What’s Up With “Fast” Freddie

Three-time World Champ Spencer is a busy dude, with a MotoGP gig and some teaching on the side

It’s been a long time since three-time GP World Champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer

Freddie Spencer did any instructional racetrack teaching, as his renowned, Las Vegas-based Freddie Spencer High Performance Riding School closed its doors back in 2008.

But lately, Spencer seems to have gotten the bug again, this time with what’s in many ways an offshoot of Spencer’s original school — the Yamaha Champions Riding School, run by ex-Spencer school instructor Nick Ienatsch.

After seeing Spencer at a MotoGP event at COTA a few years back, Ienatsch reminded the champ that he was always welcome at one of the Champ School dates…and recently, Spencer took Ienatsch up on the offer.

“I gave Freddie a call last year,” Ienatsch told us, “and he said, ‘yeah, I think I’d like to do that.’ He’s come out to three events over the winter, at the Streets of Willow, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Homestead, too. The students love it, of course, as Freddie is still a major hero to a lot of motorcyclists. He is aware that even the seemingly small things that we teach are vital and is really articulate when he explains things.”

“More than that, though, he’s really appreciative of the fact that we’re carrying on the same basic set of skills and teaching that we refined during all those years at his school, and that folks are happy to see and hear from him! His current job with MotoGP