Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Australian Damon Buckmaster finished second in the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship and second in the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship. Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki’s John Hopkins won the 2000 AMA 750cc Supersport Championship and the 2001 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship, thanks in part to his lead mechanic, Barry McMahan. While Hopkins prepares for his second year in the MotoGP World Championship series, McMahan has been hired by Graves Motorsports Yamaha to be Buckmaster’s lead Formula Xtreme mechanic for the 2003 AMA season.

“I’m really pleased,” said Buckmaster of gaining McMahan’s services. “Everyone over the last couple of years seem to be really pleased and always after his services, and the fact that I’ve got him now just seems to be a bonus. Obviously, time will tell when we get on the racetrack and start working together. I’ve known him for a couple of years and always had an interest in working with him.”

When asked about his relationship with his 2002 lead mechanic John Asher, Buckmaster said, “I had a real good relationship with John. For whatever reason, he’s taken a different career path with another team (No Limits Honda). He felt that was the right thing for him to do. I can’t be angry with the guy. He’s made a career decision and good on him. I wish him all the best.”

“He’s just missed it for the last three years as far as winning, two of them because of me and Hopper” McMahan said of Buckmaster. “So he’s right on the verge of doing it. It seems like this should be his year. As long as he hasn’t lost focus and been down with the last three years, still got determination and still wants to do it, I think we can do it. With the support Chuck (Graves) has from Yamaha, with the parts that we have, and the bikes, and the crew Chuck put together; it seems like we should have a really good year. I’m looking forward to working with Damon. I think if I can start off on the right foot with my relationship with him, which I usually have good relationships with my riders, hopefully we can build on that.”

Riders, crews and teams change regularly during the off-season, but the change in teams was fairly significant for McMahan. A successful regional racer from Texas prior to becoming a mechanic, McMahan only worked for Team Valvoline EMGO Suzuki in his career as a professional race mechanic before joining Graves Motorsports Yamaha.

“It was just a matter of me moving on, trying something else and seeing what it was like to be on another team,” said McMahan. “I felt I had gone as far as I could with the team, and I wanted to actually try to get to a Superbike team. To be honest, none of them really stood out. Chuck was talking to me, and I was talking to a few other teams besides Chuck, but he just had the best deal and the best offer for me.

“I had pretty much settled down where Valvoline’s based, in Alabama. I’ve got a house, a girlfriend, four dogs; I thought I was going to be there for a while. It just didn’t work out the way I had hoped, but it doesn’t mean things are done there. Things may change for that team. It may be different down the road, but for now I’ve got a new home. It seems to be working out pretty good so far. I’m kind of looking forward to the year.

“Adjusting to life in California is the most difficult part right now. California is something I never thought would be a part of my career. Like I told you, I thought I was going to be in Alabama for a long time. I’ve been avoiding California for a long time. To get out here and see the way it really is a real culture shock.

“It’s quite different. Cost of living, the rent is outrageous. Fuel prices, there are some stations that are fairly reasonable. Some prices in the grocery store are different. Then the traffic is unbelievable. There is no speed limit, really. There’s a speed limit sign, but nobody’s obeying it.

“The weather is pretty good. I will admit to that. I’ve been calling home pretty much everyday. The weather at home, it’s in the 50s and cloudy and rainy, which is the norm for Alabama at this time. Some times it will dip down to the 20s and 30s at night and get up to the 50s in the afternoon, but it’s still cold and gloomy – that’s the way my girlfriend describes it. But out here, it’s chilly in the morning, in the 50s, then come afternoon it’s just smoking hot. It’s crazy!”

While speaking with McMahan, we asked him how he thought his former rider, Hopkins, did during his rookie year in the MotoGP World Championships. “He did pretty much what I expected,” said McMahan. “He needed to go out there and finish races and get Championship points, which is what he did. To score Championship points at that level is incredible. Considering it was his first season there, and a lot of the tracks he scored points at, he hadn’t been there. He tested at a few of the places, but he was just learning the tracks in the first practice session at most of them. And he progressed from there. And to be off the pace that he was, which was very small, is incredible. And he was on an under-powered bike. He had to go from riding four-strokes back to riding a two-stroke again.

“I think he’s going to be a threat next year on that Suzuki, for sure. He’s got a lot of carrots; he’s got a lot of other Americans to chase after. He’s got Kenny (Roberts), he’s got Colin (Edwards), he’s got Nicky (Hayden). He’s not going to let those other guys beat him. It’s going to be a very interesting year in GPs next year.

“I’ve always heard people talk down about John. I worked with the kid for two years. Anybody who has ever been around him and seen him ride or worked with him, they know. They know John can ride. He’s an excellent rider. He’s got a lot of natural talent. Some things he lacked in, as far as set-up, but he knew what he was after. Even if the bike didn’t work for him, he found a way to ride around it. And that’s what makes him so good. If the bike is not working for him, he’ll find a way to go fast on it. If the bike changes during the course of a race, he’s going to make the changes to compensate to be able to go still competitive laps on a bike that’s not working.

“He’s done some incredible stuff. We had a problem at the last race (of 2001), and he was able to put in his fastest laps with a broken bolt in the steering stem. The thing was just shaking and chattering, and the guy was still able to put in competitive lap times. He finds a way. He digs deep and he does it.”