Laninovich's Stage Full of Excitement

Billy Laninovich is all smiles at the Supercross pre-race held Feb. 11 at Qualcomm Stadium. Photo by Darrel Kinney

By Johnny McDonald

It's a crazy life of whoops, stutter-bumps, berms and 25-foot jumps for former Ramonan Billy Laninovich who loves every excising bone-bruising motorcycle moment of the nation's fastest growing sports called Supercross.

To his credit, the 22-year old is considered one of the American Motorcycle Association's swiftest of the new-generation riders to come out of Southern California's hotbed of racing talent.

We spent some time with him in a crowded pit of autograph seekers before he became a part of a motorized "rock party" before 69,000 Qualcomm Stadium spectators. All the glitz of a fireworks and light show with loudspeaker blasts are a prelude to snarling motorcycles swarming around a multicolored serpentine course.

For Laninovich, this represents his second comeback season to injuries he sustained in 2004. His 10th place finish among 22 Lite entries at Qualcomm was not what he had in mind but there would be other chances.

"I tore my ACL and knee that sidelined me the entire year," the likable rider said. "I hired a trainer and undertook a strong rehab program."

He has approached it with the same verve and dedication he does in riding for the Honda factory team.

He told us he spent 14 of his young learning years from Montessori to Ramona High School. But another form of education was earned riding motorcycles on the off-road course at Barona Oaks.

"I was introduced to motorcycles when I was 2 1/2 and my first competition was when I was 7," he said. "Now, I enjoy being someone that little kids look up to and being a role model for them. It's all part of being a racer,"

His riding career soared in 2000 as an amateur national champion at Loretta Lynn's Tennessee Ranch and he turned pro in 2002. Within a year, he became a force in the Western Supercross Lite series for 125cc bikes. Twice, he scored podium finishes in 2003 before 36,000 spectators in Anaheim Stadium.

He finished second overall at Salt Lake City's Rice-Eccles Stadium and at year's end just missed the overall podium (by five points to fellow Honda racer Andrew Short), battling to a fourth-place overall finish in the class.

"When I first started, Rick Johnson (a two-time national champion) and David Bailey used to help me out," he said. "I'd sit around and ask a lot of questions."

Once his strong point, Laninovich said he has been struggling in starting off real fast.

"It's been a matter of balance," he said. "I tried starting with one leg up and then went back to two legs on the ground. With five or six other guys as fast as you, it is hard to make up that ground."

In Supercross, 22 riders line up side-by-side and when the barrier drops they dart toward a tight left- hand turn where it's difficult to keep from falling or crashing into another.

With boyish enthusiasm, Laninovich said he may get a chance later this year to ride in the advanced 250cc class against the likes of James Stewart, Rick Carmichael and returning seven-time national champion, Jeremy McGrath.