Jeffrey Ward (born 22 June 1961) is a

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former professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racer,

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

driver and off-road racer. He won the

AMA Motocross Championship The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...

five times and the

AMA Supercross Championship The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from J ...

twice and the

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

seven times. After retiring from motorcycle competition, Ward turned to auto racing, finishing in second place at the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

and winning a race at the

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...

. He then competed in off-road truck racing and rallycross. Ward was inducted into the

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

in 1999 and, was inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...

on 12 August 2006.

Motocross racing career

Born in

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Ward moved to the United States with his family when he was four years old. He began to compete in mini-bike motocross racing in Southern California in the 1960s, just as the sport of motocross was experiencing a burgeoning popularity in the United States. Ward became one of the most accomplished mini-bike motocross racers of his era. He appeared in the 1971 motorcycle documentary film, ''

On Any Sunday ''On Any Sunday'' is a 1971 American documentary film about motorcycle sport, directed by Bruce Brown. It was nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

'' when he was 10 years old, performing a long

wheelie In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie, or wheelstand, is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to sufficient torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels, or rider motion relative to the vehicle. Whe ...

on his mini-bike. Ward began his professional motocross career in 1978 riding a Suzuki in the 125cc class. The following year, he joined the Kawasaki factory racing team and, would remain with the company for the duration of his motocross career. Ward won his first AMA national in 1982 and, in 1984 he won his first AMA

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

in the 125cc class, winning eight out of 10 races. It also marked the first 125cc national title for Kawasaki. Ward continued to improve in 1985, edging out

Broc Glover Broc Glover (born May 16, 1960) is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1976 to 1988. Glover earned six AMA national championships, a record which stood for nearly 20 years until 20 ...

to win the

Supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

national championship and then capturing the 250cc motocross national championship. He competed in both the 250cc and 500cc national championships in 1986, finishing fourth in the 250cc series and third in the 500cc championship. Ward won his second AMA Supercross championship in 1987 over

Ricky Johnson Richard Bernard "Ricky" Johnson Jr. (born July 6, 1964) is an American former professional motocross, off-road truck and stock car racer. He competed in AMA motocross and Supercross during the 1980s and, won seven AMA national championships. He ...

however, he finished second to Johnson in the 250cc national championship. The rivalry with Johnson continued in the 1988 250cc motocross national championship with both Ward and Johnson winning three races, but Ward prevailed by seven points to claim the championship over Johnson. In 1989, Ward finished second to Jeff Stanton in the 250cc national championship but, defeated Stanton in the 500cc championship thus, becoming the first rider to win AMA motocross national championships in the 125, 250 and 500cc classes. He successfully defended his 500cc crown in 1990 then, finished second in the 1991 500cc championship, nine points behind

Jean-Michel Bayle Jean-Michel Bayle (born 1 April 1969) is a French former professional motorcycle racer. He was one of the most successful riders of his era, achieving success at the highest levels in both motocross and road racing. Biography Born in Manosque ...

. Ward retired from professional motocross competition after finishing in third place in the 1992 500cc national championship. In 15 seasons, Ward won a total of 56 national races placing him third on the all-time AMA motocross/Supercross win list at the time of his retirement. He won a total of seven AMA national championships, tying

Bob Hannah Robert William Hannah (born September 26, 1956) is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1975 to 1989, most notably as a member of the Yamaha factory racing team. He was one of the ...

and Ricky Johnson for the most career motocross and Supercross championships at the time of his retirement. In international motocross competition, Ward was a member of 7 winning U.S.

teams, and a member of 2 Trophée des Nations winning teams.

Auto racing career

After the end of his motocross career, Ward still had a desire for competition and turned his attention to

open-wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

auto racing in the

Indy Racing League The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...

. He quickly proved to be competitive with a fourth-place finish in the Phoenix round of the

1993 Indy Lights season The 1993 Firestone Indy Lights Championship consisted of 12 races and featured the introduction of new Lola chassis. However, this season was also unique in that included a separate "B-Class" classification for drivers using the previous season's M ...

and a third-place finish at the

Nazareth Speedway Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing facility near Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania which operated from 1910 to 2004 in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987 it was reo ...

during the

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

season. At the

1997 Indianapolis 500 The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled for Sunday May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was starte ...

while competing for the

Cheever Racing Cheever Racing was an auto racing team founded in 1996 by Eddie Cheever as Team Cheever in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. They fielded a car for Cheever for much of its existence, but occasionally ran two cars, almost always for the Indianap ...

team, Ward qualified on the third row and led the race for 49 laps before finishing the race in third place. His performance earned him the 1997

Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year is an annual award "presented to the driver who has performed with the most distinction among first-year drivers in the Indianapolis 500." Criteria includes "on-track performance in practice, qualifying an ...

award. He improved to a 6th-place finish in the

1998 Indy Racing League season The 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League was one of relative stability compared to the previous two seasons. For the first time the season consisted of a single and complete spring, summer, and fall like all other forms of motorsport. 15 drivers comp ...

while competing for the

ISM Racing ISM Racing is a former auto racing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Indy Racing League ISM fielded cars in the IRL from 1997 to 1999. In 1998, Jeff Ward finished 6t ...

team. Ward was contracted to drive for the Pagan Racing team during the

1999 Indy Racing League season Greg Ray won his first and only Drivers' Championship while Kenny Bräck (pictured) finished second in the championship. The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League was highly competitive and parity was the order of the year. Team Menard had a very goo ...

and, began the year with a third place at the season opening round at the

Walt Disney World Speedway Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, an ...

and a second place in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. He followed this with an impressive second place at the 1999 Indianapolis 500. Ward suffered inconsistent results for the remainder of the 1999 season to finish 11th in the championship. He won the

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

race at Texas Motor Speedway for the

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, NTT IndyCar Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA WeatherTech ...

team, marking his first and only Indy Car victory. During his open-wheel auto racing career, Ward garnered three top five finishes in seven starts at the Indianapolis 500.

Return to motorcycle racing

At the age of 43, Ward returned to motorcycle racing and won the 2004

AMA Supermoto Championship The AMA Supermoto Championship was an AMA Pro Racing-sanctioned Supermoto motorcycle racing series that ran from 2003 through 2009. AMA Pro Racing was a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Motorcyclist Association. An amateur national cham ...

competing against riders half his age. He won a second

Supermoto Supermoto is a form of motorcycle racing held on race tracks that alternate between three kinds of track surfaces: the hard packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and obstacles of motocross, and the paved tarmac of road racing. Supermo ...

championship in 2006 at the age of 45. Ward also won the Moto X category at the 2006 X Games, becoming the oldest male gold medalist and the oldest Moto X medalist in

X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...

history. In 2008, he repeated as the winner of the Moto X category of the 2008 X Games.

Off-road racing

From Indy Car racing, Ward progressed to off-road truck racing, competing in the 2009

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series The Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, also known as LOORRS, was a short course off-road racing series in the United States and also in Mexico beginning in 2015. The series featured events in Arizona, California, Nevada, Missouri and hosted a weeken ...

for the Speed Technologies team. He also competed in the

2013 Stadium Super Trucks Series The 2013 Stadium Super Trucks Series was the inaugural season of Stadium Super Trucks competition. The series marked the revival of off-road racing in stadiums, originally created by Mickey Thompson, and reintroduced by former NASCAR driver Robb ...

, finishing 10th in the inaugural race at

University of Phoenix Stadium A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. Ward competed in the

Global RallyCross Championship The TitansRX International Series (formerly known as Red Bull Global Rallycross or Global Rallycross) is a group of rallycross series, currently organised by racing driver Max Pucher and businessman Chip Pankow. The initial series was series ru ...

for the Chip Ganassi Racing team in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, serving as a replacement driver for former motocross racer Brian Deegan.

Awards and championships

Awards

* Ward was inducted into the

in 1999. * Ward was inducted into the

in 2006.Jeff Ward
at the

Championships

AMA Motocross / Supermoto

* 1984—Won AMA 125cc national motocross title. * 1985—Won AMA national 250cc motocross and Supercross titles. * 1987—Won second AMA national 250cc Supercross championship. * 1988—Captured second AMA national 250cc motocross title. * 1989—Won AMA national 500cc motocross championship to become first rider in history to win every major AMA national motocross title. * 1990—Won second consecutive AMA national 500cc motocross championship. * 2004—Won

at 43 years of age. * 2006—Won X-Games Supermoto Championship at 45 years of age. * 2006—Won

(second title) * 2008—Won X-Games Supermoto Championship at 47 years of age (second title).

Indy Racing League

* 1997—Finished third at Indianapolis 500 in maiden effort, finished 30th in IRL season point standings. * 1998—Earned career-first pole position at Phoenix IRL race, four top five finishes, finished career-best 6th in IRL season point standings. * 1999—Finished career-best second at Indianapolis 500, three top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings. * 2000—Finished fourth at Indianapolis 500, two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings. * 2001—Two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings. * 2002—Winner of Boomtown 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, finished ninth at Indianapolis 500, two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings.

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

* 2009—Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Rookie of the Year * 2009—Dirt Sports Rookie of the Year * 2009—2nd Place in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Championship, behind by 1 point

Racing record

Complete American Open Wheel Racing results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

IRL IndyCar Series

Indianapolis 500

NASCAR

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

Complete Global RallyCross Championship results

Supercar

Race cancelled.

Stadium Super Trucks

(

) (Bold – Pole position. ''Italics'' – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Jeff 1961 births Living people Scottish emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from Newport Beach, California Sportspeople from Glasgow American motocross riders AMA Motocross Championship National Champions Racing drivers from California IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year Indy Lights drivers X Games athletes 24 Hours of Daytona drivers Barber Pro Series drivers Global RallyCross Championship drivers Stadium Super Trucks drivers Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Cheever Racing drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers Vision Racing drivers