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JOHNNY CAMPBELL Profile:
Born: Feb. 11, 1971, Laguna Beach, CA
Residence: San Clemente, CA
Began riding: 1980, age 9
First race: 1984, age 13
Training: Mountain biking, trail riding
Height/weight: 6’ 0” / 175 pounds
Marital status: Married, wife Faye and children Preston and Paris
Current race bike: Honda CRF450R, Honda CRF450X
Mechanics: Precision Concepts, Eric Siraton, Tom Jones, Self
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JOHNNY CAMPBELL Bio:
Johnny Campbell, What's a guy to do when he has earned the royal title of King of Baja, has nabbed countless SCORE series championships and Best in the Desert titles and is a name immediately associated with Honda?
Johnny Campbell spent 2006 in the dual roles of racing and as team coordinator, beginning the transition of inheriting team-coordination duties of the Honda Off-Road Team from Bruce Ogilvie, a many-times-over Baja champion himself. In fact, Campbell didn't even race for the first six months of 2006--strange for both him and for fans, since he's been racing nonstop for the past 15 years. But the new gig is allowing Campbell to share his wealth of experience and winning tactics with teammates Steve Hengeveld, Kendall Norman and Robby Bell as he handles, among other responsibilities, pit logistics/team strategies. Campbell is also heading up racing development of the CRF450X.
The break from the physical and mental challenges of long-distance racing rejuvenated Campbell, who discovered that not being on the bike only made him want to be on the bike more than ever. Maybe it was because riding was the best way to escape from the crush of cell phone and email business, ripping through the desert at 70-plus mph--or maybe it was because there simply is no off-switch for racing genius. Compared to coordinating race team biz, Campbell has discovered that racing is actually the simple life, although he can say that because he's been at it for so long and it's where he's most comfortable. By breaking out of that comfort zone to be team coordinator, Campbell has proven he carries that same fierce determination and focus off the bike.
Time away from racing proved to be good for Campbell as far as physical and mental recovery, allowing him to pace himself with local motocross and grand prix races in preparation for the 2006 Baja 1000, a race in which he took home his ninth consecutive overall win for the Honda team. However, his winning streak came to an end with that event as Campbell and his riding partners Bell and Norman finished second overall behind their friends and fellow Honda teammates Hengeveld, Childress and Quinn Cody.
"It's been fun to get back to racing and competing again," Campbell says. "You go along for years racing all the time and you kind of burn out, and then it becomes more of a job than it is fun--and now the fun's back. It's exciting to have that feeling again in my heart and my mind." But he's also enjoying his new role. "One of the only ways that we grow is to get out of this comfort zone and take a risk, and let yourself be vulnerable to different responsibilities, and it helps--definitely helps me grow and see racing from a different perspective." Despite his part-time racing status, Campbell teamed with Bell to finish second at the 2006 BITD Vegas to Reno race, a flat tire spoiling their chance for an overall win. Campbell also rode on the winning four-man Glen Helen 24-hour team in 2006.
However, no one else on the planet doubted he would excel at the new challenge, and Campbell acknowledges that while he's fluent in all aspects of racing and performance and teamwork, having others rely on him has been the toughest task. "I think when you're a racer or an athlete, you're always taking care of yourself. I've had a lot of responsibility--a wife and a family and taking care of them--but when you go into a leadership-type role such as a coordinator, you have to take on responsibility for making decisions for other people. One of the toughest things for me has been that I'm not just making decisions for Johnny Campbell anymore." But he adds, "To be successful, you can't just think about yourself. There's so much more involved in life in general as well as the racing team; you have to be the guy who knows everything about the event or everything about your program or everything about your effort. I'm trying to grasp all that, but it's a big mound, you know, a big weight. And so, it's tough." But it's clear he's tackling that hurdle and doing quite well, thank you, helping his Team Honda riders in 2006 to land another Best in the Desert series championship, the SCORE championship and another overall Team Honda victory in the Baja 1000, even though his personal bid to make it 10 titles in a row came up one place short.
While he may still be getting up to speed in his new position as team coordinator, he's quickly finding out that one of the most fulfilling parts of the role is being able to work with the new riders and monitor their progress. Campbell has long been an advocate of mentoring, so it's no surprise that the new kids on the block would look to him. And Campbell has considered Bruce Ogilvie to be his role model since day one. "Bruce taught me that you have to think things out before you take action. You take your resources and what's available to you, and then you just start deciding your strategy based upon your equipment, your talent and your resources. So he's taught me all that. I just can't thank him enough for that." Nor can the younger riders thank Campbell enough for what he has been able to pass down to them. "You're getting appreciation from those guys; they're looking up to you, so that's a good feeling. That's a big reward for sure."
Undoubtedly, as Campbell enters the 2007 season, his teammates, as well as his family and his fans, will continue to look to him for his talent and expertise--and continuing success at leading Honda to victory.
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