It’s math folks, you can’t argue with math.
It’s math folks, you can’t argue with math.
By: Paul Quesnel and Steve Matthes
Since the genesis of the class in the beginning of 1985, the small-bore supercross division has acted as a breeding ground for the sports promising new talent. However, aside from just being a place for the younger guys to develop their skills, the 250SX class is an entity all its own and produces some of the best riders in the world to ever jump on the smaller bike. In this article, we will take a look at 15 of the greatest 250SX riders and the statistics from their time in the class.
Below is a formula I created that gives each rider a numerical value while factoring in titles, wins, podiums, win %, podium %, and top-five %. The three things that are worth the most value are titles, win %, and wins.
Formula:
[ Titles + (.5 x Wins) + (.1 x Podiums) ] x .01[ Win % + (.25 x Podium %) + (.1 x Top Five %) ]
Note: All statistics include East/West shootout’s and combined East/West races. The reason for this is because the AMA (or whoever keeps track of these records) includes all East/West races in official win counts. Also, riders who competed in 10 main events or less (Bradshaw and Reed), and riders who are still active (Tomac), were not considered for this list.
| 1.James Stewart Numerical Value- 13.28 |
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Paul
As you can see from the statistics above, James Stewart was really something special on a 125. In fact he was so impressive that I don’t even think all the people who dislike James would argue that he deserves to be number one on this list (and that’s something rare). There aren’t too many instances in our sport where we can point to the guy who has the most wins in a particular discipline and say that he was by far the most naturally talented rider. For example, even though McGrath has the most wins in the 450SX class, a lot of people still say that the most talented rider to ever race the series was either Bayle, Bradshaw, Lechein, or even Stewart. When it comes to the 250SX class though, James easily proved that he was the best natural talent we had ever seen and he also kept it together for a long enough period of time to break the all-time win count. The thing I find most revealing about James’ time on the smaller bike is that he not only holds the record for most wins, but that he also has the highest win percentage by a pretty large margin. To put it in a different context, that would be similar to McGrath having a win percentage well above everyone else’s along with his remarkable win record. With his 72 percent win rate and 84 percent podium statistic, you would almost think that the “wreckers or checkers” moniker wouldn’t quite fit James at this point in his career. Contrary to the numbers, I believe that if you were ever going to use that term to describe Stew, then it would probably best portray his time on a 125. The guy was just so fast back then that the only way he wasn’t going to win was if he crashed and literally destroyed himself. Most of the time he would either go down in the first turn or have a small get-off and he could still catch back up to the leaders without any issues. This is why out of his 25 races in the class, he only finished outside the top-five 4 times. Another thing I think Stewart deserves credit for is switching from the West coast to the East in his final year when he could have easily stayed on the West and ran the number one plate.
Steve
There’s no doubt that Stewie would sit on top of this list and for all the reasons that Paul just broke down. But numbers don’t tell the whole story- what you have to do is look at the numbers and then the eye test of watching a racer and watching James Stewart ride a 125-indoors or out- was something to be seen no doubt about it. But James being James, he crashed a lot on the 125-just like he crashed on the 250 and the 450 so that held him back a bit. One thing that James changed was the rule where you get to be placed into the seeded practice if you miss time with an injury. This was because James, on a 125 at his very first race, was riding with the privateers and three digit guys and almost killing them. Think about a bug on a windshield, he was coming up to them that fast. Am I surprised that Quesnel had him as the best 125 SX racer of all-time? Nope, not at all.
| 2. Brian Swink Numerical Value- 8.80 |
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Paul
When I began looking at the statistics for Brian Swink, I was actually really surprised at how good they were. Now, I’m a younger kid so although I was only a couple years old when Swink rode in the 125SX class, I’ve still watched all the races from that period (thanks to Tony Blazier) and from what I remember, I always thought Swink and McGrath operated on a pretty level playing field. Nonetheless, when you look at the numbers you can see that Brian’s percentages are not only better than MC’s, but that they are good enough to solidify his spot as number 2 on this list. The thing that undoubtedly helps Swink when it comes to all these statistics is the fact that when he jumped into the division he was an instant threat and didn’t need those 4-5 races that rookies usually need to build confidence. By winning his very first race in the class (only his 5th professional), Swink quickly proved that he was a title contender and for the next two years, the East coast pretty much became his house. Besides his 60% win statistic (third best all-time), Brian’s 85% podium rate and 95% top-five rate are both number one all-time (Windham and Swink are actually tied for best podium %). Even the switch from a Pro Circuit Honda bike to the underpowered Factory Suzuki at the beginning of ’92 couldn’t mess with the Swinkster’s supremacy. Despite his reputation as the guy everyone watched to see what jumps were possible, Brian was so consistent during his title reign that the only time he finished outside the top-five was ’91 Pontiac where he finished 7th.
Steve
It was 1997 and the wee hours of the morning after the Las Vegas Supercross where Swink challenged me to eat some sort of dark red pepper that had come on the side of a room service order. Brian and I had become acquaintances and on this night, the party was winding down after a night where Swink had ridden his Moto XXX Kawasaki to a who knows kind of finish. Somewhere before I put that pepper down and having to leave immediately because my stomach was on fire, Swink told me that he should never have gone to Suzuki. He should have never taken the money, that he knew the 250 was crap and he should’ve stayed at Pro Circuit on the Peak Honda 125 team. Because he said “Jeremy knew what I didn’t.”
And that sums up Swink’s career in a nutshell- he shoud’ve stayed with Pro Circuit and the Honda CR125- where would he have gone from there?
| 3. Kevin Windham Numerical Value- 8.55 |
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Paul
A lot like Swink, the thing that really helps Windham’s statistics is that he was instantly competitive when he first jumped into the 125SX class. Although it may have taken him a little bit longer to get his first win, he pretty much became unstoppable once he did. Out of the first six races of his 125 career (the six 125SX events he raced in ’95), Windham finished on the podium five times. When ’96 finally rolled around, he won the series opener and from there it was pretty much game over for the competition. Even a broken collarbone in the middle of the ’96 season couldn’t stop the #38 Yamaha pilot from dominating the series. Windham was so good on the smaller bike that many people slated him as the next big threat to McGrath and he proved this to be true when he became the first full-time 125 rider to win a big-bike main event. As you can see from his numerical value, Kevin’s 125 career is right there behind Swink’s when it comes to the stat’s. If he had a few more wins or a slightly better win percentage, there’s a good chance he could have been in the number 2 spot instead of where he is now.
Steve
Windham was gnarly right from the start. I think we all knew that he’d be a title contender and fast but it seemed, if my memory was correct, that he was better than we all expected him to be. And he even missed some time with an injury or he’d have more wins. The thing with Windham was he was probably close to 200 pounds on a 125 and he made it work by seemingly never sitting down. And I suppose there’s no better measure than by seeing KW win a 250 main WHILE HE RACED 125’s- that was insane at the time.
| 4. Christophe Pourcel Numerical Value- 8.11 |
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Paul
As you can see from the numbers above, Pourcel and Windham not only share the same smooth riding style, but they also have virtually the same statistics from their 125/250SX careers. In my opinion, CP has one of the most interesting stories in our sport. After winning the MX2 world title in 2006, Pourcel decides to come over to the U.S. in the beginning of ’07 to try his hand at a couple 250SX events. He finishes 2nd to Villopoto in his first race, beats RV for the win the next week, and then hurts his lower leg in the third race and heads back to Europe. After a severe injury that involved temporary paralysis later that summer, Christophe was forced to sit out for the entire ’08 season before finally making it back to the states in ’09. From there, he pretty much ruled the East coast with an iron fist for the next two years much like his compatriot, Mickael Pichon, did from ’95 to ’96. The one thing that I noticed most about Pourcel while he was racing in the 250SX class was how he always looked like a seasoned veteran with full control of his bike while for the most part, everyone else in the division appeared to be like a bunch of wild kids just pinning it around the track. Considering how good Christophe was after his year away from racing, I’ve always been interested in how much of an effect his big injury had on his career. Although some people believe that the injury had a positive impact because it forced him to ride so effortlessly, it’s intriguing to think about how good he could have been if it instead had negative consequences. Only Christophe knows the truth, so we’ll probably never know.
Steve
Close to the same numbers are Windham comes Pourcel but I don’t feel like he was the same sort of heavy favorite like Windham was. Pourcel was a unique individual and a unique rider as well. He would often just ride around in practice and put in one or two fast laps, enough to get him to the top of the board and he would be set. He always seemed to figure out the track so much faster than the guys in his class as well. Like Swink, what could have been?
| 5. Ricky Carmichael Numerical Value- 7.65 |
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Paul
Filling out the top five on our list is a man we are used to seeing much closer to the top three in pretty much anything that has to do with supercross/motocross. Ricky Carmichael took a different path than most 125SX riders when he jumped into the big bike class one year early instead of staying to defend his number one plate. As a result of his early departure, he is probably much lower on this list than he would have been if he had stayed down for one more year. Many people still say that RC’s speedy exit was a bad idea on his part, (even Ricky) but with a perfect season on his resume from the year before, I can see why he didn’t think he had anything left to learn in the class. Although he only has one title to his name, Ricky was able to grab the last top-five spot on this list mainly because of his 67% win rate. Considering that his win percentage is second only to James Stewart, it’s interesting to see that RC’s podium rate really isn’t anything special. The reason for this is because during his 18 events in the 125SX class, there was only one time Ricky stood on the podium and didn’t win the race. Furthermore, that one podium was also the only top-five result he earned that wasn’t a race win. The thing that is most impressive about RC’s 125SX career is how much better he became in between his two seasons. In his rookie year, RC earned 3 wins but also finished outside the top- five 5 times. The next year he completely took over the class by winning a record 9 straight races including the shootout. Considering how absorbed RC is when it comes to breaking records, it’s interesting to think about what his win count could have been if he didn’t move into the 450SX class a year early. Even though he didn’t know that James would collect 18 wins in the future, you would have to think that matching that number wouldn’t have been that big of a problem for Ricky judging on his previous season.
Steve
RC was a trailblazer in the fact that he was two and out. He would’ve been much better on this list had he stuck around another year (and he’s admitted in interviews that he probably should’ve stayed down another year) but he wanted to go to the 450 class. That first year in 1997 was just a series of cartwheels, get up, pass everyone and then crash again. He was very fast but couldn’t stay on two wheels. Jersey flapping, throttle pinned, the chubby kid was trying to will himself to win and it didn’t work that much that first year. The next year? Yeah, he killed them and I remember him just mopping the floor with everyone else to borrow Ping’s favorite phrase.
| 6. Jeremy McGrath Numerical Value- 7.73 |
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Paul
Coming in just a hair behind Carmichael at number 6 on our list in none other than the King himself, Jeremy McGrath. Unlike most of the guys ranked ahead of him, McGrath’s biggest disadvantage in regards to these numbers is that it took him a relatively long period of time to find his place in the 125 class. Although he did gain his first podium in only his third race, about half of Jeremy’s first two seasons in the class were filled with results in the 5th to 15th place range. In addition, it took MC 10 races to score his first win and after that it would take him another 7 events before he would secure his second victory in the class. Another thing that hurts the King’s statistics is that he is one of the only people on the list with over 30 main events in the 125/250SX class and for the most part, it’s harder to keep your percentages high when you compete in more races. As you can see from his numerical value, McGrath slots in right behind Carmichael when it comes to this ranking and most of that has to do with the fact that RC’s win rate is 25% higher than his. If MC’s win percentage was around 5 points better, he would have easily stolen the final spot in the top-five. The only problem with all these numbers is that they don’t take into account how much of a bad dude Jeremy was and also how much influence he still has on the sport today. If you could take all that kind of intangible stuff and somehow measure it in a correct way, MC would probably be right up there with Stew, Swink and Windham.
Steve ?
MC was a real success story in the fact that he wasn’t a prodigy, he wasn’t on every teams radar to sign up. Nope, his early years in the 125 class were as a privateer on a Honda and then in 1990 on a Kawasaki with some help from White Brothers and Team Green. MC just worked and worked on getting better on a supercross track and soon he was one of the best ever. The stories I hear is that the track behind his mom and dads house would be ridden on for eight to ten hours a day by Jeremy and his buddies. His top five % is better than RC’s by a bit but early on he wasn’t JEREMY MCGRATH, he was just Jeremy McGrath. Remember, he lost a 125 West SX series to Ty Davis who is perhaps one of the most underrated 125 SX champs ever next to Todd Dehoop and Jimmy Gaddis. Do I smell another column by Paul?
| 7. Justin Barcia Numerical Value- 7.21 |
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Paul
Justin Barcia’s rookie season in the 250 East coast series was very interesting for a couple of different reasons. To start off, Pourcel and Stroupe pretty much had the whole coast on lockdown as they went 1-2 in the first four races. Next, three blazing fast rookies named Baggett, Wilson, and Barcia had just entered the class and the battle between those guys was always exciting. Lastly, the only person to finally beat the impenetrable Frenchman straight-up was Barcia (Baggett would have a win handed to him later in the year when most of the field went down in the first turn at Dallas) and by the end of the season you could easily see that Bam-Bam was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. It’s always seemed like Justin has had a leg up on the rest of his generation when it comes to supercross and I can’t help but to think that it probably has something to do with Geico’s initiation process. Instead of just throwing the guys to the wolves right away, Factory Connection gives their rookie’s a full season of outdoors beforehand and as you can see right now, that method is also working great for Eli Tomac. The most impressive thing about Barcia’s statistics is the level of consistency he was able to maintain with a knick-name like Bam-Bam. Out of his 29 main events in the 250SX class, Justin only finished outside the top-five twice. The first time was in his very second race and next time was in the 2011 East/West shootout where there were no points to be gained.
Steve
I didn’t think Barcia was this good but looking at his stats, I guess so. I just remember his first year he was all over the track seemingly making noise and wasting energy rather than going forward. And the next year, just off the top of my head, I thought he was pretty equal to Wilson. But yeah, he’s clearly one of the best guys- anyone who goes back to back in the class is pretty good and needs to get out of the class ASAP.
| 8. Ernesto Fonseca Numerical Value- 6.61 |
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Paul
Coming into the ’99 season, no one really knew what to expect out of the 18-year-old kid from Costa Rica named Ernesto Fonseca. Aboard the mighty Yamaha of Troy team, Fonseca burst onto the East coast supercross scene and shocked everyone by not only winning his very first race, but also by winning almost every round of the series. Aside from being the only Central American to win a supercross championship in the 250SX class, the Fonz is also responsible for two other really cool statistics. Number one; Ernie is the only rider to win regional titles on both a 125 and a 250. Number two; he is also the only guy to have a season in between his two title winning years. I think the most telling thing about Fonseca is the fact that although he lost his focus during the ’00 series and really didn’t perform well, he was still able to pull it together enough to come back and claim the West coast title in ’01. As you can see from his numbers above, Ernie was able to put up some pretty exceptional stat’s even with his one bad year and it’s interesting to think about where he would land on this list if he had never gone through that slump.
Steve
I was around on the circuit back then and let me tell you that Yamaha of Troy’s decision to sign the skinny, little Costa Rican kid was indeed a bit questionable. He didn’t race a lot of supercross and who knows how he would do. Well, first race was Tampa and if I remember right, Fonseca just ran away with that one cementing his status as a real force. Ernie was precision defined, he was a thoughtful racer who used throttle control and raw skill to be very good indoors. Ernie always rode the outdoor tracks like indoors tracks as well…lots of trying to make jumps out of braking bumps.
| 9. Ryan Dungey Numerical Value- 6.35 |
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Paul
Similar to Fonseca, Ryan Dungey took everyone by surprise by winning his very first 250 supercross race in Atlanta, ’07. Unlike Ernesto though, it would take Dungey a full two years before he would earn his one and only regional supercross title. For Ryan, speed was never an issue when it came to winning championships back in the day. The biggest problem he had in ’07 and ’08 was that he just couldn’t stay away from those finishes outside the top-five that killed his title hopes. It’s often easy to forget that Dungey wasn’t always the steady freight train that he has become today. What’s really interesting to me is the fact that although they are close, all of Ryan’s statistics are just a tad bit better than Fonseca’s. Obviously, the reason that Dungey’s numerical value is slightly less than Ernie’s is because he only has the single title and it makes me curious to think about how much higher Ryan would be on this list if he had successfully beaten off J-Law for that ’08 title. Either way when it comes to the 250SX class, Ryan was certainly quite the revelation as he proved that if your willing to put in the hard work, you don’t have to be an amateur phenom to make it to the top of the division.
Steve?
Dungey was good but like Paul says, he wasn’t THE guy in the 250 class until his last year. It took a little bit of time before he became the Dungey we now know. He absolutely crumbled the one season when Jason Lawrence won the title, Ryan was a bundle of nerves and crashed while showing speed. He probably doesn’t regret that one title missed but he was no doubt the guy that year. Dungey just worked and worked and then worked some more to make himself what he is today. Not particularly stylish or anything like that, Ryan was a worker bee back then- much like he is today.
| 10. Damon Huffman Numerical Value- 6.23 |
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Paul
Rounding out the top ten in our ranking is the two-time West coast champion Damon Huffman. Now considered a dignitary when it comes to the 125/250SX class, many people often forget that the beginning of Huff-Daddy’s SX career was a rocky road filled with poor finishes. With his best results in ’92 being a pair of 5th places, Damon came back with a vengeance in ’93 by winning the last three races of the season while ending the series in third. After serving notice to everyone the year before, Huffman came into ’94 looking more consistent than ever and because of that, he was able to win the title while only having two victories on the season. From there it was pretty much game over for everyone who opposed Huffy as he damn-near went undefeated on his way to the title in ’95. Damon is known for being one of the most fluid and naturally talented riders to ever hop on a 125. If you could disregard his rookie year just for the purpose of this list, he would be much higher to the top three rather than barely squeaking in the top ten.
Steve
Huffman was a top amateur rider that was probably a bit of a disappointment early on but once he figured it out, it was over. When Huffy went to the 250 class, there wasn’t a bigger name out there as far as kids. He was going to be THE guy to beat Jeremy but then, he didn’t. As well, Suzuki’s were really good 125’s back then and they had quite a run with Swink, Lusk, Huffman for all those years in the early and mid 90’s. His speed was deceptive, he make it look easy and like Kevin Windham, people wanted to see more splash and perceived effort but it was just Huffman doing what he did.
| 11. Mickael Pichon Numerical Value- 6.12 |
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Paul
If you really want to know just how good Mickael Pichon was on a 125 back in the day, all you really have to know is that out of all the great champions to go through the Pro Circuit program over the past twenty years, there have only been two people (technically three if you count Pourcel in ’07) that have been able to bend the rules with Mitch Payton and keep their own personal gear sponsors. One of those guys is considered by many to be the greatest rider of all time, and the other guy is Pichon. That should speak for itself.
A lot like his fellow countryman who came in at number 4 on our list, Mickael traveled over to the U.S. in ’93 to try his hand at a few West coast supercross events while he was still competing in the World championships. As if he was a mirror image of Christophe, Pichon surprised everyone by scoring a podium in his second race and then winning his first 125SX event the very next week in San Diego. And as if the aforementioned similarities weren’t enough, the two Frenchman’s reign of the East coast are almost perfectly parallel to each other. During their time in the 125/250SX class, they each finished outside the top five exactly three times, their podium and top five percentages are nearly identical, and during their title years, they each went on a run of seven races where they never finished off the podium. The biggest difference between the two is that Christophe is widely known as being somewhat unsociable while Mickael, on the other hand, was always pretty friendly as far as French people go.
Steve
If you mention Pichon’s name to Mitch Payton, to this day he’ll smile and talk about how Pichon was one of his favorite people to ever ride for him. In fact, they still talk here and there to this day and all those MXA stories about how Pichon was a jerk are simply not true according to Mitch. He loves the guy, seriously. I’ve asked. Anyways, yeah you knew he was special because of the fact Payton let him keep his JT gear deal and I remember Payton’s right hand man back then Jimmy Perry talking to me about picking up Pichon at the airport when he rode Honda’s and won his first SX race. He said that Pichon couldn’t speak a word of English and just nodded and said yes over and over no matter what you said or asked him.
| 12. Ryan Villopoto Numerical Value- 5.49 |
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Paul
Much like Dungey with J-Law, Ryan Villopoto would have been ranked much higher on this list if he had been able to keep the East coast title away from Trey Canard in 2008. Now I don’t know about everyone else, but I find it intriguing that the two leaders of this new generation both lost those 250SX titles during the same year and in the same type of manner. The part of my mind that tends to over-speculate things can’t help but to think that losing those titles maybe part of the reason why those two are where they’re at today. It seems like they each learned from their mistakes early on in their career and as we’ve seen in this sport before, in order to be successful for a long period of time you not only need to know how to win championships, but you also need to know how to keep it together when one slips through your fingers (damn you Bradshaw).
Anyways, as you can see in the statistics above, all of Villopoto’s numbers are just a touch behind Dungey’s in every area. A lot like Ricky, I think people kind of down played RV’s skills indoors because of the absolute masterful performances he would display at the nationals. Although he was as fast as anyone once he got the hang of it, you could tell he was just twisting it and hoping for the best during his first few supercross races (again a lot like Ricky). If you take a look at his rookie year in the 250 class, you will see that even though Ryan had a win and a couple other podiums, he was way too inconsistent to be a serious threat for the title. Now I’m not sure what sort of magic he found for the ’07 season, but seven wins and one second place finish is a pretty remarkable run. This is exactly what has always made RV so dangerous. When the guy figures everything out and things start rolling his way, he can quickly become almost unbeatable. The flip-side to that coin is that when things don’t go his way, everything can start going downhill in a hurry.
Steve
Villopoto had an injury going into his first sx series ever but caught fire as he got healthy and then another year, he had a hip or wrist problem and Trey Canard dropped a bomb on everyone. I believe that Trey was also helped by his win at the massive Daytona mudder that year. It seemed like RV was always the heavy favorite going into these series but crap happened to him. But no one was thinking that just because he only walked away with one series title in three tries that he wasn’t something very special. Maybe it was all those outdoor wins that did it.
| 13. Travis Pastrana Numerical Value- 4.75 |
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Paul
Whenever I turn on the TV and see what Travis Pastrana has grown into, it’s hard to believe that guy came from our little world of supercross/motocross. As you can see from the numbers, TP has the least number of main events in the 250SX class and he also has the least number of wins out of anyone on this list. The thing I find really surprising is that Travis actually has the second best top-five percentage of all time. The worst race he had while in the class was a 14th at Atlanta in ’01 but besides that, the only time he didn’t land on the podium was in his first three races. When you consider the fact that he was doing double main events and freestyle on the side, Travis was shockingly consistent throughout his time on the smaller bike. It makes you wonder how different his career would have gone if he just tried to follow the path of a someone consistent like Chad Reed instead of knocking himself out every weekend like Guy Cooper.
Steve?
There’s the record book and then there’s the eye test. And I don’t care what the books say, Pastrana was one of the few riders that I’ve ever seen that took your breath away. He was must-see-TV as it were. Pastrana was hyped heavily and definitely didn’t become what he could have been but I was a mechanic on his coast for his two years and besides the wins, you would watch him in practice and see him bust these combos out, manually wheelie stuff and just show so much skill, it wasn’t even funny. A track like Daytona really suited him and he was so amazing to watch week to week- I feel fortunate to be around the Travis Pastrana era so years from now, I can gather the kids around the campfire and try to explain what he was.
| 14. Jeff Matiasevich Numerical Value- 4.55 |
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Paul
Chicken really was a different kind of dude and as a result, his statistics are also pretty weird. As you can see from the numbers above, the guy has 11 wins and only 1 additional podium in the other 18 events he competed in. During his time in the 125SX class, Jeff finished outside the top-five in seventeen events! That’s well over half his entire 125 supercross career! The good thing for Jeff was that he knew he had the speed to win and he often did just that. However, if you look at some of his result sheets you will see that some of the patterns are really bizzare. Throughout his first couple of seasons in the class, the only consistency Chicken had going for him was that he would often have a run of 4-7 races that were completely horrible, then he would go on a tear and win about four races in a row. While he still had a few bad races every once in awhile, for the most part he was much better in his two titles winning years. Not to mention the progress he’d made from his rookie season was actually pretty impressive. Another cool statistic about Matiasevich in the 125/250SX class is that he was the first two-time champion the division had ever seen.
Steve
Wow, I didn’t know that Chicken was so weird. It seemed like at the time he was the man for ’88 and ’89 and it was time for him to move up. But Paul’s facts about his finishes are unique indeed. Definitely not the only time that “bizarre” and “Matiasevich” have been used in the same sentence.
| 15. Nathan Ramsey Numerical Value- 4.08 |
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Paul
With about three times more main events than anyone else on this list, Nathan Ramsey is definitely one of the most seasoned veterans the 125/250SX class has ever seen. After jumping into the class in the beginning of ’94, Ramsey struggled to get any kind of solid results in his first couple years in the division. Following the ’97 season where he finally scored a few podiums, Nathan was signed by the mighty Pro Circuit squad heading into ’98. When the ’99 series rolled around, he finally started winning races and eventually earned his one and only title at the end of the season. Succeeding his championship with PC, Ramsey went on to become somewhat of a debut rider for all the new four-stoke bikes coming out. From the YoT Yamaha 250F, Honda’s CRF250, and KTM’s SX-F 250, Ramsey inaugurated them all and actually earned 2nd place in the series on each one of them. Even though his win percentage isn’t all that great, the fact that Nathan is second in all-time wins is noteworthy all by itself. A lot like McGrath, Nathan is just a great guy that brought something to the class that you really can’t measure with numbers. While his percentages and statistics might not be that impressive by themselves, people hold Ramsey in such high regard that if you were basing this list on that fact alone, he would probably be much higher in the ranking.
Steve?
In talking to people who were around when Ramey first turned pro, it seems that there wasn’t ANYONE who would have said that he would not only be a future champion but one of the best 250SX riders off all-time. A self made guy through and through, him and his trusty mechanic Bundy went through a lot in those early years. A good guy and a great racer.
