Skip Norfolk

Before Jeremy McGrath controlled Supercross, Skip Norfolk saw something special in a late-starting BMX kid who moved all over a dirt bike, and helped develop the skills and build the motorcycle capable of keeping up with him.

As the wins stacked up, so did the pressure. McGrath got the spotlight. Skip got the sleepless nights, the impossible explanations to Honda and the terrifying knowledge that one loose bolt could end the greatest run in the sport.

Skip also understood Showtime’s hidden advantage. Jeremy wanted his rivals to see the boats and parties, not the testing, preparation and obsessive attention happening behind the scenes. Snewy helped protect both versions of the King.

When Jeff Emig ended McGrath’s winning streak, the championship fight became personal. Then Jeremy badly injured his foot during their 1996 outdoor war. Skip helped engineer the movie’s most desperate comeback: placing a steel plate inside Jeremy’s boot, lifting him onto the motorcycle and sending him out to shift with his heel.

McGrath somehow won at Binghamton, but Emig charged to second, forcing their title fight toward its winner-take-all conclusion at Steel City.

Skip built the bikes, guarded the secrets and occasionally kept Honda from knowing exactly what its superstar was doing. Every King needs a right-hand man. Showtime had Snewy.