Four years ago, who was the heir apparent to Jeremy McGrath’s supercross throne?. It was Ezra Lusk, who left Yamaha for a lucrative deal with Honda. Able to beat Jeremy McGrath “straight-up”, as they say, Ezra was coming into his own with absolutely blazing speed indoors. What happened?
Call it bad luck, sloppy riding or incompatibility with his bike, but Lusk ended up on his head more often than most. Concussions, broken bones and, consequently, lost confidence and timing, all plagued Ezra during the past few seasons with Honda. The talent was always there, and the will to win, but Lusk just couldn’t put it all together.
His switch to Kawasaki this year (somewhat ironically, the team his former best friend Ricky Carmichael just left for Honda) seems to have given Lusk the opportunity to clear the cobwebs and refocus on winning. A recent interview published elsewhere indicates Lusk is excited about his chances for supercross glory at Kawasaki. His new mechanic is Randy Lawrence — Jeremy McGrath’s former mechanic. Lawrence, somewhat of a party animal “back in the day” recently became a Christian. Lusk is also a strong Christian, and he and Lawrence seem to have quickly gelled as a team.
Lusk is not only a great rider, he fears no one. He is one of the few riders who can line up at the start gate between McGrath and Carmichael without getting psyched. With a little good luck this year (he has had more than his share of bad), Ezra could be right in the mix for the supercross championship.
