Port Washington, Wisconsin’s John Eidenberger was one of the most underrated road racers of the late 1980s. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Not many road racing fans remember John Eidenberger. The biggest reason was the speedy Port Washington, Wisconsin, didn’t stick around that long. He spent just three part-time years in the pro ranks before moving on.
If I remember correctly I think John told me he came out of motocross. When he got into road racing he was immediately fast. He won club racing titles and in ’87 through ’89 ran a very limited AMA Pro schedule.
Altogether Eidenberger ultimately ran three classes during those years – Superbike and both 600 and 750 Supersport. His best results came in 600 Supersport where John twice ranked inside the top 10 in the final standings. In 1987 Eidenberger scored three top-10 AMA 600 Supersport results, including a fifth at his home track of Road America. He ended the season ranked sixth. He finished eighth in the 1989 series.
Eidenberger also made a few appearances in 750 Supersport and Superbike. His highest result in 750 Supersport was seventh. He did that twice, once at Mid-Ohio in 1988 and in the ’89 Road Atlanta National. John rode his Supersport-spec Suzuki GSXR in Superbike just a few times with his career best ninth coming at Road Atlanta in 1989.
Seemingly at the height of his career John walked away from road racing. I had some friends from Wisconsin tell me the last they heard John was doing some Vet motocross. Anyone who saw him race in the late 1980s will tell you that John Eidenberger was one of the most underrated road racers of his era.
Rider Files 
I was Midwest Region CCS Race Director when John was road racing locally. He was the man to beat in every class he ran. With a fleet of bikes at his disposal he consistently took home the top contingency awards at every midwest CCS event at the time. Very fast, very smooth and very consistent. He needed to travel more to get better exposure and I’m sure if he had he could have picked up a factory ride.
I have a story about John and the state of a certain race track I should tell you sometime Larry.
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Do tell Gordon!
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It was 1989 or 1990 at a Central Roadracing Association event at BIR (Brainerd, MN) when a brand new, shiny pickup with Wisconsin plates with an immaculate FZR600 strapped in the back (along with an absolutely gorgeous co-pilot) came wheeling into the pit area. This clean of a setup at regional event immediately piques everyone’s curiosity. I was no exception to that, so I was standing at his door before he finished parking to begin the interrogation: “Who are you? Where do you race? Who builds your engines? Who tunes your bike? Do you like Steely Dan’s Greatest Hits album? Is that by any chance your sister?”
The information that I gathered (beyond the fact that he was tremendously patient with strangers) was that he was John Eidenberger from Wisconsin and he was in town to get some practice laps in at BIR in preparation for an upcoming AMA National event. I also learned that he crated up his engines and sent them across the country to Jim LaBine for his supersport engine prep (which seemed crazy to me at the time).
The rest of the locals and I were all more intrigued with his girlfriend than his riding skills because we didn’t get out much so we had never heard of him before. We kept a cautious “wait and see” attitude toward him and welcomed the two of them to the place we treated as our summertime racing home. He was humble and friendly as anyone you’ll meet, and was clearly no stranger to the gym; racer lean with arms like stovepipes.
I only saw him ride in one race because we ran most of the same classes (and I could only keep him in sight for about a lap and a half). I watched a race from the stands at the start/finish line, where I cleverly positioned myself next to his girlfriend and chatted with her while the race was going on. The start was one that I’ll never forget; he was gridded back in the third or fourth row on his 600 in an Unlimited race, and when the flag dropped, he skipped the front tire through the rows in front of him like they were riding 125s. By turn one he was in about 4th or 5th place behind some of the bigger bikes that were there, and when the pack came around turn 10 and up the straight to complete the first lap – John was leading the race. I think he had to trade the lead for a few laps before he had gapped them enough in the infield sections that they couldn’t reel him back on the straight, but his winning that race was never in doubt by those of us watching.
That weekend encounter with Eidenberger left me with a few lasting memories; John had the cleanest machines ever ridden on a racetrack, his girlfriend was the second hottest girl I’ve ever seen (I have a wife), and he was FAST.
Mike Golden – CRA #98 in the late 80s and early 90s.
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It’s too long to tell here Larry. Maybe I’ll send you an email.
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“The rest of the locals”.
I was one of them, standing beside you salivating over his GF if I recall.
That start was amazing, it was like he was from another dimension.
Good times.
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