[ K. Windham | J. Grant | J. Weimer | D. Reardon | T. Canard ]

Born: Feb. 28, 1978, Baton Rouge, LA Residence: Centerville, MS National #: 14 Began riding: 1981, age 3 First race: 1981, age 3 Training: Weight training, running, BMX and road bicycling Hobbies: Flying Height/weight: 6’1”/185 pounds Marital status: Married, wife Dottie, daughters Madelyn and Annabelle, son Kevin Jr. Current racebike: Honda CRF450R Mechanic: Brian Calma

Click on any of the photos below for a larger image.

Profile: KEVIN WINDHAM

Most riders will never gate up for a Motocross or Supercross national. And even if they do, their “careers” are limited to just a few years at best. Then there’s Torco Racing Fuels Honda teammate Kevin Windham. With 14 years to his credit as a professional motocross racer, Windham has had an amazing career—especially considering how he currently performs against a pack of considerably younger riders.

Windham won the Unadilla Motocross national in 2007, and he and his CRF450R gave the field a riding lesson in the last moto of the season’s last race at Glen Helen, winning in commanding fashion. In a sport where riders turn pro at 16 and may be washed up at 21 or 22, Windham, a 30-year-old family man with three kids, not only endures, he improves—and thrives.

Windham’s also one of the best-balanced riders in the sport, both on the track and off. He’s a master of smooth riding, maybe the best out there right now, and he made the transition from two-strokes to four-strokes effortlessly. He manages his career, his marriage and his family with apparently equal ease. He flies his own airplane. He mentors the younger riders on the team. And he makes it all look easy.

Any rider can talk about how he did at his last race or recite a list of rehearsed sponsors, but ask Windham a question and you get a longer, more studied answer. When asked how his racebike relates to a fan’s CRF450R, he takes the big view.

“Well, I think the CRF450R is a great bike for people to go pick up and do a wide variety of things. Off the showroom floor, the CRF450R is great. I think the consumer would be happy with the bike in anything he does. I know guys who race it virtually stock engine-wise, and I know guys who go out and ride trails with it all the time. I’ve got a lot of buddies who enjoy theirs, and they have little to no experience. I enjoy my CRF450R and have a good bit of experience.”

And here are his thoughts on his season last year: “Well, it was good. We had ups and downs like always, but I finished the season strong, which made me feel good. There were some struggles through the middle part, and I think I should’ve been riding a little better than I was. So I got a little frustrated, and it kind of all came down to me. The bike was working great and the team was right where it needed to be, so I felt the pressure to overcome it and finally did, and it was nice to overcome.”

And what about being “the old man” with all those younger riders?

“It’s sobering. It kind of makes me feel old from time to time, but it’s nice. It’s fun to see the guys, like Josh Grant, who is still a young kid, and 17-year-old Trey Canard, another Torco Racing Fuels Honda rider whose coming in makes Josh look old by comparison. But it’s nice to have those guys look up to you. If I can help in any way, you know, that’s great.

“I’m obviously getting really close to being the vet. It’s nice to be able to still offer something, still be around, still have a value, and you want to have value in this sport. When I hang up my boots, what am I going to do? I imagine there’s going to be a day when I can’t do it anymore, and that’s just reality. But then I’m going to have to find a place to go next—a team manager or a mentor or whatever. That’s a good position to be in.”

The voice of experience—a lifetime’s worth of experience in those 14 years. And the voice of a winner. Kevin Windham is exactly where he needs to be in 2008, and the Torco Racing Fuels Honda team is thrilled to have him here.

Statistics

2007

4th AMA Supercross Series
5th AMA Motocross Series

2006

2nd AMA Motocross Series
14th AMA Supercross Series (shortened season due to injury)

2005

2nd AMA 250 National Motocross Series
3rd AMA 250 Supercross Series

2004

2nd AMA 250 Supercross Series
3rd AMA 250 National Motocross Series

2003

2nd AMA 250 National Motocross Series

2002

Missed most of season due to injury

2001

2nd AMA 250 National Motocross Series
4th AMA 250 Supercross Series

2000

3rd AMA 250 National Motocross Series
4th AMA 250 Supercross Series

1999

2nd AMA 250 National Motocross Series
7th AMA 250 Supercross Series

1998

4th AMA 250 Supercross Series
8th AMA 250 National Motocross Series

1997

1st AMA 125 West Supercross Series
2nd AMA 125 National Motocross Series
18th AMA 250 Supercross Series

1996

1st AMA 125 West Supercross Series
2nd AMA 125 National Motocross Series
19th AMA 250 Supercross Series

1995

5th AMA 125 East Supercross Series
16th AMA 250 National Motocross Series

1994

AMA Motocross Rookie of the Year