Jeremy McGrath: Motocross des Nations 1996

The 1996 Motocross of Nations was staged at the Circuito de Jerez MotoGP and Formula 1 track in Jerez de la Frontera in southwestern Spain. Team USA’s roster featured Steve Lamson (125), Jeremy McGrath (250) and Jeff Emig (500). After was all was said and done that Sunday, the Americans won every single moto. Very much like Team USA at Maggiora, Italy in 1986, the 1996 American effort displayed American supremacy of the sport.

Jeremy McGrath (1996 Supercross Champion/250cc National Vice-Champion) describes the experience, “Obviously that was a great year for me. 1996 was one of my best years. For the Motocross des Nations, it was no different. I went there feeling like I was the best rider in the world. I was going there for a point to prove, for sure. I felt that my confidence was high, I was riding well and there was no way in my mind I was going to lose that day. The track was unbelievable. It was at Jerez – by the Formula 1 track and the MotoGP track – and it was probably one of the nicest tracks I’ve ever ridden. Normally, I don’t have a liking for the European-style tracks, but this track was just awesome. I didn’t find that the track had too many jumps. What the European guys were complaining about was that there was one jump that was a 120-foot downhill quad. It was one of the bigger ones I’d ever seen, actually. It was an easy jump to do, but it was big. The Euro guys at that time had these rules where they couldn’t even have double jumps and stuff (laughter). Mentally, I think that played in the American team’s favor. There were European dudes that were trying to jump it and breaking their bikes in half. The funny part about it was that at first it was a quad, but then they just flattened out the middle jumps out and then those guys were really screwed because they’d just jump halfway out to flat. I mean it was a jump that was half the size of what we jump on a regular basis, really. Emig, Steve and myself I think we got shortsighted on the history books when it comes to that race. Yeah, for me, when people bring up the Motocross des Nations, it sure doesn’t feel like we get the credit that we deserve – or people just don’t know what really happened that day.”