In life I have been one of the luckiest guys I know. As a kid I got to watch people like Ron Lechien race, both as a youngster in the support race at the 1984 500cc USGP and then as a member of Team USA at the 1988 Motocross des Nations. As wild as they come, but clearly more talent than most of his competition. I was looking through some old files and came across this old interview I did with Lechien about a decade ago. For me these stories are gold, and I hope you feel the same.

Ron Lechien interview

Geoff Meyer interview Paul Buckley images

At around 45 years of age Ron Lechien is at peace with himself. The one-time wild child of American Motocross has made the long road to adulthood and despite a misjudged youth the former Motocross des Nations victor and multiple AMA Supercross and Motocross main event winner can look back on a career of success and huge support from the Motocross community.

Throughout the 80's, Lechien's fluid effortless style set him apart from the rest of the riders. To this day, Lechien remains one of the most naturally gifted riders the sport has ever seen. With 25 combined SX and MX national wins, two USGPs and one MXDN win, Lechien has a permanent place in MX history as one of the top-20 most successful riders of all time. We caught up with Lechien last week and he gave us some information on his USGP racing career and his MXoN victories.

MXlarge: Ron, thanks for your time. You were pretty much well known as the wild guy in your career career. Why was that in your opinion?

Lechien: My father was pretty strict and when I was young it was all racing, racing, racing. Once I was old enough to leave home I was gone, bought my own place and pretty much started having fun. I lost track, got caught up with the wrong people. First it was just smoking a bit of weed, once a week, then twice a week, then every day, then I would try something else. The people I got in contact with knew people who had other stuff. I mean I was trying to give it everything I had as a racer, but I know I wasn’t going to the races 100% ready to race.

MXlarge: What do you remember about your racing heroes back in the day?

Lechien: When I was young I used to read about Roger De Coster and the Grand Prix riders. I mean he was obviously the man and to ride for him at Honda and also at the Motocross des Nations in 1988 was a big deal for me. He was a good team manager and really nice person. Obviously my big hero’s were American guys, like Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Tony Distefano, Jimmy Weinert.

MXLarge: The USGP, was that a special race for you?

Lechien: I remember my first ever Grand Prix, it was in 1984 and it was at Unadilla. Now Unadilla wasn’t like anything I had raced, as you probably know the circuit was covered in grass and once the grass wore away it was rocky and hard. I won the 250cc USGP in 1984 and also rode the support race for the 500cc USGP in 1984, which was at Carlsbad. The following year I went back to Carlsbad for the 500cc Grand Prix, and I did the Grand Prix there also in 1986 and 87, then the GP moved to Hollister in 1988 and I got to win that one at Hollister in 1989. I also rode the USGP at Glen Helen in 1992, but I was just a privateer then and not really on my game anymore, I think I got 13th or 14th or something.

MXLarge: Was there a Grand Prix rider you liked or looked up to?

Lechien: I mean I always looked at Dave Thorpe, his gear always looked good and his style was clean. When I would get the Motocross Action and see his photos with his number one plate and his factory Honda with his AXO gear, I really enjoyed that.

MXlarge: Which GP riders did you battle with in that 1984 USGP?

Lechien: I mean I can’t really remember which GP riders were at that first Grand Prix in 1984; I went 2-1 for the win (Lechien won with 2-1, second was Bob Hannah with 3-2, and third was Mark Barnett with 1-5, in fact American riders dominated the top five). I usually raced the 500 guys and I knew who they were, riders like Dave Thorpe and Eric Geboers.

MXLarge: Motocross des Nations was a big event for you. I remember seeing you race the 1988 event in France and you just dominated. How was that event for you?

Lechien: Yes, I rode well there. I remember the huge crowd and fighting with Jeff Leisk. I had ridden against Leisk before and I felt I had his number. Funny I was talking to J.M.Bayle about that race just last week at a JT launch. He did really well on the 125 machine and I remember hearing him behind me in that race, that buzzing sound of the 125. He told me that Honda put some extra parts on the bike for that race, parts they didn’t dare use during the season and it made a big difference. You know at this year’s MXdN I will probably be travelling over with J.M.B for a special JT launch. I am looking forward to that; I had a lot of fans in France.

MXLarge: How about the Bercy Supercross:

Lechien: I rode Bercy many times, it was different to what we were used to, all the lights and it was a big show and the crowd were crazy, but it wasn’t always a good race for me. One year I was jumped on by Ricky Johnson and broke my nose, he said he didn’t do it on purpose, but I woke up in a French hospital and didn’t feel that great. I also won there one year, that was a special race.

MXlarge: What made you change from wild child to businessman?

Lechien: When I started working, after my racing career was over I realized I needed to get my game together. Waking up in the morning and going to work was a wakeup call for me, but I knew I had to change and I knew I had to get peoples respect back.

Ron Lechien Arriving on the Scene

BY Eric Johnson

For the 1983 season, Team Yamaha hired a 16-yearold kid from El Cajon, California, named Ron Lechien to contest the AMA 125cc National MX Championship Series. Lechien had turned 16 in December of 1982, less than a month before the ’83 season-opening Anaheim Supercross. Back then there was no AMA 125cc East/West Regional Championship—it would arrive in 1985—so Yamaha decided to keep their young rider on the sidelines until he got some supercross practice in. “Atlanta was my very first supercross,” says Lechien, who today works with his father, Dick Lechien, at Maxima in El Cajon. “We were concentrating on the 125cc Nationals that year and

Yamaha kept me out of the first three races. I don’t think they wanted to throw me to the wolves too early! “Atlanta was just the full-on mudder,” says Lechien, who was affectionately referred to as “Dogger” not for only his laid-back attitude, but also because le chien means “the dog” in French. “I rode the last-c chance qualifier and didn’t even qualify. With all the ruts and mud—this was the old Fulton County Stadium, which didn’t have a roof—it was like a slot-car track. I watched the main event from the tunnel. It was raining so hard, I couldn’t even see across the track! Mark Barnett won the main and I thought he was an animal.” Lechien would compete at Daytona, Dallas, Pontiac, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C., steadily

gaining confidence and working on the fundamentals of riding 250cc supercross against the likes of David Bailey, Broc Glover, Jeff Ward, Johnny O’Mara, and (before he got hurt) Rick Johnson. Then, on Saturday morning, June 11, Lechien idled out onto Orlando Citrus Bowl supercross track for practice. “I was gaining confidence and felt better with each supercross I rode,” Lechien explains. “When I first turned pro, my dad stopped going to the races with me. As an amateur, I had spent so much time with my dad that the way our relationship was, it was like I always wanted to do good for my dad. Orlando was the first supercross he actually went to with me my rookie season.” Along with such fierce competitors as Bob Hannah,

Mark Barnett, and Mike Bell (plus all those other guys mentioned above), Lechien took his time learning the Citrus Bowl circuit. “The way the track was configured, there was a start, a chicane, some whoops, then three or four pretty good-size jumps,” he remembers. “In practice, I doubled one of them. After I did, I noticed that nobody else was doing it, so I decided right then and there not to do it again.  “Back then the teams weren’t filming practice and stuff like they do now, so guys like Johnny O’ and David [Bailey] didn’t even know that I had that double down,” Lechien laughs. “In fact, I didn’t even do the double in my heat races. I saved it for the main event! Later that evening came the 20-lap main. “I got a pretty good start—I think I was in about

fourth,” the Dogger says. “When we came up to the double jump, I hit it, flew by a bunch of guys, and landed right next to O’Mara, who was leading the race. Johnny lost the front end in the next turn and I was in the lead. “After that, I put my head down and took off,” Lechien continues. “It didn’t take long for me to build up a 15- to 20-second lead. I rode conservatively, watched my lines, made sure I stayed up, and the rest was history.” The 16 year-old Californian on the #224 black-and-yellow Yamaha YZ250 had won his first professional AMA event. Shockingly, it came in a 250cc supercross—Lechien would win his first 125 National eight days later at Lake Whitney, Texas. “I was ecstatic with the wins,” he says. “I was like,

‘I did it!’ I proved to myself that I could run with those guys. What was weird, though, was that it was so easy. It was mind-boggling to me that it was so easy to win that race. I guess it was always like that for me. All of my best races were when I felt like it was so easy to win. Whenever I would ride my hardest and give it all I had, I’d finish in fifth or sixth.” Lechien would go on to win 25 more AMA events (10 125cc Nationals, six 250cc Nationals, two 500cc Nationals, and seven 250cc supercrosses), as well as the 1985 AMA 125cc National Championship before retiring in the late 1980s. Despite some ups and downs in his personal Lechien remains one of the most charismatic figures in American motocross history.

ERIC JOHNSON AND DAVEY COOMBS COMMENTS ON LECHIEN

We are lucky enough to have two of the best journalists in American Motocross give their views on the career of Ron Lechien. Eric Johnson and Davey Coombs have been friends for years and have been following Motocross since they were kids. Eric and Davey started RacerX magazine together and their passion for the sport is refreshing. Johnson still does features for RacerX, but is also involved with Monster Energy in America. As for Davey, he remains the main man at RacerX and also leads MXSports, the promoters of the AMA Nationals. Both know their Motocross.

ERIC JOHNSONS COMMENTS ON LECHIEN “More than any racer in American motocross history, Ron Lechien just fascinated me. What funny is that once I started to write for Racer X full-time, Ron was the one and only rider I had never met? But I’ll get to that later. I was able to watch Ron race many a time, but there are a few races that really stand out. First and foremost was the 1983 National at Mount Morris. What’s crazy is that I talked to Ron about this at the recent San Diego Supercross. He was only 16 years old – just a few years older than me – and as a fan, I was already in awe of him. He seemed to come out of nowhere. In the second moto at Mount Morris, Ron pulled the holeshot on his #224 Yamaha and took off like a scalded cat. Meanwhile, Mark Barnet – who had terrorized the class for years – was down in the first turn. Barnett mounted an incredible charge and with two laps left to go in the race, it started to rain. Ron was still in front, but Barnett was closing fast. With half a lap to go, Barnett passed him. I was pissed. But not as pissed as my brother who kicked the Styrofoam cooler with brought to the race with us, smashing it to smithereens.

“That same year, I attuned my first supercross ever. It was at Three River Stadium in Pittsburgh. Ron looked so rad that night. He was dressed in all-white with this sick yellow and black Yamaha helmet. Due to bad luck he failed to qualify that night, but my brother and I went and found him in the pits and he was super cool to us and signed our programs. I still have that program. “In the years to come I watched Ron win the Hollister Hills 500cc USGP, but perhaps the most memorable race came in the winter of 1987. It was at a CMC race at Adelanto, California. It rained and rained and rained, and when it came time for the first moto, the Dogger led his bitter rival Rick Johnson the whole way and beat him to the checkered flag. Rick was so mad (I don’t know why); he went looking for Ron after the race. Ron sat in the cab of the Kawasaki box van and Rick kept pounding on the window, demanding he come out, Ron would roll the window down just a bit and say, “No”. People were laughing. Rick finally complexly lost it, got the door open and punched Ron in the face. It was all just crazy. I don’t think anyone has ever written that story because there were about 200 people at the race!

“It’s now 2011 and with some work I do with Monster, Ron and I have become good friends. Ron is a Monster “legacy athlete” and we look after him. Yeah, he’s not bigtime factory star anymore, but he still oozes that cool, style and charm that made him one of the most charismatic and beloved racers in the 40-year history of U.S. motocross. He never takes anything too seriously and he just plain cracks me up. Ron and I watched Josh Hansen win the opening round of the 2011 AMA West Region SX Series at Anaheim together, and Ron was SO, SO stoked, you’d have thought it was him out there. That’s another wonderful thing about Ron – he genuinely LOVES the sport. In fact I’d call him a super-fan.”

DAVEY COOMBS COMMENTS ON LECHIEN: “I grew up racing with Ronnie Lechien, usually only once a year at the big amateur nationals here. In '81 I actually beat him in a couple of motos at a race in North Carolina, but by 1982 he was way ahead of me. By '83 he was winning nationals and supercross races, and I knew I would be better off going to college! “Ronnie was so fluid, so fast and so charismatic that he could charm anyone -- even his biggest rivals. Had he stayed on the straight and narrow, it's hard to tell how the careers of Rick Johnson, Johnny O'Mara, David Bailey or even Jeff Ward would have turned out, as far as races and titles won, because I believe that Ronnie Lechien was flat-out better than all of them. He just had no discipline, and he was so easy to like that no one really put their foot down until it was too late. His entire career is a cautionary tale for American motocross.” ABOUT RON LECHIEN Lechien first burst onto the motocross scene with his smooth fluid riding style when he dominated the 125 Pro class at the legendary Mammoth Mountain race track in 1981.He came from the hotbed of MX  El Cajon, CA which was referred to as the El Cajon Zone & produced such legendary riders as early heroes Marty Smith, Marty Tripes, Broc Glover & Marty Moates & then later Rick Johnson, Scott Burnworth & Mike Craig.  At the tender age of 16 in 1983 Ron was signed to his first full factory ride at Team Yamaha & went to battle against some of the all time greats in American motocross: Hannah, Bailey, Glover, Barnett, Johnson and Ward.  Certainly a daunting task for anyone but even more so to a young 16 year old. Even though he didn't win a title that year he put in some great rides and even won a 250 SX main event at Orlando besides winning 3 125cc Nationals. Ron went on to ride for Honda as well as Kawasaki later in his career. While Ron only won the 1985 125 National Championship he came close to several more & won many SX as well as outdoor overalls as well as riding on two winning Motocross des Nations teams. When Ron was on it and motivated he could just ride away from the competition with a style and grace that not many have displayed before or since. Anyone who ever saw Ron on one of these days still revels in the fluid effortless style he displayed. A true natural & a motocross legend who burned out much too early due to off the track decisions that Ron has had the courage to work out like a true champion that he is.

Q and A with Ron Lechien

Mxlarge: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MOTORCYCLE?

LECHIEN: My first motorcycle was a Honda QA-50 that my Dad bought for me and my sister to share.

Mxlarge: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST RACE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

LECHIEN: I was very nervous but I think I did fairly well. I got a 5th or something like that.

MXlarge: NAME YOUR 5 FAVORITE TRACKS.

LECHIEN: Unadilla, Mammoth, Mount Morris, Saddleback & Borona.

Mxlarge: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE RACE OF ALL TIME?

LECHIEN: 1988 Motocross des Nations in France.

Mxlarge: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MX BIKE?

LECHIEN: My 1985 Honda RC-250 Works Bike.

Mxlarge: WHO WERE YOUR HEROES OR IDOLS GROWING UP?

LECHIEN: Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Jimmy Weinert & Tony D.

Mxlarge: WHAT ARE YOU UP TOO TODAY?

LECHIEN: I'm part owner of Maxima Racing Lubricants and I work there full time now.

Mxlarge: DO YOU STILL RIDE & OR RACE TODAY?

LECHIEN: I still enjoy racing and riding with my friends at a very relaxed pace.

Mxlarge: WHO WAS YOUR MOST FEARED RIVAL?

LECHIEN: Rick Johnson and I had a fierce rivalry going in the mid 80's.

Mxlarge: WHO WAS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON(S) IN YOUR LIFE?

LECHIEN: I must say that my Dad & my Mom were. My Dad was my mechanic and coach and I could never have made it without him or my mother.