From a press release issued by SPEED Channel:
SPEED CHANNEL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MICHAEL JORDAN
NBA legend Michael Jordan sat down with Greg White, SPEED Channel’s host of “2 Wheel Tuesday” for an exclusive interview discussing Jordan’s growing interest in motorcycles and his expanding ownership role in AMA roadracing. In 2004, Jordan sponsors AMA roadracer and Chicago riding buddy Montez Stewart through his Jumpman23.com brand.
White: When did you first get into riding motorcycles?
Jordan: Kids in the neighborhood — I grew up in Wilmington, N.C. — a lot of the kids had little dirt bikes. So, my brother and I begged my parents to get us one that we could share. We were about 11 or 12 years old and from that point forward, I loved motorcycles. I just never really get into it because of my (NBA) contracts and stuff. I started very early and I’ve been a fan ever since.
“My first bike was a little Honda 60 mini-bike. I almost killed myself, but I had a good time. My brother and I shared it. I was primarily the driver because I was the more aggressive one and he road on the back. When I was 12, we were racing some of the guys in our neighborhood and we took a tumble and got scraped up. And my parents always said that if we got scraped up, we were going to get rid of it, so we got long-sleeve shirts and tried to cover everything up. At dinner, blood started seeping through our shirts and they got rid of the bike a week later. So, that was the end of my motorcycle career until now.”
White: During the gap in between riding motorcycles, did you follow motorcycling at all or keep up with it in any way?
Jordan: No, I got totally away from it. Then we won a championship and gave (Chicago Bulls coach) Phil Jackson a Harley as a gift. That’s when I started getting the itch to get back into it — that cruiser bike thing. Harley was making a comeback and everybody was talking about getting a Harley. I never really got into it until I retired the last time and then I didn’t go out and get a Harley, I got three BMWs — the 1200LT and couple of cruiser bikes. Then, once I got my skills back and got used to being back on a bike, it wasn’t challenging. I like to twist, I like to lean and pop wheelies like when I was a kid. So, I went out and bought a Ducati 998. From that point on, I’ve been hooked back into riding. I ran into a couple of my buddies when I was riding with my nephew about a year and half ago and ever since then, every time I turn on the TV, I’m looking for motorcycle racing. I’m getting the motorcycle magazines. I feel like I am playing catch-up because I was away from it for so many years. I am a big, avid fan. It’s in my blood right now.
White: When did you discover motorcycle roadracing?
Jordan: I didn’t know anything about it. When I ran into Montez (Stewart) and some of the other guys, they had all this gear. I’m riding in jeans and a sweat top — the first thing they told me was if you are going to be out on the streets, go get some protective gear. They sounded just like my mother, but they were right. I went and bought the jacket, boots, gloves … everything. Once I got to know them better, they started throwing out names from motorcycle racing — Hayden, Valentino Rossi, MotoGP. I was like ‘Hold on, I’ve been missing something.’ Then I started playing catch-up through them. I started reading the magazines and watching SPEED Channel. And once I started to see it — I’ve always been a NASCAR fan; my father was a big NASCAR fan when I was growing up and growing up in North Carolina, you have to know NASCAR — so, I knew about speed and I was very interested in it. So, when I started watching motorcycles, I was like ‘This is pretty wild.’ I was anxious to see what the guys were doing on the bikes and once I started watching it, I said ‘I gotta get out there and do that.’ So, I asked Montez how we could get out on the track and do that. He said we can go out and rent Blackhawk. I asked how much it would cost. He said about $5,000 and I said ‘Done.’ All I need to do is get leathers and we’ll go up and start learning. It was the best day that I have had in a long time. The focus wasn’t on me. I was learning from Montez. We did the track walk and the guys started giving me what they knew about roadracing, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
White: How exciting is it for you to be involved in AMA roadracing?
Jordan: Very exciting. I came in to give Montez an opportunity to race. I’m walking away with the most fascinating thing I’ve seen in some time. I’ve been to seven of the nine races and I would have been to all of them if my schedule permitted. I’ve taken my kids. I’ve taken my nephew. My wife is going with me to Atlanta. I’ve taken Charles Oakley and all of my friends. I tell them you gotta see it, because once you see it, it’s gonna connect. Daytona was outrageous. Once I got down there for the big Bike Week and saw how fast they were going around the track … I want to go to Valencia, Spain in October — as you can see, I am starting to build my schedule around motorcycle races.
White: So, you had a day at Blackhawk and then you jumped right into the Pridmore STAR School?
Jordan: Well, I didn’t jump right into it. I had to crash about three bikes first — stunting and popping wheelies and stuff like that. The wisdom that comes with being 41 years old told me I needed to get into a class and learn the fundamentals. It’s no different that having to learn the fundamentals of basketball. If you don’t know the fundamentals of basketball, then you can’t play. You think you can. A street player always thinks he can play until he gets in there with me or someone else. That’s how I was when I was riding with the street guys. So, I decided to go learn the fundamentals of riding, so I could avoid some of these crashes. I met Jason (Pridmore) and he invited me out to Road America. I said I’d go up for a day because I really didn’t have the time to go up for both days. So, I’m driving two hours to get there — it’s not like it’s 30 minutes from my house — but once I got in that class, I had to come back the next day. Now, I am looking for opportunities to get back on the track so that I can gather as much information as I can get from those guys to enhance my riding technique and my skills. (Jason) has been very nice about it and we have very similar likes in life, so I spend more time with him and the other guys at the track. Every time I am at a race, I’m talking to Josh Hayes, Roger Lee Hayden, Ben Spies and all theses guys, because I am just grasping all the information that they have. I love watching them and I’m a big fan.”
White: Do you think being a professional athlete gives you a better capability to absorb information and take instruction?
Jordan: It cuts both ways, Greg. My competitive nature tells me I can figure this out on my own. But then, you have to be patient. You have to listen. You don’t perfect this profession, and if you go out there thinking that you do, that’s when the mistakes happen. So, you have to bring your ego down a little bit and every time I crash, that’s that ego coming down a little bit saying ‘Hey, you’re not as good as you think.’ So, no, I have no problems sitting back and learning and having him point out my mistakes … I think it would be easier if I wasn’t an athlete, because I would have that whole macho, competitive nature. If I was just Joe Blow coming off the street, you can’t get out there. You don’t have the athletic ability, so you’ve got to listen to this guy. I came from a sport where I won six championships, and I was the top of the world — the best at what I did. Now, I’m not. So, if you don’t listen to the advice these guys are going to give you, you’re going to kill yourself out there. My ego is not that big. I want to enjoy it. I don’t want to get hurt, but I want to maximize my opportunity. That’s why I am out there right now.
White: Compare yourself as a rider before you came into the STAR school and where you are now?
Jordan: At first, when I started, I was fighting the bike. Me and the bike were never compatible. He was my enemy. I was fighting him and he was fighting me. Now, with a school and half, I am starting to connect with my bike. The more that I position the bike and position myself on the bike, the more the bike is going to respond to me. It took a couple of times — a couple of scares — before I was able to trust it. If I trust it, it’s going to respond and that’s what they teach. At first, it is awkward to do some of the things you are being told, but once you get to the point where you trust it, it is so much easier to ride … so much less work on your legs. You find yourself not fighting the bike. You find yourself in unison with the bike. Every time I go to a roadrace, I can see the harmony you can have with a bike because these guys are really good with the way they work that bike. Rarely do you see them fall. Rarely do you see them make a mistake. They mistakes like anyone else, but you don’t see them as often. That’s what I am trying to get to. Don’t make mistakes — stay on the bike — and the bike will respond to you.
White: As someone that people look up to, what advice do you give someone just getting started in motorcycling or someone out riding on the streets like you were?
Jordan: I think it’s very important to get to a class and to understand the equipment you have. I think even Montez, when we talked about racing in the AMA, you could see the lights in his eyes pop wide open, because he was getting a great opportunity. But the thing that he found out is that this isn’t your everyday street riders. In Chicago, he can outrun everyone on the street, but these guys are good. You can see the difference, and he’s seen the difference. He’s got to elevate himself to their level, so that means you’ve got to learn, you’ve got to listen, you’ve got to talk, you’ve got to pick up all the bits and pieces that you can. That would be my advice to anyone starting to ride. Yeh, I hear ‘It’s dangerous and it’s just an accident waiting to happen,’ and yeh, I know. But that’s in anything you do in life. It’s how you approach it that gives you the best chance to succeed at it. I would say you should approach it in a very conservative way. Learn more about the bike, learn how to utilize the bike and learn how to be a part of that bike. And the best way to do that is in classes. … With my kids, if they want to get on a bike — I said they can get on a bike when we get a bunch of sand, a bunch of dirt and maybe those training wheels on the back and that’s how you learn. You have to learn how to fall first, before you learn how to ride.
White: Is Michael Jordan committed to AMA racing in the future?
Jordan: I came in this year in an experimental stage, just to see how people would respond to Michael Jordan in this industry. Now, I am hooked. Next year, I am looking to expand the team, looking to compete — I want to win. I really want to make a statement about my support of this sport. … I want to make a solid commitment through Montez and whoever else I want to sponsor. I want to be involved in this. I think it’s fun and I think it’s a great opportunity for corporations to be involved. … Every time I go to the race, I have a ball, so I look to be around for awhile.
In 2004, SPEED Channel is the exclusive U.S. cable home for many of the top motor sports series in the world. In addition, SPEED’s weekly programming schedule brings car enthusiast television to Prime Time Monday through Thursday. Now available in more the 66 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and the home to NASCAR TV.
