The Upside Down
The Upside Down
Multi-time champion and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Emig begins writing his next chapter
WORDS: DAVID PINGREE
PHOTOS: SIMON CUDBY
The Upside Down
Multi-time champion and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Emig begins writing his next chapter
WORDS: DAVID PINGREE
PHOTOS: SIMON CUDBY
In 1997, Jeff Emig had the best year of his professional career, taking both the AMA 250 Supercross Championship and another 250 Pro Motocross title. (Opposite) That double championship season was preceded by years of national-level amateur racing, and followed by the less disciplined Frezno Smooth days.
Bonnello
I’ll tell you right now that 2018 sucked for me. It sucked. But when I step back and look at my life with some perspective, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world.”
J

eff Emig had an incredible career as a motorcycle racer. From the time he was a young boy riding minicycles in Kansas, he was winning races and championships. Emig was groomed by Kawasaki Team Green as an amateur, earning scores of major amateur titles along the way. His pro racing career really took off when he signed with the Yamaha factory team, where he would win his first championship, in 125cc AMA Pro Motocross in 1992. Five years later, Emig won both the 250 AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross Championships for Kawasaki. And before an injury forced his retirement, Emig won the ’99 U.S. Open as a privateer. All told, he won 36 AMA SX/MX races, rode for Team USA at six different FIM Motocross des Nations, and won a King of Bercy Supercross title. By any measure, Jeff Emig had a AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame career; he was inducted in 2004, his first year of eligibility.

And I guess all of that is what made a recent statement from Emig himself such a shock to me. While we were chatting on The Whiskey Throttle Show about all of his accomplishments, Jeff said, “I really had a moment last year, probably right around Christmas, where I realized that I was probably more proud of the work that I had done on the supercross television broadcasts than what I accomplished as a racer.”

That was an eyebrow-raising statement from a guy with his racing credentials. How does calling races from the booth even compare to actually winning the championship? And what about his three outdoor motocross titles? Well, you have to understand what he overcame to achieve his goals. Emig’s struggle to overcome his speech impediment is known by many fans, but it’s not likely that many really grasp the work and determination it took to get into the television broadcasting booth. It also might help to understand just how devastated Emig was when he found out, just before the start of the 2019 season, that he would not be making the move with the series from Fox Sports to the NBC Sports family.

In 1997, Jeff Emig had the best year of his professional career, taking both the AMA 250 Supercross Championship and another 250 Pro Motocross title. (Opposite) That double championship season was preceded by years of national-level amateur racing, and followed by the less disciplined Frezno Smooth days.
Bonnello
I’ll tell you right now that 2018 sucked for me. It sucked. But when I step back and look at my life with some perspective, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world.”
J

eff Emig had an incredible career as a motorcycle racer. From the time he was a young boy riding minicycles in Kansas, he was winning races and championships. Emig was groomed by Kawasaki Team Green as an amateur, earning scores of major amateur titles along the way. His pro racing career really took off when he signed with the Yamaha factory team, where he would win his first championship, in 125cc AMA Pro Motocross in 1992. Five years later, Emig won both the 250 AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross Championships for Kawasaki. And before an injury forced his retirement, Emig won the ’99 U.S. Open as a privateer. All told, he won 36 AMA SX/MX races, rode for Team USA at six different FIM Motocross des Nations, and won a King of Bercy Supercross title. By any measure, Jeff Emig had a AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame career; he was inducted in 2004, his first year of eligibility.

And I guess all of that is what made a recent statement from Emig himself such a shock to me. While we were chatting on The Whiskey Throttle Show about all of his accomplishments, Jeff said, “I really had a moment last year, probably right around Christmas, where I realized that I was probably more proud of the work that I had done on the supercross television broadcasts than what I accomplished as a racer.”

That was an eyebrow-raising statement from a guy with his racing credentials. How does calling races from the booth even compare to actually winning the championship? And what about his three outdoor motocross titles? Well, you have to understand what he overcame to achieve his goals. Emig’s struggle to overcome his speech impediment is known by many fans, but it’s not likely that many really grasp the work and determination it took to get into the television broadcasting booth. It also might help to understand just how devastated Emig was when he found out, just before the start of the 2019 season, that he would not be making the move with the series from Fox Sports to the NBC Sports family.

Jeff Emig in 92-99
After graduating from Kawasaki Team Green to a Yamaha factory ride, Emig earned the 125 Pro Motocross title in ’92, then added three more after moving back to Kawasaki in 1996. His last race win would come on a privateer Yamaha (center) at the 1999 U.S. Open in Las Vegas.
T

he first time a nationwide audience heard Jeff Emig speak was at the 1990 Houston 125 Supercross, his first win as a professional. ESPN pit reporter Larry Maiers put the microphone up close to hear the teenaged Emig’s voice for the first time, but what came out was a halting stutter that was difficult for those listening to even understand.

“My stutter was so bad that I could barely get words out when I had pressure on me,” admits Emig. “Confidence is such a big part of racing, and I struggled to be confident in myself, largely because of my speech impediment. Think about this: back in the 1990s, as part of the show, they would bring all the riders to the front of the gate for a quick interview right before the main events. The stadium’s floor announcer would walk down the line, and each rider would announce their name, what team they rode for, and where they were from. Some guys would add a little extra comment or whatever. I would see them coming down the line and get so nervous because I knew what was coming. I could barely get my own name out; it was mortifying.

“So, at a time when I’m supposed to be the most confident, I would stress out about that interaction and usually end up having my confidence completely shattered right before the gate dropped on the main event,” Emig adds. “When you go back and watch those old tapes, you get a better understanding of the work it took me to get to where I’m at today, and it didn’t come easily.”

Jeff’s story is inspiring, and he credits speech coach Arthur Joseph, with whom he worked during his years as a racer and color commentator, for the improvements he’s made. Yet after 12 years of calling the action from the announcer’s booth, he was dropped from the 2019 broadcast team, replaced by his close friend Ricky Carmichael. The news was a shock for Emig, who had come to love the broadcast team and the work they were doing.

“I’ll admit, at Anaheim 1 this year it was difficult,” he says. “Ralph [Sheheen, the broadcast play-by-play man] texted me and asked me to come up to the booth, and I was like, well, it’s not my booth anymore. So I watched from the Don Julio suite below the TV booth, and it was a hard night for me, to be honest.”

Jeff Emig
Husqvarna wasn’t really around on the AMA circuit during Emig’s racing days, but he recently teamed up with the resurgent brand as an ambassador and test rider, working with the professional team and the brand’s youth and amateur programs as well. And he’s been in the Shift/Fox Racing stable since 1997.
With Carmichael getting the call to act as the new color commentator, one might think Emig would be bitter. But Jeff and Ricky have become good friends over the years, and there is no animosity between the two. In fact, Emig has given RC some pointers about things to watch for and avoid as he learns his new role.

“Ricky and I are buddies, so there’s no drama there,” Emig says. “We were hanging out the whole week leading up to the California races. I know people probably think I’m mad at him or whatever, but that’s not the case at all. I want him to do really well. So, to all the haters out there online, I really appreciate the support for me but let’s try to respect that this is Ricky’s position now and let him do his job. I know that I wasn’t very good at my first few races, or even my first season, but Ricky has a wealth of knowledge, and he’s going to give you guys just what you need. My life was obviously meant to go a different direction, and I’m good with it. I look back on my time with Fox Sports with great memories, and now I’m going to look forward.”

J

ust like that, Emig passed the baton to his friend and colleague with class and respect, while realizing that an enjoyable chapter in his life was likely closing for good. (No color commentator who has left the broadcast has come back to rejoin the team.) I give Gary Emig, Jeff’s father, a lot of credit for Jeff’s poise in this transition. Race fans likely recall the time in 1999 when Kawasaki fired Jeff for possessing “drug paraphernalia” while walking across the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Jeff had some marijuana on him (he says it wasn’t his) and a pipe fashioned from a beer can when he was stopped by officers. The incident left him without a ride, and the most difficult call he had to make afterward was to his father.

“I called him on the way home from Arizona, and I was so scared to tell him what happened,” Emig says. “I explained it to him and told him that Kawasaki had fired me, then waited for him to let me have it. I was expecting him to tell me he was driving to California just to kick my ass. There was a long pause. . . . I even remember thinking that I had lost cell service. I’m like, ‘Hello . . . Dad?’ And he finally says, in a very calm and rational manner, ‘Well, you weren’t happy with that bike anyway. Let’s get you on a bike you like and come up with a plan to get you winning races again.’ I was literally crying [my] eyes out on the phone and he was just totally awesome about it. I couldn’t believe the way he supported me and helped get me steered in the right direction again. I learned a lot that day from my dad.”

Jeff Emig
Husqvarna wasn’t really around on the AMA circuit during Emig’s racing days, but he recently teamed up with the resurgent brand as an ambassador and test rider, working with the professional team and the brand’s youth and amateur programs as well. And he’s been in the Shift/Fox Racing stable since 1997.
With Carmichael getting the call to act as the new color commentator, one might think Emig would be bitter. But Jeff and Ricky have become good friends over the years, and there is no animosity between the two. In fact, Emig has given RC some pointers about things to watch for and avoid as he learns his new role.

“Ricky and I are buddies, so there’s no drama there,” Emig says. “We were hanging out the whole week leading up to the California races. I know people probably think I’m mad at him or whatever, but that’s not the case at all. I want him to do really well. So, to all the haters out there online, I really appreciate the support for me but let’s try to respect that this is Ricky’s position now and let him do his job. I know that I wasn’t very good at my first few races, or even my first season, but Ricky has a wealth of knowledge, and he’s going to give you guys just what you need. My life was obviously meant to go a different direction, and I’m good with it. I look back on my time with Fox Sports with great memories, and now I’m going to look forward.”

J

ust like that, Emig passed the baton to his friend and colleague with class and respect, while realizing that an enjoyable chapter in his life was likely closing for good. (No color commentator who has left the broadcast has come back to rejoin the team.) I give Gary Emig, Jeff’s father, a lot of credit for Jeff’s poise in this transition. Race fans likely recall the time in 1999 when Kawasaki fired Jeff for possessing “drug paraphernalia” while walking across the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Jeff had some marijuana on him (he says it wasn’t his) and a pipe fashioned from a beer can when he was stopped by officers. The incident left him without a ride, and the most difficult call he had to make afterward was to his father.

“I called him on the way home from Arizona, and I was so scared to tell him what happened,” Emig says. “I explained it to him and told him that Kawasaki had fired me, then waited for him to let me have it. I was expecting him to tell me he was driving to California just to kick my ass. There was a long pause. . . . I even remember thinking that I had lost cell service. I’m like, ‘Hello . . . Dad?’ And he finally says, in a very calm and rational manner, ‘Well, you weren’t happy with that bike anyway. Let’s get you on a bike you like and come up with a plan to get you winning races again.’ I was literally crying [my] eyes out on the phone and he was just totally awesome about it. I couldn’t believe the way he supported me and helped get me steered in the right direction again. I learned a lot that day from my dad.”

Jeff Emig
My stutter was so bad that I could barely get words out when I had pressure on me. Confidence is such a big part of racing, and I struggled to be confident in myself, largely because of my speech impediment.”
And so, just like he did in the summer of ’99, Jeff Emig is now gathering up the pieces—not only from the halt to his second career as a broadcaster, but from a recent divorce as well—and focusing on how to be successful moving forward. For now, Emig is working with a group of industry companies as a brand ambassador and team leader: Shift MX and Husqvarna have tapped the personable former champion to represent their brands moving forward. Emig is the perfect host and guest star for product launches, photo shoots, press functions, testing, and development. He’s also working with ODI and their line of lock-on Emig Grips. They recently launched a new custom grip kit that will be available in limited numbers.

There’s also his work with the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association. This organization is spearheaded by Jon-Erik Burleson and has pushed forward with the help of members like Emig. The goal is to create a nationwide pool of certified riding coaches to help grow the sport of motorcycling. It’s a noble goal for those who want to see the sport thrive. Finally, and most recently, Emig and Carmichael have started a podcast called Real Talk 447. The two will break down the events from each weekend’s racing and discuss each race in detail, Jeff from an Orange County studio and Ricky from Florida via Skype.

Jeff Emig
(Above) Emig served as color commentator for Monster Energy AMA Supercross television broadcasts for more than a decade before parting with the series just before the 2019 opener. He’s been using the unexpected time off the road to get out on the trails and back to his riding roots.
Jeff Emig
My stutter was so bad that I could barely get words out when I had pressure on me. Confidence is such a big part of racing, and I struggled to be confident in myself, largely because of my speech impediment.”
And so, just like he did in the summer of ’99, Jeff Emig is now gathering up the pieces—not only from the halt to his second career as a broadcaster, but from a recent divorce as well—and focusing on how to be successful moving forward. For now, Emig is working with a group of industry companies as a brand ambassador and team leader: Shift MX and Husqvarna have tapped the personable former champion to represent their brands moving forward. Emig is the perfect host and guest star for product launches, photo shoots, press functions, testing, and development. He’s also working with ODI and their line of lock-on Emig Grips. They recently launched a new custom grip kit that will be available in limited numbers.

There’s also his work with the United States Motorcycle Coaching Association. This organization is spearheaded by Jon-Erik Burleson and has pushed forward with the help of members like Emig. The goal is to create a nationwide pool of certified riding coaches to help grow the sport of motorcycling. It’s a noble goal for those who want to see the sport thrive. Finally, and most recently, Emig and Carmichael have started a podcast called Real Talk 447. The two will break down the events from each weekend’s racing and discuss each race in detail, Jeff from an Orange County studio and Ricky from Florida via Skype.

Jeff Emig
(Above) Emig served as color commentator for Monster Energy AMA Supercross television broadcasts for more than a decade before parting with the series just before the 2019 opener. He’s been using the unexpected time off the road to get out on the trails and back to his riding roots.
All of those affiliations are likely enough to keep Emig busy, but something tells me we’ll soon see him in other roles in the sport. The friendships he’s built and his fan following, paired with his dedication to whatever he sets his mind to, make him too big of a star to not take on another leading role. For now, though, he’s taking some time for himself to enjoy life away from the races and the road.

“I’ve been faced with a lot of challenges lately in life,” he says. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, and those who know me know what I’m saying. But when I look back on my careers and my whole life up to this point, it’s been amazing. If it all ended tonight, I’d be able to look back and say I had a great run. If somebody can see what I’ve been through and take something from it, well, that’s surprising. But I’m just like everybody else—I have my bad days. And I’ll tell you right now that 2018 sucked for me. It sucked. But when I step back and look at my life with some perspective, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world.”

With a Hall of Fame racing career, a 12-year broadcasting run, two healthy kids, money in the bank, and health on his side. . . . Yeah, I’d say any former pro motocrosser would consider themselves pretty damn lucky. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Here’s to the next chapter, Jeffro. We’re all looking forward to seeing what you do next.

Nobody knows what the future holds for Jeff Emig, but his past already includes AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame credentials: four major titles, six appearances for Team USA at the Motocross des Nations, 36 total SX/MX wins, and a 2004 HoF induction ceremony.
All of those affiliations are likely enough to keep Emig busy, but something tells me we’ll soon see him in other roles in the sport. The friendships he’s built and his fan following, paired with his dedication to whatever he sets his mind to, make him too big of a star to not take on another leading role. For now, though, he’s taking some time for himself to enjoy life away from the races and the road.

“I’ve been faced with a lot of challenges lately in life,” he says. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, and those who know me know what I’m saying. But when I look back on my careers and my whole life up to this point, it’s been amazing. If it all ended tonight, I’d be able to look back and say I had a great run. If somebody can see what I’ve been through and take something from it, well, that’s surprising. But I’m just like everybody else—I have my bad days. And I’ll tell you right now that 2018 sucked for me. It sucked. But when I step back and look at my life with some perspective, I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world.”

With a Hall of Fame racing career, a 12-year broadcasting run, two healthy kids, money in the bank, and health on his side. . . . Yeah, I’d say any former pro motocrosser would consider themselves pretty damn lucky. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Here’s to the next chapter, Jeffro. We’re all looking forward to seeing what you do next.

Nobody knows what the future holds for Jeff Emig, but his past already includes AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame credentials: four major titles, six appearances for Team USA at the Motocross des Nations, 36 total SX/MX wins, and a 2004 HoF induction ceremony.