KAWASAKI TEAM GREEN--
GROOMING THE STARS OF TOMORROW
How
do everyday people stay competitive in such an involved sport as motorcycle racing
and possibly become the factory stars of tomorrow?
In
baseball, there is little league, the minor leagues and farm teams. The dream
of stardom, on a local or national level, for many young motorcycle racers
around the country, is kept alive by Kawasaki's Team Green
program.
Based
on the theory that young racers need a stepping stone between personally funded racing efforts and that elusive "factory ride" to hone their
skills, Team Green stresses grass roots participation, helping the sport and
its racers to grow.
The
roster of Team Green graduates reads like a virtual who's who of American
motocross today. Team Kawasaki superstar Mike Kiedrowski was in the program for
years, as was his former teammate Jeff Matiasevich. Many of the current stars
got a headstart in Team Green, including: Jeremy McGrath, Larry Ward, Jeff
Emig, Ryan Hughes, Mike Craig, John Dowd, Ezra Lusk, Brian Swink and Craig
Decker.
"Without
a doubt, we have the best record in the industry of moving riders into the pro
ranks at the factory level," declares Mark Johnson, current Team Green manager.
It
all began in 1980, when Kawasaki committed to supporting amateur racers and
providing these riders with winning machines. The following year, they set out
to each of the major amateur motocross events with a single van equipped with
tools and a limited selection of replacement parts.
Response
was immediate and overwhelming. "We were met with open arms by the riders and
their families," explains Johnson, who was then
Jeff Ward's race technician. In 1982, the program added two more support
vehicles, and, Johnson says, "We began to get a grasp on the key events."
In
1985, the Team Green program continued to expand and refine its mission by
beginning to support pro riders. In 1986, Eddie Warren became the American
Motorcyclist Association's East Coast 125cc Supercross Champion and was named
Rookie of the Year. This feat earned Warren a full factory ride with Kawasaki
for 1986.
By
the end of this year, better than half of the entries at major amateur events
were Kawasaki-mounted, winning 65-70 percent of the races.
In 1987, the program was expanded to
include off-road events, with then three-time Baja 1000 winner Larry Roeseler
joining Team Green. Also in 1987, Kawasaki earned the Manufacturer of the Year
award with Team Green riders in the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Grand Prix series,
which they repeated every year through 1991.
Offering
two levels of rider support today, Team Green has over 100 contracted riders around the country. At the basic assist level,
racers sign up with their local Team Green dealer, which submits the rider's
credentials to Team Green headquarters for approval. Once approved, racers are
able to purchase one to two motorcycles through that dealer at a substantial
discount. In some cases there is also a small parts allowance. At the second
tier in this program, called in-house support, racers receive free motorcycles,
parts, and possibly, much more - depending upon their accomplishments.
Today,
Team Green fields four regional technicians who attend some 200 motocross and
off-road events a year in a fleet of box vans painted in Kawasaki colors. The
vans are rolling workshops and virtual parts warehouses available to anyone
riding a Kawasaki. The technicians are on hand at these tracks to help racers
with free mechanical assistance and the purchase of emergency parts to continue
their racing.
Team
Green's premier team of top off-road racers, consisting of the versatile Larry
Roeseler, Ty Davis and Danny Hamel, who compete for the top AMA off-road
championships around the United States and Mexico.
Roeseler,
38, and a ten-time Baja 1000 winner, serves as the team's guiding light. He'll
be competing in a variety of high-profile events throughout the year. Davis,
winner of the 1990 Western Regional Supercross title, began his off-road career
with Team Green three years ago. Last year, he became the first racer in
history to win an event in every AMA national off-road discipline in the course
of one season. This year, he will focus on winning the AMA national enduro
title. Hamel, a four-time AMA hare and hound champion, is looking to break the
long-standing record of five consecutive AMA desert championships. He will also
be contesting a variety of other events.
Playing
the dual role of racer and ambassador, these team members make many appearances
at events surrounding the races and are always on hand in the pits to sign
autographs and talk with fans and fellow competitors.
For
1995, the Team Green concept has been applied to roadracing as well.
Concentrating its efforts on winning the AMA 600cc and 750cc SuperSport titles
with Kawasaki Ninja® ZX-6R and ZX-7 motorcycles, the new Team Kinko's/Kawasaki
will feature the riding talents of fresh, young chargers James Randolph and Tom
Wilson.
With
this team comes the same grass roots program to supply Kawasaki-mounted racers
with parts and technical support at the track. Team Green Parts Administrator
Jeff King will be on hand with a full selection of tools and enough ZX-6R and
ZX-7 parts to get racers through emergency situations.
Among
the awards and trophies filling the Team Green office, the most important one,
according to Johnson is intangible, "It's the people you meet and how you see
the youngsters grow and learn about themselves through racing motorcycles ¾ that
is the greatest reward."
--END--
