American Legends Episode 9: Wayne Rainey

Hello and welcome to the motor stopped podcast. I'm Peter star, motorcyclist, filmmaker, and former motorcycle, stunt man, and this is the American Legend show where we take a deep dive into the stories of some of the biggest names in motorcycling ever, to come out of the USA Today. I'm joined by Wayne radio a world champion. Now, giving back to the sport as the head of moto America series, trying to bring the USA back to the top of motorcycle road racing, Before you hear from Wayne though, I'd like to quickly ask you, if you haven't already, please subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening on. And if you like to support us, even further, please consider buying one of my books over at Moto star.com. That's where. All the behind scenes stories are with all of these world champions that are filmed over the years. Thank you. America was once the force that was driving much of World Grand Prix motorcycle racing. I'm Kenny Roberts. Ready. Spencer Eddie Lawson Americans, 110 World titles and the American dominance was being carried further with Wayne Rainey with his three World titles until a catastrophic accident. At my Sano Italy in 1993. There have been many that following such a cataclysmic episode in their lives. Have simply disappeared into Oblivion, not Wayne Rainey. In spite of him being paralyzed from the chest down from that accident. Wayne has been an amazing inspiration to Motorcycle riders everywhere. And now some 27 years later is the head of moto America, an organization that he started to encourage and Inspire American road races to improve their game and head to Europe to Take On The World. Why we've known each other a long time? I think our son of calculate he's well over 35 years and we've seem to have been our paths have crossed a lot during those thirty five years. But I want to go back to the very early days of you and Southern California when you started dirt track racing particularly because of the influence of your father Sandy. And please tell us if you would the relationship with you and your father and some of the work your dad did to encourage other people, not just yourself. Like Eddie Lawson. Yeah, you know, I was fortunate, you know, we grew up in Southern California, my dad was a carpenter by trade, he like going fast, he started racing soap box derby as a kid and then he got into go-karts and then motorcycles, back there in the early 60s. And then when the motorcycle craze really got big and flat track racing, really got popular, we lived just down the road from a Scott Park, a real famous half mile. Racetrack and Gardena. And so, as a young kid, I was able to go out with my dad because he, he sponsored Racers to ride his flat-track bike. And so I would go out there every Friday, and I was up in the grandstands running around, you know, watching watching all my heroes out there, racing around the half-mile track. So when I actually, I think, when I was six, is when I started riding motorcycles, And when I was 9 was the first time I actually went to erase my first race was at Saddleback Park. And yeah, that's that's where it all started for us. Yeah. So tell me a bit more about your father and the influence he had, you know, how did he come to become a motorcycle guy and did he really encourage you to really age? Well, my dad, he, you know, he like to work on bikes and he was he like to modify him. He always liked to make them. To have more performance than the other guys that he was racing. So, my dad wrote a bull taco and he raced out of Prado damn out there by Corona. And so my dad, he didn't have a, you know, some huge Talent as a racer. But he was a heck of a mechanic and and he he was like one of the first, he had the first flat-track bike out at Ascot. It was a twin cylinder, Yamaha, but he actually built air cleaners and he was the first one to put air cleaners on him. Bike and flat track racing. But you know, when I started racing mini bikes, you know he was the big influence in my life and so when I got, when I started racing, this is e 50. And then, as I started getting better, we I was racing. They had this class called it was like the one, two, three horsepower minibike class. And so I was raised in a little 50 cc Honda, and but I was racing against the The speedway Stars Kelly and Shaun Moran, and we were 9 years old back then. But in the three horsepower class, he they were riding 120cc to come see many bike so they had a lot more torque than us. And so, they were pretty much kicking our ass most of the week's most of the time race. And so you know, one day my Dad decided to, you know, yank me out of school. We went out and did some testing out there at Saddleback Park and And when I rode the bike, I was just, I was amazed about how much power it had. And I said, dad, what have you done to this bike? And he goes nitromethane. So that's the kind of stuff he did, you know, he? Yeah, he always up. We got accused of cheating. Pretty much most of my career when I was racing for my dad, but I know for a fact that we never cheated once and my dad hated it, when when we were always being accused of that. So I remember at one One race. My dad put up the money and he tore himself down just to show everybody. So it was he was a very special though but you know all the all the racers that I raised with growing up you know Mike men egg and Danny Perkins and of course Eddie Lawson. You know my dad. He helped every single one of those Racers and he was just, you know, my dad just he just loved racing and he loved working on motorcycles and helping everybody and So you know, he was part of my, you know, part of my whole program and up until he passed away a few years ago, what was the decision that made you decide to become a professional? When did that decision take place? Well, I guess, you know, racing in Southern California. Flat track racing was very popular. We could race seven or eight different tracks each week within a 50-mile radius. So I raced, you know, probably over a thousand flat track races and a Scott Park was the was the famous race track and to be to raise professionally had to be 16 years old erasing, the am a flat track. Championship. So when I was 16, I just, you know, I was only ever going to be a flat track racer, that's what I wanted to do and that's, you know, Peter. It was just that's all I ever thought about when I was in school, you know I thought about racing, I thought about what my style was like I thought about the feeling of what it was like to win and and I really love the feeling that racing gave me especially racing the flat track bikes and and you know my mom and dad How they disciplined me was by, you know, taking my racing away. I remember you know as a kid happened to go out to the racetrack and and my younger brother Rodney he would be racing and my dad would make me go out there and and mechanic for my brother. And I'd have to sit on the on the truck bumper watching, everybody else race. If I screwed up in school so it was it was a good lesson. I wanted to give a plug right now to the book that Michael Scott wrote about you, because there's a lot. Of your early career in here that we could never cover in the space of 45 minutes to an hour in this podcast. So I'm going to put that up on the screen and give Michael a plug. And until I've read this book or 10 years ago, at least I think when I read it, a lot of stuff about you in there. But I want to move forward now to 1984 December of 84. And you and I work together on the opening of what became taking it to the Limit, Kawasaki version of Take It to the Limit and you wrote a Z1. I think maybe you can press remember the bike. Better than what? It was. Yeah. And along the Highway 1 from Carmel and you guys were you were right? You were riding with Freddy it with Freddy Merkel who is riding my camera bike and you guys at one time clock to 156 miles an hour. We know that because the highway patrol caught it, it's on the radar. Tell me about that experience. What was you remember? What do you remember about that particular Escapade that we had? Yeah, you know, Peter when you asked me to go do that filming for the for your movie and, you know, you were able to To acquire how it should I say. So you were able to block off Highway 1 in between Carmel and Big. Sur and we would, we were riding and you were, I think Fred was following me, you know, on the camera bike and we were riding down through those nice roads down there and then we had the helicopter. But I remember what I remember most was that we were looking for a flat straight stretch of road because we Wanted to see how fast we could get going. And we put a camera in the middle of the road, and the highway on Highway one there. And I remember back then they didn't have the little cameras that they that you had were, you couldn't tuck in, because it took up, it was bigger than my helmet and it was setting on the fuel tank. And the, you know, course the cameras, they have now on the bikes are about the size of your thumb, but back then, Peter, we couldn't tuck in but we had the camera. Focused on the on the speedometer and the RPM. And that's when we got it up close to 160, but I was sitting straight up, you know, hitting normally you tuck in those situations, but we were going 160 miles an hour. And I was aiming for that camera in the center of the road and I would have to dodge the camera right before, you know, I would hit it and I remember thinking after we were all done, I was thinking, well, I'm so glad nobody, you know, pulled out of their driveway at that. At point because we would have like a 10-mile stretch blocked off. You know, doing that filming. So yeah. It was a lot of fun. It's quite an experience. First time I've ever done anything like that. Yeah, I remember you walking out of the gas station in Carmel and putting on your helmet and taking off on the as we started that particular piece of filming. There was a relationship sort of conflict between you and Fred Merkel that week if I remember. And it looked like it came from the racetrack where you and Fred had raced against each other. What was the issue between, what was the competitiveness between the two of you? I think he probably had a problem with me Peter because we pretty much kicked his ass all the time. So I think he was probably upset that he had to ride the camera bike and I got to be the star in your movie. Well, we move from there to Laguna Seca. And we did some more filming at Laguna Seca. Both with the camera baiken and not, it's a give people an experience of what it was like to ride that number 60 Kawasaki around Laguna Seca. We had the helicopter flying very very low if you if you can remember. Member that and it was quite an experience. Then can you relate to racing at Laguna Seca versus riding on the highway. You know what sort of preparation in your mind? Did you deal with? Yeah well of course on the race track your you know you're on a bit of your on a purpose-made track in your the track is there and you just want to see how fast you can go around the track. So your total focus is what can I do to go faster than everybody else? Mostly, you know, the tracks are much safer than it is on the road to go fast on. And so you know, you don't think about anything else except making sure you're the fastest guy and that you keep everybody else behind you, but out on that road, I didn't write a lot of street bikes much so you know riding that big thousand CC Kawasaki and going you know upwards you know 175 miles an hour. Around those roads and those you know, those roads there was leaves on the, you know, going under the trees or be a lot of leaves or would be oil. There was some water in some cases and but just but it was so beautiful though. The, the way that we were able to film because we all knew that there was no cars coming the other way because the CHP had the had the road blocked off but you know, I think if you were is going to be right on the street, that would have been the best way to do it knowing that the road. Is were blocked off and that nobody was going to be coming the other way. Yeah, well, the CHP as I said to us afterwards that they wouldn't have allowed that to have happened. If they didn't know who you were, that was the big deal. If we just showed up with a couple of stunt guys, in a Hollywood movie, they wouldn't have allowed that speed to happen and they felt comfortable. At least that you knew what you guys knew what you were doing. And that's why they allowed it to happen, but it's still a great piece of film even though it was back in like December 1984 novel. Great. It was great fun and and you had a great vision. And I remember going to the to the to the cinemas to see the movie when it was finished. So it was a real, real joy to watch the, you won the superbike Championship the AMA, Superbike championship for Kawasaki and then things with Kawasaki sort of ended, they sort of pulled out of racing, and you took off to Europe to experience the GPS on a 250 class touch base. If you would a little bit about that you and you and you Are racing in Europe. Well that was 1984 so we won the superbike championship in 83 I'm a whore I'm sorry Kawasaki pulled out and it also happened to be the same year and 8 1983 which was Kenny Roberts as last year of racing GPS. So in 84 I don't think he was quite prepared to go. Back to go racing back in Europe but you know to help me out he started. That team and I was able to go over there and race in the world championships and and I wasn't prepared to go over there at that point but I had no other choice. I had not written to 50s before and certainly didn't know my way around Europe. I didn't know what, you know what the names of the tracks were and didn't know then, you know, most of the countries. So it was we were kind of thrown in there on the deep end, but I guess, you know, the thing about racing and from what I was doing. Was you know, once I was on the bike, I was real comfortable. I knew what I needed to do it. You know I had to learn the tracks and and but I think over there what was a lot different was the weather? There was a lot more rain than what we had over here in the states. And probably the biggest change though, was the push Starts. Here, we had clutch starts over there, he had to push it and I many many times Peter I could qualify on the front row at the first time visiting these these racing circuits. But by the time I'd get the bike started, I could most of the time I was behind the pace car. So one of the most difficult people to pass was the pace car because they didn't expect somebody to be behind them. So I had real nightmares about push starts and I finally got a kind of figured out the last couple races but what an experience that was it was I think I ended up on the podium once I had no idea what position I had finished in the race, I didn't know where my lap board was, it was all kind of a blur that year, but it was an amazing experience. I got to see what the world championship was all about, and to race against the best racers in the world was a was a real experience. But what that, what that did was it showed me that I needed to be more prepared. So then I ended up just coming back to the States, raced a couple more years. And then I was ready. The next time I went back, you had a pretty good friendship with the Geico Gary Mao, those back in those days and you came back from Europe. After that, 250 experience went Superbike racing game, but this time with Honda, and again, while the AMA Superbike Championship touch base, if you would about the relationship with Gary mothers and about the time with Honda, Yeah. So my relationship with Jerry Mathers started in 1981. When I went I just started racing Club racing road racing and I had one most I think I'd won like 15 Club races in a row so Kawasaki to ask if I wanted to go try a 250 GP race or 250 amas race back in Concord New Hampshire back at Loudon. So I ended up driving all the way back there and I ended up winning the the 250 novice race and it was in the rain. And I was wearing my Kawasaki, dirt track, leathers and Boots. It's and when we won that race, I remember the next day, Gary Mathers and showed up, I didn't know who he was and, you know, he introduced himself and then he, he I, he offered me a contract to go race super bikes for the next two years with Kawasaki. So that's kind of how all that started. And so, you know, Gary was a, he was a big part of my program, he believed in me gate. He gave me a chance. I think you really like flat track racers back then, because there wasn't A lot of flat track racers making the making the grade making them making the cut from. Am a dirt track race into flat track, you know, Kenny and Eddie had done it. But I was kind of like the next guy to do that. And then when I went after Kawasaki, you know, basically fired both me and Gary and everybody else that worked in the road race team. And then Gary ended up getting working for American Honda and running their whole program over there. And so when I came back from Europe, he He hired me to race the Honda Super Bike for two years and, you know, I rewarded him with the championship. So, yeah, he says he's a special man and he gave me my second chance for sure. The other relationship that much has been written about was the Rivalry between you and Kevin schwantz. And I believe that started in America and then continue through your Grand Prix years. Any comment. Yeah, well yeah just it was pretty serious between get Kevin and I you know I came back from Europe and and I wanted to you know be the AMA Superbike champion and Kevin had just come on the scene and and he was friends with my teammate Fred Marco at the time and those guys didn't like me and and I didn't really like them and so it was a battle on Racetrack and we didn't hang out off the track. So in nineteen. So I in 86, I think I had 19 out of the 11 races but Fred ended up winning the championship because I had had a couple. I think I fell down in one of the races, Fred ended up finishing all the races but I ended up I had another year on my agreement. And Bubba schobert was my teammate, I believe in 87, but we went to the transatlantic match races with the Americans race against the English in the Europeans. And Kevin schwantz was my teammate and they had a deal over there that there was two circuits that we raced at Donington Park and Brands hatch. And if one Rider one all nine races that I Rider would get a hundred thousand pound sterling gold And so nobody on the team, really ask Kevin and I are, you know, if one of you guys because we were probably the favorites to win, but nobody said anything about, you know? Hey, whoever wins the first race. Let's let's get behind that guy and and make sure that he wins all the, all the rest of the events. And that way, the whole team could share nobody, nobody thought about that. So when Kevin ended up beating me in the first race, I did not want him to have a chance to win that that pot of gold. So we ended up duking it out in that second race because he was wanting it really bad. And we pretty much put on a pretty good show and but that's really where the Rivalry started. Peter was there at the at the match races and we basically raced each other like we were not on the same team, but that carried over, you know, for the rest of that year and I am a Superbike racing and then A onto the world stage, so, yeah, he was, he was a big part of the reason why, you know, I was able to accomplish what I did because he was a guy really wanted to beat, you know. I think the the year that that I was injured, 1993 was kind of the year. We kind of both settle down and, and we had, you know, I think we always respected each other but I don't think it was as personal as Was earlier in our career. So maybe we just we kind of grew up in and we experienced and yeah, he was a big. He was a big part of the reason why I was I accomplished what I did? Yeah well he's one of your biggest fans today. We what you've done with Moto America but let's go back to dirt track racing for a second because in 1985 we did the stroll miles and the One race in particular. That I personally recall was the And oh Mi you want your heat going away. What a way to wrap up the season. Wayne Ranney comes to Sacramento, breaks the track record, then scored a runaway victory in his qualifying, he traced. Here he comes off the final, turn to take the checkered flag, he set a new 10-lap, track record and route to the win over. Alex Jorgensen and Rodney Perez afterwards during Roland's, talk to him. A little bit rougher, the tracks breaking up in a few spots but my bike seems to be pretty well to it. So it's not as have to wait. See if it does get passed with these other heat races, you ran away and head that no competition. I didn't really know. I look back last lap, I see that little late but right there first, so fair, so stick it in there and he but he was going a little too hot drifting up and I can get him back. So I just got to try to get away from all that. Get out front, get a better. Start, there's some controversy I believe about. Who won the final? I don't think you were given that good, but and then you went back to Sacramento again in 87 after 85, but let's get on the 85 one because I've got some footage of that. Tell me about that, that mile dirt track racing and how that may have stood you up for your Grand Prix career and suddenly Hanks got his fourth as we're going into the final lap of the final race of the 1985 Stroh Mi series. Will it be a Harley? Will it be a Honda rainy takes the advantage? Adage Parker is working right there. The aerodynamics are the key raining looks back to see where everybody else is. Well Hanks, got I think he's my run out of time. I know he's probably thinking, what can I do? I made up all this distance going into the last Corner. Well, this is going to decide it right here, as four Riders come off at over 100 miles an hour. Looking for The Checkered Flag, Rainey has decided to try to lead it off. Turn four. Parker will try the draft as they come for hog. He looks up the outside he charges whole. It's almost too close, too. The Checkered Flag Falls Parker thinks he wanted, it's confirmed, Scotty Barker has won it by less than a wheel with Over Wayne Ranney. Another spectacular finish in the strobe. I'll series 1985. Yeah, you know you know I you know be in a Flat Tracker most of my career up until then I started road racing. I was only I was just an expert dirt tracker for 42 years and then I got the chance. Chance to go race super bikes. So I, you know, I could see there was more of a future for me and road racing. So that's, that's, that's you know why I took off and did that. But when I came back from Europe that first year in 84, I think Peter, you were a part of the Stroh's miles. It was Astros alcoholic, beverage that alcohol beverage that put on those mile races and Merlot will put together a bike and and And I'd helped him develop it, and we got the bike a little bit better at each race. Till finally at the Sacramento Mile in 1985, the one you just mentioned, I raced for the lead with Scott Parker the nine-time grand national champion and it was just him. And I for the wind, I think it was just him and Ike. I'm not sure who else was there with us? Maybe when I see this video, I'll know. I don't recall though, Peter, but I remember I was leading it on the White Flag lap. It going into turn three and I kind of rolled out of it down the back straightaway hoping he would go by me because mert had that bike running. So good. I knew I could beat Parker by the start/finish line ever. Get past him before the start/finish line, but you know, Scott Parker's he's won a lot of Mile races and so he knew better than that so I ended up chasing it off into turn three really deep and I got out of turn four and I ended up leading it on to the front straight and when Come. I can see the checkered flag coming up and I and I could see the start-finish line over the finish line. And I was thinking, I was hoping I could get there before I saw Parker and right. When I hit the line is right when I saw Parker go by me. And right, when we cross a line, I was thinking. I think I got that, but then Scott Parker had put his put his arm up like like he'd won the race because he had, he had won so many races that were that close Close. But that was before they had start lot, start lying, finished cameras, and so he figured it was so close for the victory, but he thought he could sway. The, the officials by giving the old. Yeah, I think I got this with his arm and and so they gave him the win and I got second, but I still to this day. Think I beat him. Yeah, well, that was a great race and I was amazed actually, that's that you did so well because everything that years in to be Bubba, schobert rookie, RAM and Scott Parker and then all of a sudden bang you must have got that bike running finally and there was Wayne Rooney. Yeah it was a great bike Merc Merc did a heck of a job on that that bike and you know it had a different exhaust port and the bike made a it made a certain sound down the straightaways that the other Harley's didn't make nothing was a missile. It really ran well but we had some real battles with you know The bike, you know, the brakes disintegrating on it at a couple of different races because he had made it so light that some of the parts broke. So we had some trial and error with it, but we got it all. Sorted out though, they're at the end of that that season. Is there anything that you could take from mile dirt track racing into your Grand Prix career that you said that was a real Advantage. I'm glad I did that Mi racing to prepare me for this. You know I think what dirt track racing And does for road racing, is that it teaches you to be aggressive, but but you have to be real focused because in a flat track race, if you make a little mistake, of course the you know, the dirt track. It's very slippery. So you if you make a mistake get in too deep and you get on the edge of the fluff they called it but on the edge of the groove you can lose a bunch of spots but if you don't rush it off into the corners then you don't carry the momentum so it really teaches you to be aggressive but yet disciplined, at the same time and that is so much like What road racing is about is that, you know, you have to have the, you know, the focus the concentration and you have to have the you know, the ability to you know work with your tires and and you know of course, over there the races are 45 to 50 minutes long. So it's a long race and a lot can happen. So it's, you know, I just think flat track racing is my cat flat track racing, really helps a lot, but hold on Peter. Get over there. Get over there. You want to do that again? No no no. It's this is a cat. This is a casual podcast. You should introduce your cat. Actually that's Timmy over there. But yeah, so Yeah, so I'd like I said, I think the flat track racing just really helps you to be aggressive and but, you know, you just can't make mistakes and it's a lot like road racing. You know, road racing is, you know, the two-stroke bikes that we rode were a lot like flat-track bike. She had you had to use the throttle to get the back wheel to spin to help turn the bike. That's where those two strokes, its way you had to ride him back. Then they were so much different than the four-stroke super bikes that we raced and much. The the four-stroke bikes that are the MotoGP weapons that they have now. So, the flat track racing was really good for that style of technique that, you know, that's why the Americans were so dominant. When we raised in Grand Prix, was a lot of it was because of the way we wrote race flat-track bike. So, that's what I thought it was. Yeah. And when you were in Grand Prix racing, was that specifically because of your relationship with Kenny Roberts. Well, that was a big part of It because you know at that at that stage I was just racing Superbikes. I didn't really think much about going GP racing and then when when I when Eddie Eddie Lawson and myself were teammates in 1982 and then in 83 Eddie took off to Europe. So I started thinking about it and in 1984, when I went, of course, you know, Kenny on the team and Started the team and and he had decided to make a career out of team management and then he ended up putting the team together. The Lucky Strike 500 Grand Prix, team that Randy mamola wrote for and then after I was done with American Honda 1987, Honda didn't they didn't have a spot for me over there and they actually wanted me to stay in the States but Kenny offered that spot to me. Basically, you know, they he Randy go and put me in there and of course he got a lot of flak for that. So I had a lot to I had a lot to prove to show everybody that that I did deserve the ride and and of course I wanted to repay Katie for his faith that he had in me for giving me that opportunity. And you know, Kenny and I are great, great friends and and he helped me a lot with you know, with the opportunity. And he gave me many, he gave me everything that I need to be Successful and to also raise for the world championship. So, you know, I was able to to gain a lot of confidence in that system and you know, you look at what we were doing. Then with the training that we did it is ranch and you know, riding them mini bikes. And you know, doing, you know, having a bunch of racers come to the ranch and we would all line up and race each other on these mini bikes. We would also ride motocross bikes, but it was always a race. And so, Oh you. So I got really physically strong and mentally strong, and every year I just was just much more prepared than I was in the years past. So you know, and and then in 1989, I ended up racing Eddie Lawson for the world championship and then he beat me out, but it went all the way down to the last race and then in 1990 Eddie come on to be on Kenny's team as my teammate. 8. And then we had Marlboro sponsorship then and yeah it was able to win the championship that first year and went on to win a couple more the after the accident you made, what many people consider to be a remarkable recovery very fast and you've got yourself into team management and I think the team management segment of your life lasted about four years. What did you learn from that and why in the world would somebody that's been erasing get into team management? Well, it's a good question, you know, Peter, I, you know, being a racer. I was 33 when I was injured. I was, you know, trying to win my fourth championship. So when you have a life-changing experience like mine, you don't, there's not really a pathway on which way to go forward. So I was presented with some opportunities to get back into the racing scene and it just happened to be in the world. Championships with the 250 team, can you help set up for me? And so we kind of started that way and you know that was only like six months after my racing accident. So I was over there racing helping run this team but I was also learning what it was like to be a paraplegic and what it was like to try to deal with life, in all these different situations that I found myself in. But the one thing that really helped me through that at that time was was the racing. And and that's the thing that I knew. So I was able to, you know, take that team in the the more I raced the more as the year went on the more I saw, how I wanted to be a you know, a good team owner and and I started doing things more how I thought they should be done and but in the meantime I was still, you know, still trying to figure out what my life was going to How am I, how to deal with myself in this new physical being that I was in? So yeah, I did up doing that for four years and and we ended up having having the 500 Grand Prix team but you know, it just never really give me the buzz that racing the bikes did and that was still a lot of traveling and I was still, you know, gone away from home, a lot quite a bit. And my son Rex was he was 10 months old When I was injured. And so you know as you said racing doing the team for four years by son had to be in one time zone to start school. So either I stayed in Europe and continued with the team or what I decided to do was was to retire and I ended up coming home and yeah that's that was all kind of a blur. You know when I think about all that that was really it was really something to be able to go back and be a part of Of the series in the way that we were as a team owner and but it would never really gave me the same Buzz is as maybe, you know, maybe if I would had a relationship like, Kenny had with me, maybe I would have enjoyed it a bit more, but I just, you know, it was just, I had changed a lot in that time. So it's just the way it worked out. Yeah. Would you say that you didn't have the relationship with your writers? You say that? He had with you and if so why was that, you think 100%? I didn't? Well, who knows, you know, you know, in life, you never know, you know who your who your friends are here. You end up hanging out with her who you end up meeting. And in my case you know Kenny Roberts was he was a big influence before I even knew him. He was a big you know he was the my hero when I was racing flat track. So then when I was able to to Actually meet him. And then when we got to know each other and we started hanging out and then I ended up Racing for him and then we ended up having success together at the highest level. And then going on to win championships. I mean, Kenny and I we traveled together, we even owned homes together and a lot of people had a hard time with Kenny, they, I think, I don't know if they could, just, they couldn't handle him but, you know, Kenny, he respected me and we were able to You know, the relationship was easy and it was never an issue Racing for Kinney. And I wanted to do good for him as long as, you know, as well as myself obviously. And I remember after winning the championship, To think it was two or three times and then cagiva was chasing me. And, and you know, we pretty much told them what the terms were for me to what it was going to take to get me away from Kenny and Yamaha and they did think that was realistic. So I said, no problem, I'll be I'll be staying with Kenny so I gave him like I remember I gave them 24 hours at one, right at the end of the negotiation and I told, Kenny, that's all I'm going to give them. And the 20 that time came and went. So I call Kenny and I said, hey, I'm going to stay with you another two years and about an hour later, the phone rang and it was mr. Castiglione, and they agreed to the terms, but I said they were about an hour late. It was close. Yeah. They that's a really interesting story, because there's two more things I'd like to talk to you about and one relates to To the relationship of owning a team. And now, being the, the key person in one of the biggest, revivals of road racing that America's seen. But before that, I want to go back to the experience. You heard of riding a bike for Yamaha think it was an M1 that you wrote more recently because there's some video of that and perhaps, you relate to me, you know what, that was all about. Why you did it and what did you get out of it? Oh boy. Well, that was that took 26 years for me to get back on a motorcycle. And, you know, Peter I had I had many opportunities to ride a motorcycle since my racing accident from 1993, but I just never had no desire. You know, I wrote Road and raced bikes for over 25 years of my life. And so, you know, I was able to achieve everything that I wanted to on the bike. So I had a couple opportunities to go abroad and make guest appearances at these different events as long as I would ride a bike and I just I just wasn't interested. But in this particular, this particular event at, at Suzuka, they had both Kenny and Eddie was going to be a part of it. So they started putting pressure on me. in March, and the event was actually in November and and I said no three or four times and then You know, we put a pretty much figured out that I wasn't going to do it. But then one day Peter in October, I woke up one morning and I just thought Well, maybe why not? Maybe I could just test it over here in California and see what it's like. And then if it if it works, I was going to go to Japan anyway, but the agreement wasn't to go ride the bike. So, anyhow, they ended up sending all the equipment over and Keith McCarty from American Yamaha put the bike together. We went out to Buttonwillow and and, you know, the next thing I know. I've got my Alpine Star Leathers on. And and I got my brother helped me, get on this bike. And and, you know, we clipped my feet in on the foot pegs and I'm got a strap going around my, you know, my my halt to hold my ass on the bike and I'm like holding myself up on the handlebars and they start to bike up and they take it off the stand. And I'm sitting I got my helmet on and it's like Only. I'm thinking to myself what have I done here and they go. Okay, get going. So I pull the clutch in and unite it had a button shifter. I stick it in put the bike in gear and then I start to start to take off setting on this bike on this on this m 1 or r 1 m 1 and Peter it started it started to roll away from where we were taking it off the stand. And the bike started to tip over because I wasn't going fast enough and I had no balance. I thought shit I'm gonna crash right here before I even get going. So I had to actually get give it some throttle, to get the thing that, you know, straighten back up. And so then I was really almost Panic thinking, what's this going to be like when I'm out on the track if I can't even just get it off the stand but as it went I ended up riding it and I wrote it I don't know, seven or eight laps and and every lap that I went I could feel the speed and in it it got to be so Much fun riding that bike and and letting it just ride and drift and go you know, and going through the corners again. So I, you know, I decided to go over to Suzuka and that was a real experience because I was out on the track that at Suzuka, that the track that I'd had a lot of success at some of my, my most favorite victories were at that track. So I was able to go ride I was able to ride the bike there with my Leathers on in the helmet and going around that track the the memories that I had of what what that experience was like to race. All came back to me when I was in that on the bike again. I mean I was I wasn't going fast but it was just so cool to think about what it was remembering going through the different sections of the track that I was on and remember what? It was like to race. And I had not Since that, since the last time I had ridden a motorcycle. So it was, it was very special for sure. And the last thing I want to talk about him, this is something that I consider to be quite remarkable. And that is how you took it upon yourself to revive road racing in America. And with quite, honestly your you had such a passion for making sure that Americans get back into Grand, Prix racing and and run me through if you will. Why you finally decided to do this guy, know, it was in your mind for many years and and walk me through this. Parts of moto America and where you're at today, and tell me about beaubier and girl, often Roberts. And what's happening, and how close do you think we are to having another American world champion? Well, that's a long answer, I'll but I'll try to keep it as brief as I can Peter, you know, when. So I had stopped racing with my team in the late 90s and then Kenny Roberts jr. Was world champion and then few years after him. Nicky Hayden started and he was world champion. But then there started to be a dry spot after Nikki. Then they we ended up getting the Grand Prix back at Laguna Seca. So You know, me being a Monterey resident, I had helped put that together so we had the, we had to race back at the, at the track, you know, here in America. But You could see that the that the field that change quite a bit, there was, you know, the the Americans weren't there, like they used to be. And so dorna had asked me if I would, is there something that I could do? That could help have more opportunities for Americans because they could see that there was a lot of Spanish coming through a lot of Italians. But you know, Nikki was kind of one of the last riders that were, there was there. So I told him, I'd think about Out, and I did, I thought about it for a couple years and then, you know, my son went off to, he went off to University and and my wife, Shea says, you got to find something to do. And at that stage, I had met Richard Warner and tarique, Argus, which were my partner's now in Moto America. And we had started to build a leotard a motorcycle project and so what that project did though was got me back in the industry and I started being back in the industry. I started thinking about what dorna had asked me to do. And so we had come up with a plan was to start a series for Young Racers and then the opportunity to acquire the commercial rights for AMA Superbike racing or am a road racing we were able to take advantage of that and so we did that and I got a truck accident was another. He was my other partner that I brought on board that you know Chuck and I go way back to basically when Kenny and I met. And so we took the AMA series, it was beat up pretty pretty much when Started there was I think 76065 Riders and there was three races and here it is Peter at the end of six years we've got back. So now we have We have ten races with their on Fox Sports TV. The where we have it on MBC Sports channel, we have it on MADtv, Eurosport there's 150 Riders now. So now after six years we have three of our Racers or back in the world championship. It's Joe Roberts Garrett, girl off and the latest one is Cameron beaubier. So, So for that first asked of trying to figure out a way to get Americans back in the world championship to acquiring the series getting it competitive and an operon finding many opportunities now that that Racers can come through the national championship and go abroad to end. Be competitive is, is is something I'm very proud of. What's the future for Wayne Rainey? Now well, you know, it's been six years and I'm starting to think about is is my time kind of Is now the time to just kind of pass the torch on I have been kind of thinking about is this the time to just, you know, Moto America's doing really well. It's it's it basically with with Chuck and and Terry and Richard it's the things run really good. We have a really good crew. I mean there's not much more that I can do and you know we got I was able to get it going and get it started and get it. - but, you know, I don't know if I need to keep going in the same capacity that I am as president, but I'm starting to think about what my next move. Maybe. But right now it's just there, it's just thoughts Peter. Well, it's I know what it's like to have to change direction in a career at a late age and which is pretty much what I've had to do to stay relevant in this world. Wayne training. You one of the most remarkable people that I've ever known in my life and I've been around a long time and it's absolutely a pleasure to spend time with you today. And thank you so much. Thank you very much Peter. It's been it's been great. Knowing you, you've been a great friend and thanks for having me on your podcast. Thanks again to Wayne and thank you for listening. If you're a longtime listener of the podcast, now then please get in touch with the podcast at Twitter at Moto. Stop pod and tweet me. And the podcast team about your favorite episodes so far. We'll see you next time when I'll be chatting to John Krasinski. Thanks again to Wayne and thank you for listening. If you're a longtime listener of the podcast, now then please get in touch with the podcast at Twitter at Moto. Stop pod and tweet me. And the podcast team about your favorite episodes so far. We'll see you next time when I'll be chatting to John Krasinski.