Roy Turner

By 1996, Jeremy McGrath had dominated Supercross for so long that everyone else seemed to have accepted second place. Roy Turner refused.

Behind locked doors at Kawasaki, he assembled an entirely new team, Jeff Emig, Ryan Hughes and Damon Huffman, and secretly rebuilt its image around a semi-truck, aggressive uniforms and fluorescent-green motorcycles. Kawasaki’s corporate offices knew nothing about the redesign. Roy arrived at the opening round unsure whether he had created a sensation or gotten himself fired. The cameras surrounding the new bikes supplied the answer.

But Roy’s most important work happened inside the riders’ heads. He believed a team manager couldn’t beat confidence into someone; he had to build it through friendship, encouragement and small successes.

Roy is the architect of MOTO NINETIES’ attack on McGrath’s kingdom. Each holeshot, podium and near-win becomes another jab proving the unbeatable rider can be reached. Injuries eventually reduce Roy’s three-headed green monster to Emig alone, but by then, Fro finally believes.

Roy didn’t simply give Emig a motorcycle capable of beating McGrath. He created the person who believed he could do it.