Jeff Ward and L&M partnership

Jeff Ward Racing will race the 2012 Monster Energy AMA SX Championship and 2012 Lucas Oil AMA Motocross Championship.

Mike Kranyak: "L&M are excited to join forces with Jeff Ward. Combining our existing infrastructure with Jeff Ward's life-long experience in motorsport it's really going to elevate our team to a new level. I am looking forward to 2012 and beyond."

Jeff Ward: "This is a great opportunity and I am excited to partner with Mike Kranyak and L&M Racing, It has been a dream of mine since I stopped racing full time to become a team owner and to partner with one of the most successful teams for the past 5 years gives myself the platform to pass on my experience and championship knowledge. I have been around race teams and racing for over 45 years and have seen what it takes to be successful on and off the track for both athletes and teams."

The team personnel and facility will all remain the same and will be based out of Temecula, CA.  Team Partners and riders will be announced soon.

L&M Racing had considerable success in the past AMA Supercross Championships especially in 2008 and 2009 with Chad Reed and James Stewart.  Stewart who is their 'name' rider, was out for most of 2010, and halfway into this year parted ways with the team.

Larry Brooks, who was the public face of the partnership, has joined forces with Jeremy McGrath and San Manuel using Honda bikes.  Their riders are #29 Andrew Short and # 36 Kyle Regal.

Who Jeff Ward Racing sign is the big question and on what colour?  Rest assured it won't be JS7 but they will certainly be podium potentials - watch this space?

Jeff Ward was born 22 June 1961, in Glasgow, Scotland of Scottish parents.
Ward is the first motocross rider in history to win every major AMA Motocross National Championship.
Nicknamed 'The Flying Freckle', throughout his motocross career Ward stayed loyal to the Kawasaki brand and retired from motocross with seven national titles, 56 national race wins and having represented the USA 7 times on Motocross Des Nations winning teams.
Following his motocross career, Ward moved to racing cars in the Indy Racing League. Ward finished 6th in series points in 1998, and won the 2002 race at Texas Motor Speedway. He established a solid reputation at the prestigious Indianapolis 500: he was 1997 Rookie of the Year with a third place finish and garnered four top five finishes in just seven starts. Ward was also in the 1971 documentary movie On Any Sunday starring Steve McQueen. He is now racing short course off road trucks in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for the Speed Technologies team.

Jeff Ward in 2007. Copy and photos courtesy of Wikipedia.