GP’s Classic Steel- #44 Classic Gear

For this week’s GP’s Classic Steel we are once again going to take a look at some of the incredible motocross memorabilia that was in Greg’s classic collection.

While certainly not the first team to implement the team look concept (team Moto-X-Fox pre-dated them by over a decade), Pro Circuit Peak Honda gets most of the credit for making it a reality. With all the riders decked out in identical AXO gear and Bell helmets, there was virtually no opportunity for individuality. For a guy with a nickname like “Showtime”, that had to be a tough pill to swallow.

No rider in the history of the sport has epitomized the style and free spirited nature of motocross better than Jeremy McGrath. From the time he first stepped up to the 250’s, until the time he rode his last professional SX in the mid 2000’s, he was the very embodiment of the cool, confidant swagger of a champion. When it came to being a trendsetter in the sport of motocross, no one did it better than the man they call the King.

While it may be hard to believe now, McGrath was actually not that well known prior to his break out year on the Peak Honda squad in 1991. Never an amateur phenom like Bradshaw or RC, Jeremy did not start to blossom until a few years into his pro career. His break out win at the ’90 Vegas event would propel him to the powerful Honda satellite team (originally MC thought he was going to the Factory team, but he was moved to Peak at the last moment), and onto motocross stardom.

Nothing was too bold for the seven-time champ. Whether it was dyeing his hair bright blue to match his YZ, or donning a set of plaid Fox Racing gear, the King was always on the cutting edge of style. During his incredible career, McGrath developed a strong relationship with the helmet painter to the starts, Troy Lee. A former pro racer in his own right, Troy grew to prominence during the emergence of custom helmet painting in the mid-eighties. Prior to that time, most racers ran simple, monochromatic helmets, color-coded to the brand of they rode for. Customization was generally limited to a number decal on the side and a sponsor decal or two. Even for the top Factory stars, goon helmets were the order of the day.

This open-face Bell helmet used by Danny LaPorte is a perfect example of what was the status quo in 1979. In this era, a set of sponsor decals and a homemade contact paper number were all you needed to capture that ‘Factory” look.

In the mid-eighties, all that changed, as the Factory stars began having their high-dollar helmets painted in all manner of colorful and outrageous designs. Pretty much anything went, as the riders tried to differentiate themselves the other thirty-nine faceless competitors on the gate. You could see anything from Chester the Cheetah, to flames of every color imaginable donning the lids of the Moto glitterati of this era. Smack dab at the front of this veritable explosion of color, was Troy Lee designs.

While most true motocross enthusiasts are familiar with the name of Danny LaPorte as America’s first 250 World MX Champ, few seem to remember that he was also a US 500 Outdoor National champ as well. In 1979 Danny beat Mike “Too Tall” Bell and Gary Semics on his Suzuki RM400, to take home his only major US championship.

During the fifteen years or so that were the heyday of the custom painted lid, Troy produced some of the most indelible designs in the history of the sport. His works of art included the iconic “rebel” helmets of Damon Bradshaw and the always-colorful kaleidoscopes of Jeff “Chicken” Matiasevitch. His amazing designs virtually defined early nineties Moto style, and turned helmet painting into a major motocross industry.

Jeff Stanton wore this Arai helmet during the 1990 500 Nationals. Never a particularly flashy rider, on or off the track, Stanton’s helmet designs were typically more conservative than most of his rivals.

While Jeff did capture six National titles during his career, the one championship that eluded him was the 500 class. This was ironic because Jeff had come to prominence as an Open bike specialist, chasing Rick Johnson on the antiquated YZ490. Jeff was always in contention in the Open class, but bad luck and crashes seemed to undo the normally consistent Honda rider every fall.

At the opposite end of the scale from the Chicken’s of the world, you had riders like Michigan’s Jeff Stanton. In an era dominated by outlandishly colorful designs, the six-time champ liked to keep it simple. Jeff’s helmets were never flashy, and often appeared to be off the shelf Arai designs. Much like riders from a decade before, his customization was usually limited to a number on the side and few sponsor decals. While they may not have been the most exciting lids in the pits, they certainly seemed to suit his quiet personality to a T.

There is no doubt that the European gear company Bieffe has always march to the beat of a different drummer. Their designs are always a bit ”off” in my opinion, and this helmet worn by Bobby Moore in 1994 is a perfect example. I can truly say that there is not a single attractive facet to this design. Everything from the colors to the numbers just looks awful. Since everything they cranked out in the 90’s pretty much looked like this garbage, it is truly amazing that they stayed in business at all.

While Bieffe’s gear may have looked terrible, they had no lack of star power modeling it in the early 90’s. Riders such as Bobby Moore (here on his way to the 1994 125 World MX Title), Stefan Everts, Donny Schmit and Greg Albertyn all rode for Bieffe during the decade.

By the mid-nineties, the kid they called “Showtime” was thoroughly entrenched as the biggest name in the sport and he was free to push the envelope. Much like the acknowledged style king of the previous generation, Rick Johnson, Jeremy was not afraid to experiment with daring designs. This usually manifested itself with the special one-off lids Troy Lee Designs would paint for Jeremy’s hometown race in Anaheim, CA. One year, TLD played on Jeremy’s love of custom street rods with a fifties inspired set of blinking bullet tailfin lights on the back of his Bell helmet. In 1996, Troy actually laminated a genuine 100-dollar bill onto MC’s gold-chromed brain bucket. While these were both super cool, perhaps the most outlandish of Troy’s designs was reserved for the second Anaheim race of the 2000 season. With Jeremy the reigning SX champ, and once again running away with the title, the King made his appearance donning a custom set of chrome No Fear gear and a crazy Low Rider inspired TLD painted lid complete with tassels dangling from the bottom. Even today, this may be the single craziest helmet ever used in a pro motocross event. It takes a real man to pull off tassels, and MC certainly fit the bill.

At the second Anaheim round of the 2000 Supercross season Jeremy McGrath raced in one of the most outlandish custom helmets ever. This TLD painted Bell helmet was inspired by Jeremy’s affection for the low-riders that are such a big part of the Southern California lifestyle.

In the early 2000’s big gear companies like Fox Racing and Thor decided to get in on the motocross helmet business. At the pro level, this put a massive dent in the custom painted helmet business. Instead of running 100% custom lids, Factory riders like Chad Reed and Ricky Carmichael were expected to wear off-the-shelf helmet designs from their gear sponsor. The upside of this shift has been an incredible selection of helmet designs that often rival the custom lids of yesteryear for quality, at far less cost. Still, nothing beats the pride that comes from slipping on a helmet that you know was made especially for you. That is a feeling that I hope never disappears completely from our sport.

MC’s 2000 A2 gear was just as amazing as his helmet. For the event, No Fear produced a one-off set of chrome pants and jersey that were just totally badass. For over two decades, Jeremy McGrath has remained to the very definition of motocross style.