won a pro race prior to that season and had just won his first. Finally getting one over RJ at Atlanta just before the injury. He then just went on to dominate the next two years. In 1989 and 1990 “Six-Time” won the 250 Motocross, 250 Supercross, and Motocross of nations, 1989 with Wardy and Mike “The MX Kied” Kiedrowski, and in 1990 with Wardy and “The Beast from the East” Damon Bradshaw. Jeff would likely have repeated all this in 1992 if he hadn’t missed the
Manjimup MXON, where USA won with the infamous B team.
Jean-Michel Bayle 1991
No doubt the greatest AMA season ever, the Frenchman won the 250 and 500 Motocross titles and the 250 Supercross title. JMB was the 1988 125 and 1989 250 World Champion and then spent a short but impactful time in the US. In 1989 he wet his feet at selected rounds and in 1990 he finished runner-up in the 250 Supercross season to Stanton and 4th in the 125 Nationals after missing rounds with injury. After the dominance of the 1991 season, he set his sights on Gran Prix road racing, and befitting to his quirky/arrogant personality he pretty much mailed in the 1992 season albeit still finishing top 4 in all those championships.
Ricky Carmichael 2005
“The Goat” collected three titles in 2005 winning the 250 Supercross and Motocross title and leading Team USA to victory at the MXON in Ernee with teammates Kevin Windham “K Dub” and Ivan “Hot Sauce” Tedesco. He’s also the only one to do all this on a Suzuki.
Ryan Villopoto
RV (a bit of a letdown on the nickname!) took 3 championships in a year twice. In 2007 he won the West coast 250 title and the 250 Motocross title as well as crushing the world's best aboard his 250 at the Budds Creek MXON. RV went 1 -1 overall against the 450s in one of the most impressive rides of all time. His teammates were the “Goat” who was about to retire and Tim “Red Dog" Ferry.
In 2011 he won the 450 titles outdoors and indoors as well as victory once again at the Motocross of Nations with Ryan Dungey “The Diesel” and Blake Baggett “El Chupacabra”.
Above – RV preparing to kick the worlds ass, Budds Creek MXON qualifying 2007
Ryan Dungey 2009
After finishing runner-up in both series in 2008 “The Diesel” claimed the 2009 250 West Championship and 250 Motocross Championship. And along with Jake Weimer “Jake and Coke” and Ivan Tedesco, they won the MXON. “Hot sauce” winning his third Nations in 5 years and Dunge came in clutch winning the 3 rd moto to ensure victory over team France.
What a list, some big names there, and even better nicknames! Hot Sauce is my favorite moto nickname ever. No surprise that eras of US dominance at the MXON coincide with much of this list, and of course in the 500 era there was an extra championship to win as the 250 and 500 series ran separate dates. But it's fun to look back and write about it and hopefully also fun to read.
I reckon the next rider to make this list might be a young Aussie?
Go Riding
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