Steel City

Honda’s Steve Lamson won the first moto of the 1995 125MX championship at Gatorback, but a missing wheel in the second moto and an injury in Supercross put him 61 points down with just nine rounds remaining. The Californian put his head down and charged back to win five overalls and the championship. Lamson entered the last race with a slim three point lead, which was erased by Kawasaki’s Ryan Hughes as he took the first moto win. Entering the winner take all final moto, Lamson rocketed out to the lead with Hughes a few seconds back. As Hughes tried desperately to make up ground in the final laps, his chain broke. Lamson took the win and the championship as Hughes pushed his bike across the finish line, willed on by the vocal Pennsylvania crowd.

A year after claiming his first 250MX title, Jeremy McGrath fired out of the gates in 1996 with a prime chance to win back to back championships. However, an injury thanks to a case at Millville swung momentum in the points race. McGrath entered the Steel City finale with a two point lead over Jeff Emig, who was determined to avenge his runner-up points finish from the previous summer. Emig rode flawlessly that day, securing both holeshots and winning each moto to stake his claim as the top motocross racer in the world, knocking The King of Supercross off the outdoor throne for good.

The 2001 125 class championship finale was a roller coaster of emotions, featuring a wild duel for the title. Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Mike Brown and Red Bull KTM’s Grant Langston were the two title combatants that day, with Langston holding a nine point lead heading into the race. Brown took the first moto win to cut the deficit to six as Langston took second ahead of 250MX champion Ricky Carmichael, who dropped down to take sole possession of first in the all time 125MX wins list and to help his fellow Kawasaki rider Brown.

As the second moto began, it looked as if Brown’s championship dreams were over. He made contact with Nick Wey early in the race, crashing and falling back to 15th. Carmichael held the lead with Langston behind, as Brown clawed his way through the pack. Late in the moto, Brown finally made his way into a podium position when Langston’s dreams were crushed. What was originally believed to be a flat tire for Langston ended up being a broken wheel, and the South African watched Brown ride away as his bike gave up on him. Carmichael took the victory and the top spot on the small bike wins list, with Brown celebrating his first professional championship and Langston ending the day with a DNF and no championship after entering the round in prime position.

Just a year after his first ride on a Honda, Ricky Carmichael created a new achievement in Motocross: the perfect season. Carmichael completed a flawless 24-0 season in his first summer on red. Entering the year as the favorite to repeat his 2001 championship victory, the G.O.A.T. added a whole new level to a title win with his incredible season. Carmichael held off a determined Tim Ferry in the final moto of the season to complete the first ever 24-0 mark in American Motocross.

James Stewart made history in the 2008 finale, capping off the third ever perfect season in AMA Motocross history. Joining Ricky Carmichael’s 2002 and 2004 seasons, Stewart became the second rider to accomplish the feat with a stellar 1-1 day at Steel City. Stewart also made history with the longest laps led streak of all-time, holding first place for 221 consecutive circuits in the second half of the season. The perfect season was JS7’s last race with Kawasaki and Fox gear, switching to Answer threads and an L&M Racing Yamaha for 2009 and beyond.