On 11-12 August 2001, American Supercross sensation Jeremy McGrath won the Melbourne round of the Australian Supercross Masters series.

The seven-times AMA Supercross Champion beat Australia’s top racers at the Rod Laver Arena riding a Yamaha. Nicknamed the “King of Supercross” because of his domination of the sport during the 1990s winning  the most AMA Supercross titles, McGrath has Aussie connections with his mother reportedly born in Melbourne.

McGrath led the Melbourne final from start to finish with Michael Byrne (Honda) showing his international experience to finish second ahead of Shane Metcalfe (SA, Honda), who filled the final rostrum placing in third.  

Australian Supercross Masters series leader Craig Anderson (NSW, KTM) finished fifth behind Cameron Taylor (VIC, Honda), but still managed to hold a 10 point lead over Taylor after the round. Anderson also would go onto clinch his second National Supercross Championship that year, winning his first in 1998.

McGrath delighted the packed out Rod Laver Arena crowd with his trademark “tricks” over the supercross jumps, which helped spawn the sport of freestyle motocross.

After a successful career in BMX, McGrath began racing motocross at the age of 15. He placed eighth in the 1989 125cc West Region Supercross season. In 1990, he won his first supercross race and placed second in that season. He won back-to-back 125 West Supercross titles in 1991 and 1992, then in 1993 became the first rookie ever to win the AMA 250cc Supercross Championship.

McGrath went on to win seventy-two 250cc Main Events and captured seven 250cc supercross championships between 1993 and 2000, a time now known as the “McGrath Era”. He also won the 1995 250 Outdoor Motocross Championship and had the 1996 title in sight before a late-season injury handed the title to Jeff Emig.  In 1996, he was named the AMA Pro Athlete of the Year.