2000 YZ250
Jeff Emig’s Last Winning Bike Varner to build the engines. The design worked, and Emig was able to dominate both nights of competition. Essentially competing as a privateer that year, Emig’s 1999 U.S. Open of Supercross win was not only a classic example of an under-funded rider beating the world’s best factory teams, it was also Emig’s final win as a professional racer. The U.S. Open triumph capped a successful AMA Motocross and Supercross career for Emig. In all, Emig won four AMA national championships, an FIM World Supercross title and was a six-time member of the U.S. Motocross des Nations team.
Photos Rainer Zeihm
The track for the 1999 U.S. Open of Supercross had two defining qualities: a brutal whoop section and an extremely short start. AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jeff Emig and his team focused on setting up Emig’s 2000 Yamaha YZ250 so it could attack those obstacles with perfection. Enzo Racing worked on the chassis and suspension setup for the event, held in Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Emig was able to dial in the bike with just a few compression and rebound adjustments the night of the race. For the power, Emig’s team, Strategic 3 Motosports, enlisted FMF Racing and Terry
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