The American sports scene is in mourning after the death of Coy Gibbs, former leader of the JGR Racing Team, in his days one of the most popular and competitive within the highest level of AMA Supercross and Pro, was known this morning. Motocross. According to various sources, Coy’s death was due to natural causes while he was in his home. He was 49 years old.
Coy Gibbs was the son of successful NFL and NASCAR Hall of Famer and coach Joey Gibbs. In 2008 he started the Joey Gibbs Racing (JGR) supercross and motocross team. Just one year later, they made it into the winner’s circle thanks to an emotional win by Josh Grant at the opening round of AMA Supercross in Anaheim. Despite never having achieved a title, JGR was considered one of the best teams, coming to reap some victories and multiple podium finishes in both supercross and motocross with the help of James Stewart, Josh Grant, Davi Millsaps, Justin Barcia, Weston Peick, Justin Brayton, Alex Martin, Jimmy Decotis, and Kyle Peters.
Coy was at the helm of JGR for 13 years. Since 2008 they received support from Yamaha, and from 2016 they changed to Suzuki, again signing for Barcia. Unfortunately, the irregular results and the fall of sponsors made it difficult for the team to continue until it closed its doors in 2020. Despite this, Coy was considered a pioneer in many aspects of how to run a team. For example, he was among the first to propose that his pilots ride and train together in the same facility, a common practice today.