Kevin Windham Takes Geico Honda To Fourth In Legends Of Motocross Race

Paddock Talk

Motocross legend Kevin Windham returned to the seat of his No. 14 GEICO Honda on Saturday, racing to a fourth-place finish in the special Legends of Motocross event during the Bud Light Ironman National at Ironman Raceway. "It was a fantastic day," Windham said. "I've never ridden this track before. It was fun to come out, and the fans were real appreciative of what we were doing. Being able to come back under the GEICO Honda truck felt like old times, so that was good. It was a warm welcome from everybody."

Windham retired from active competition in 201 after a stellar career and has only ridden sporadically since. Racing against the likes of Ricky Carmichael, Jeff Emig, Guy Cooper, Tim Ferry, Jeff Stanton, and others, Windham hoped for a fun time but instead got a real race.

"The track kinda pumped me up," Windham said. "I wasn't riding as I thought I should've been, and it turned into a really aggressive race. I was kinda hoping we'd ride a little more, have fun, and have some passing, but those guys were going for it up front."

Windham ran second for a time, but it became obvious which of the retired racers had spent time on motocross bikes since getting out of competition. Carmichael ended up as the winner.

"I didn't know what to expect because a lot of us haven't ridden in a long time," Windham said. "Some of them had, and I think it was pretty obvious who had been doing the riding and who hadn't. I tried to stay with them as best I could.

"But being retired and old and whatnot, you don't want to put yourself in a position where you can get hurt."

Ironman Raceway is relatively new to the Pro Motocross series, so Windham didn't get a chance to race here during his career. After a couple of practices and the race Saturday, he has an appreciation for the track.

"We only got the call about two weeks before the race, and I was able to ride about four or five times, so it was an eye-opener," Windham said. "The track's rough, even early in the day. I can't believe what the pros will have to go through today."

Windham hopes to be able to race the event again, if organizers decide to hold it in the future.

"When you retire from racing, you feel like you lose a big part of yourself," Windham said. "I haven't felt that feeling of lining up on the gate since I retired, so it was an awesome feeling. Next time, I hope they give us a little more prep time to get us guys who aren't riding a chance to get ready. It was fun, and I look forward to doing it again if they give us the opportunity."