PICKERINGTON, Ohio-- Supercross icon Jeremy McGrath recently garnered his sixth American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) U.S. Supercross Championship, further establishing him as the most successful Supercross and extreme sport star of all-time. McGrath, riding for the Mazda/Chapparal-Yamaha team, dominated the field during the course of the four-month season, amassing eight wins throughout the 16-race circuit.

McGrath, pegged “Showtime” and “Supercross King” amongst other testimonial titles to his past success, dispelled all pre-season notions that an empowered Team Honda -- led by Ezra Lusk, Mickael Pichon, Kevin Windham and Sebastian Tortelli -- would dethrone the reigning champ.

McGrath secured a total of 356 points, comfortably out-distancing Lusk, who won five rounds, including two of the last three, for a total of 273 points. Mike LaRocco, the accomplished veteran Honda/Factory Connection/O’Neal pilot, finished third, narrowly missing second place to Lusk by a mere 6 points.

Consistency was the key to McGrath’s game plan throughout the series. He finished no lower than seventh at any race, and from Anaheim on, McGrath finished no lower than fourth. He stood on the podium a total of 12 times in 1999.

Meanwhile in the Honda camp, Lusk had difficulties remaining constant, plunging as low as 29th at Daytona. Had Lusk been more steady throughout, he and McGrath may have used the final round at Las Vegas as a shootout for the championship. McGrath won the Las Vegas race, his eighth win of the season.

With the 1999 AMA/Mazda Trucks Motocross Nationals kicking off, fans are itching for word on McGrath’s participation. It appears that following the opening round at Glen Helen on May 9, McGrath will focus his efforts on promotional appearances along the circuit as well as few select races throughout the summer and fall.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Costa Rican sensation Ernesto Fonseca capped off his stellar 1999 AMA Supercross Series run with the 1999 Eastern Region Supercross Championship. By winning six of the eight eastern rounds -- including the first four in row -- Fonseca dominated the series easily. 

Fonseca, the Yamaha of Troy pilot in his first year racing on American soil, makes good in 1999 on an impressive amateur career. The six-time AMA Amateur Motocross National Champion remained strong the entire season, leaving the rest of the 125cc field in the dust. Currently living in Murietta, Calif., the 17-year-old Latin American previously had plenty of success in his home country, having won his country’s national championship. Now, in the U.S., Fonseca has established himself as one of the most successful AMA rookies of all time.

With the outdoor season less than a week away, the question is whether Fonseca can keep his grasp on the 125cc class throughout the 1999 AMA Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals. With 1998 125cc Mazda Motocross Nationals Champion Ricky Carmichael moving back to the 125cc class for the outdoor season, look for the two teenagers to battle throughout.

The opening round of the 1999 AMA Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals is May 9 at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif. Tickets can be purchased by calling (909) 880-1733 or at the track on race day.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Having won both the 125cc title in the western region of the 1999 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) U.S. Supercross Series and then the 125cc Shootout at the series finale in Las Vegas, Kawasaki pilot Nathan Ramsey now has his sights set on the outdoor races of the Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals.

Ramsey -- a native of Hixson, Tenn., who now lives in Corona, Calif. -- earned his ’99 Supercross championship with five wins and two additional podium finishes in the eight-race series, securing the title back in March.

For the 125cc Shootout, Ramsey then beat the best riders from both the eastern and western 125cc Supercross Series May 1 in Vegas. “I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and I was really confident,” said Ramsey. “I knew that everything would come together this year, I just had to make it happen.”

Prior to this year, the 25-year old Ramsey’s highest season-end ranking was third-place in the 1996 AMA 125cc Eastern Region Supercross Series. Ramsey started racing in 1989, competing in amateur motocross and Supercross, and turned pro in 1993.

His next challenge: the 1999 125cc AMA Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals. “I just want to do some testing on the Kawasaki, get ready, and put together a great year.” The Mazda Truck Motocross Nationals kicks off May 9 at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Calif. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling (909) 880-1733 or on race day at Glen Helen Raceway.