Throwback Thursday: Chaparral Yamaha Race Team 1997
Larry Lawrence | December 6, 2018
Throwback Thursday: Chaparral Yamaha Race Team 1997
In this week’s Throwback we dial the wayback machine to 1997. 21 years ago Team Chaparral Yamaha was one of the factory-supported squads and this was the team’s lineup for the 1997 AMA Supercross season. From left to right are Chad Pederson (125 East), Greg Schnell (125 East), Michael Brandes (125 West), Phil Lawrence (250), Jimmy Button (250) and Travis Preston (125 West). As you can tell from the photo, the team sported AXO apparel.
It was tough going in Supercross, but Chaparral had some solid results. Button scored the best results for the team in the main 250 class with a podium at Minneapolis and a total of seven top-10 finishes. He finished the AMA Supercross Series ranked 9th. Schnell ended up being the top 125 Supercross rider for the squad. He finished in the top-10 in all but one round of 125 East Region Supercross, with a best result of second at St. Louis. He ended that year ranked fourth in the East.
You can read about the exploits of Chaparral Yamaha during the 1997 season and much more by subscribing to the Cycle News Archives at: https://www.cyclenews.com/cycle-news-archives/