Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Former racer Steve McLaughlin, 54, is back in the U.S. after 15 years living abroad and producing international races, and is looking for work in the racing industry. Now based in Southern California, he is willing to relocate.

McLaughlin was behind the 1970s proposal that led to the establishment of the AMA Superbike Production class, which then became AMA Superbike, which became the premier AMA class in 1986.

In 1988 McLaughlin and his backers established the Superbike World Championship, the first FIM series to feature worldwide television coverage of every round. At the end of the 1988 season McLaughlin sold his interest in the series and went on to produce individual races in Australia, Mexico and Europe.

He became a partner in a German company, Moto Motion International, which promoted nine FIM Grands Prix in Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany between 1990 and 1997.

Moto Motion also started and ran the Pro Superbike Series in Europe between 1990 and 1999, and McLaughlin’s duties included directing and producing over 200 television shows covering the series, broadcast live on Eurosport.

McLaughlin’s career has also included sales promotion stints with Ford, Volkswagen and Nissan (then Datsun), as well as motorsports marketing, promotion and TV production with DSF Advertising.

He was involved with the original Superbowl of Motocross at the Los Angeles Coliseum, handling event promotion and advertising, and a few years ago promoted an independent Supercross race at the Coliseum called “Summercross” to avoid a trademark dispute with AMA or Clear Channel.

During McLaughlin’s time at Moto Motion, the company initiated successful litigation with both the German Federation and DORNA over use of the Pro Superbike trademark.

McLaughlin road raced from 1964 into 1980, when he formed and ran American Honda’s first AMA Superbike program, signing Freddie Spencer to ride.

McLaughlin won three AMA Superbike races, winning at Daytona on a Butler & Smith BMW R90S in March 1976, riding a 944cc Yoshimura GS750 Suzuki to victory at Laguna Seca in September 1977, and winning on a Yoshimura Suzuki GS1000 at Daytona in March 1978. McLaughlin finished second in the 1976 AMA Superbike Championship and sixth in the 1978 AMA Superbike Championship.

McLaughlin led the 1975 Daytona 200 on a Yamaha TZ750 but crashed, remounting to finish sixth.

During his riding career McLaughlin was known for bringing in outside-the-industry sponsors, including Armor-All, and for extending the tailsection on his TZ750 down and forward to make room for better sponsor logo presentation.

His father, John, also a racer, was one of six riders who formed AFM and was involved in the organization of the first Grand Prix in the U.S., held at Daytona in the early 1960s. John McLaughlin was inducted into the AMA Hall Of Fame Museum in 2001.

Steve McLaughlin can be contacted at (909) 990-2109.