By Larry Lawrence

Professional motocross has a lot going for it these days. The sport has a strong organizer in MX Sports that is staffed by

 talented people and promotes the sport in the way it should be done; an unprecedented television package that features live network programming; and most importantly motocross has a faithful fan base who love the sport and attends the outdoor nationals no matter the weather or the talent (or lack thereof) on the track.

What motocross lacks today is a marquee name. During the 1990s and into the 2000s national motocross racing witnessed outstanding growth. One of the biggest reasons in my mind was the ‘Big Three’ – Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart. In the mid-1990s motocross fans watched with great interest as McGrath bucked the popular myth that he was a Supercross-only rider. McGrath proved the so-called experts wrong when he won the 1995 AMA 250cc Motocross Championship. He had the ’96 championship well under control too, until his over-the-top confidence finally caught up with him and he came up short attempting a jump at Millville that no one else even considered trying. Nursing a bum ankle McGrath was barely beat out by rival Jeff Emig for the 1996 250cc Motocross title.

No sooner had McGrath left the outdoor nationals for a Supercross-only contract when Ricky Carmichael began his amazing motocross ascension. Some say that Carmichael’s utter domination hurt motocross, but during his reign the sport saw record attendance and growing corporate sponsorship. Fans not only wanted to see the best motocross racer in the world, they wanted to see if anyone could step up to challenge him.

By 2002 a 16-year-old rookie named James Stewart burst onto the scene. Over the next few seasons the triumphant story of an African-America rising to the top of motocross brought the media out in droves. Stewart made the covers of major magazines, was on the front page of the Washington Post and featured on high-profile programs such as HBO’s Real Sports.

For about a 15-year span motocross enjoyed its highest mainstream exposure due to these three riders.

I went to the Red Bud National this past weekend in Buchanan, Mich. The race is traditionally one of the biggest on the pro motocross calendar and despite a terrible local economy in Michigan and Northern Indiana, the fans continued to come out in droves. A new generation of riders represented by Red Bud winners Josh Grant and Jake Weimer illustrated unprecedented parity in the sport. Yet in spite of the parity – the ability of any one of a dozen riders to win nationals – the buzz of having a superstar such as McGrath, Carmichael or Stewart in the field is not there. It definitely takes a little of the intensity from the event. These fans who attend the races know sport and they understand that they are not watching the absolute best riders competing right now.

Stewart’s relaxing in Florida thanks to a Supercross-only contract, Mike Alessi and Ryan Villopoto are injured, leaving Chad Reed as the only “big-name rider” in the field. Nothing against Reed, you’ve got to admire the guy for seeing an opportunity in the nationals this year and jumping on it, but the plain truth is Chad Reed has always lived in the major shadow cast by both Carmichael and Stewart.

Some say count your blessings. If Stewart were racing the nationals he’d be winning every moto by a half a lap. I say bring Stewart on, let the fans have the chance to watch the fastest rider motocross has ever known perform and let the rest of the field work their butts off to try to rise to Stewart’s level.

Testing yourself against the best – that’s what American motocross racing is all about. I know it, you know it, and the hardcore fans of motocross racing know it as well.