GYPSY TALES

Chapter 386

Rick Johnson

2 Mar 2026 · 3h 8m

With Rick Johnson

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Ricky "RJ" Johnson — 7-time AMA champion and the original supercross bad boy — joins the Gypsy Tales Podcast for over 3 hours. Ricky won 61 AMA national races, held the all-time Supercross wins record, dominated the 250cc and 500cc classes for HRC Honda under Roger De Coster, won 4 Motocross des Nations with Team USA, and was forced to retire at just 25 after a devastating wrist injury at the 1989 Gatorback National. After motocross he won the Baja 1000 twice and earned ASA stock car Rookie of the Year alongside Jimmie Johnson.

In this episode Ricky breaks down how good Jett Lawrence really is, whether Haiden Deegan can beat Jett, what signing with Fox Racing was like, Jeffrey Herlings and the European riders, his biggest rivals from the 80s, the brutal reality of motocross media, factory bike advantages, Hunter Lawrence in 2026, and his 2026 Supercross predictions. 🎬 Join us for a special screening of 100 Hours with Jo Shimoda live and in person. 📍 March 6th in Indianapolis.

Chapters 27

  1. 0:00Intro
  2. 1:11Welcome Ricky Johnson to the Podcast
  3. 4:31The Crazy History of Motocross
  4. 15:00Culture Shock
  5. 22:39Japanese Culture and Their Motocross Fan Base
  6. 29:09The Riders RJ Has Worked With
  7. 35:46Working with Roger De Coster & Others in the Moto Industry
  8. 39:34How Good Is Jett Lawrence?
  9. 49:34Forced to Retire at 25
  10. 1:03:21Staying Active to Stay Healthy
  11. 1:09:21RJ Knew He'd Be a Pro Motocross Racer
  12. 1:31:25The Brutal Reality of Motocross Media
  13. 1:51:00RJ's Biggest Rivals
  14. 1:58:09Jeffrey Herlings and Why European Riders Are So Good
  15. 2:02:16Signing with Fox Racing
  16. 2:12:09Haiden Deegan's Fox Deal
  17. 2:13:54Brad Pitt's F1 Movie
  18. 2:20:36How Haiden Deegan Can Beat Jett Lawrence
  19. 2:28:31Is Hunter Lawrence the Man to Beat in 2026?
  20. 2:29:46The Most Stacked Field Ricky Raced
  21. 2:32:51Factory Bikes Had a Huge Advantage
  22. 2:41:37Starting American Offroad
  23. 2:51:09Are Riders Neglecting the Basics?
  24. 2:52:35Ricky Johnson Speaks on Jett Lawrence
  25. 3:00:542026 Supercross Predictions
  26. 3:04:16The Mid 400
  27. 3:06:32Outro

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