tell us about your first race ....

1978 Haspin, IN. Holeshot the 250b class and was leading for a couple laps then tightened when Deeter started pressuring me. Blew a turn at speed and went out into a picnic area and hit a picnic table. I hate that sort of thing .

I never wanted to race MX, it seemed like a lot of sitting around for the time spent on the track, I really would rather just ride or ride at a buddys track. Then at the rip old age of 39 ( three years ago ) I let my mouth write a check..... I said to a buddy I can spend hours in the woods riding around so a Hare scramble would be a piece of cake so he called me out.

It was at Buffalo Range in Ottawa Il, dead engine start. Waited for the drop of the hat, kicked her over put it in gear, dumped the clutch, nothing... it did not start and I could not hear it. Started dead last, picked off a few guys, then crashed, got stuck in a creek, crashed, hit a tree, crashed. I came around to the truck to quit and my buddy said I would be more tired walking the 20 miles home if I did not keep going cuz he was not giving me a ride home. I bet I crashed 20 times that day but was HOOKED on scrambles from that day on.

Whiteburg MX in north west Georgia. I was 14 years old and raced an 1974 honda cr 125m I crashed the first moto. The 2nd moto I finished 9th. Changed my life 4ever. Thank you Dad.

Rio Bravo in Houston TX, June 1989. I was 8 and racing a 1988 RM 80 in the 80 Jr. class. It was my 1st day ever at a real mx track. We had gone there to ride that morning and the owner said he was having a night race on the sx track. So we went to House of Wheels Yamaha in Houston (which is now a pawn shop) and bought some real gear, Oneal, all white head to toe.

I lined up next to a guy on a green and pink KX 80. His dad and my dad starting talking and said his kid's name was Eric Valajo. They gated us with the 80 sr. class with Jeff Dement and some other fast kids. Dement holeshot and won by forever. I got second in my class behind Valajo, wayyyy behind, and the rest is history... turned pro 10 years later and still race for pocket change today.

Friday night race at LACR in 1990 125 beginner. I DNf’d the first moto after getting sideswiped in the third turn. I think midpack the second but my buddy lapped me so I had to listen to him jabber the whole trip home.

1979 Big Berm Raceway, Maryland.
On a 1977 YZ80D.
On the gate staggerd with the 100's.
Gate dropped for the 100's.
A bunch of us 80's went!!
Red flagged.
Musta been first race for a bunch of us!!

My first race was on my brand new 1998 YZF400 or whatever they called it back then. I got the holeshot in 250C (shocker), and then proceeded to stall it twice and then once in the next moto. That bike was horrible about stalling for no reason going into corners. We ended up putting a new flywheel in it and completely fixed it. Next race I got smoked in 250C so I took about 8 months of just practicing, and then ran 250C and smoked everyone that day. It was awesome just to see how much I progressed in less than a year.

fucking liar

I am curious...Just how in the hell did you find this thread from 3 years ago?

Nice dig

1980 or 81 at Indian Dunes on the Mini Track with A.M.E.......I raced 80 beginner class and got 3rd and got a trophy I was so happy! Actually have no idea what year it was....

beerfest

1983 at Sandhill Ranch on a kx60.

I pulled off a stellar 7-6 for 6th o/a (out of 9) and got lapped both motos by Mike Pascarella.

I was sitting on the back of my dad's truck before practice as my dad put an x on my plates with electrical tape and a kid a little older than me walked by and ask if it was my first race. We talked a few minutes before he wished me luck and walked away and as he left I noticed the back of his leathers had "Tallon" on them. I think he ended up winning the 80exp class that day and his brother Tyson won the 125pro class.

True story, Bro!!!

I can tell you I got lapped by Donnie Schmit...twice.

1970 at Helsington track just outsude of Kendal Cumbria. They used to lay on special buses to bring spectators out to the track.
Westmorland Motor Club ran a schoolboy exhibition race in the interval, probably one of the first ever youth races in the UK.
I rode a Gaunt Suzuki 120cc trials bike, borrowed from a friend.
Cant remember wher I finished, but it was near the back. Later on I progressed to a Dalesman 125cc Scrambler, with a Puchs Motor, built by Pete Edmondson (father of paul Edmondson world champ Enduro rider), at a factory in Otley Yorkshire.
Several of us got these Dalesmen bikes and raced all across N West England. Won my first trophy at Laund Hey circuit in Lancashire.
Good times!

Well, I figured after lurking for a long time, this was as good a post as any to make my first.

My first race was at Pyramid Valley Raceway (Lost Creek, WV) in 1985. I was on an air-cooled 1984 KX60. There were no other 60 riders so I got to race with the 5 or 6 80 riders. My number at the time was 12 (wasn't an AMA member yet), I had yellow and blue Hallman boots, jeans, an S&S Kawasaki/Suzuki Hi Point Jersey, Hallman chest protector, Kawasaki gloves, a white and green VX(?) helmet and scott goggles.

I remember during practice that I couldn't get all the way up "power band hill" so just before the big double, they had me cut accross the hill and meet the track on the other side. Then, they had to reroute me aound the "big drop" because I was too scared to go down it. Don't remember much else, but I did get a 1st place trophy that I stil have today (I gave the rest of my trophys to Special Olympics but kept my plaques).

My dad took me there for the rest of that first year almost every weekend. The next year we started racing in District 5. First race was at Challenger Raceway. I got my AMA card and my new number (135) was born.

My last race was in 1996 at Hilliard Raceway in Hilliard, FL, 250/Open A. After finishing 2nd in moto 1 after a first turn crash, I pulled the holeshot in and was leading the 2nd moto. Came over the big tabletop and there was a lapper laying accross the track. It was hit him or his bike. I tried to wheelie over his bike, went over the bars and broke my collarbone and cracked my C5 and C6. Haven't been on a bike since.

1974 Southwick on a Elsinore CR125. They actually used real traffic lights for the start back then. Night before the race my 3 buddies that were racing tried talking me into going but I wasn't sure I wanted to go as I was too nervous about racing. After a few hours of giving me shit they finally just loaded up all my stuff and threw me into the 72' Chevy van and said you're racing! Being the youngest, 14 y/o at the time I held the lowest seniority so they stuffed me in the back behind 3 bikes and all the other foof that barely fit into the van while they all sat up front splendid with a lawn chair between the two seats. Worst part about the whole trip was about 10pm on the way down on I95 we missed an exit so my buddy decides instead of hitting the next exit he'll just hang a left and go down then back up the grassy median and head back the other way. Problem was the banks were at a 45 degree angle and all the cargo pinned me to the back doors as we went back up the other side. Pecker heads just left me jacked up back there till' we arrived at the track which I then had to sleep on the roof of the van. Anyway 3rd o/a in workbooks and jeans in my first race.....ah the memories!!

Back in 1968 I was 18 years old on a CT1 Yamaha, Me an a buddy went to the track just east of Quincy Il. The jumps looked huge, got nervous and just watched. Went home to do more jumps. In two years I had set the fasted lap time at the track. The jumps now would have only been bumps in the track. They always gave out free key beer after the race to all the riders.

Desert race back in the late 80's in Johnson Valley. Rode my 4-speed RM465 (that was God's punishment for dirt bikers). Dead engine start. Start was through the open dez, then narrowing down to a high speed whooped out sand wash. After a couple hundred yards in that, it was a hard right up on technical single track. Got a back of the pack start. Dust was so thick I overran the turn by probably a good 100 yards (along with several other toads). Turned back. Rode about 10 miles in, and my chain broke. Waited until dusk until they found me.

No wonder I love this sport so much!

It was a small arenacross track but this should kinda sum it up for you:

I got lapped twice in a 5 lap race in the first moto and ran over another kid's leg. Got 8th place overall and still have the trophy (yeah they gave trophies to everyone I guess in the 60 class). That was in 1991 at the El Paso County Coliseum on a KX60. Good times!

Cant believe no one has posted this yet...

https://youtu.be/SbHIxXiFAyA

Middleboro, MA in 1979 on my 78 KX125. Me and my father drove there in his F100 - I got smoked in the 125 novice class - don't remember my actual placing but it wasnt good enough to 'qualify' for the 2nd moto. There was like 4 motos of 125 novices - you had to get top 10 or so to make the 2nd moto if i remember correctly.
I really thought I was fast until I actually raced
I was always into the technical side of things and really got into walking around checking out all the bikes - almost enjoyed that more than the racing.

Sometime in summer 1989, I told my parents that I was going to the lake with some friends and went to Idalou, TX (just outside of Lubbock). I rode an 85 KX125 (with 87 fenders that didn't fit exactly). I actually got a pretty good start until I came to the first jump. I cased it hard and fell over. I got up last and finished last. The second moto was about the same (I think I was third to last). Everyone was standing on the jumps chearing me on, but I couldn't quite get myself to clear the doubles.

1977 Corona Raceway Grand Prix, fell down at least 5 times, finished 31st out of 33 in the 125cc Beginner class.

Up to that point.............. never had so much fun!

This wasnt my very 1st race, but i believe it was in my 1st year of racing. This was at Tulare, they watered the track before our moto and i came around a sweeper and slid out, busted my knee wide open, i had split my knee open 3 weeks earlier stepping up on our railed trailer, this crash re-opened my fresh wound, still have a gnarly scar from it.

Those are my two best buddies Mikey Young (more well known from Biggun exhaust) and my "little brother" Chris Neal. I think it was 1977


btw: i always loved these early Suzuki ads

That looks like Raceway Park Where I started my racing career. At least that sand is pretty forgiving as long as you didn't lawn dart.

OCIR 1981 80 novice holeshot both motos, crashed in second turn in both motos on a real narrow left hander i know most of the guys piled up in the turn because of me. My buddy Colin Karcher (RIP) convinced me to race novice because the beginner class was dangerous. haha..I was the danger! There was som real fast guys looking back in the 80 novice class Tommy Combs,Larry Sayeg ,Thayne Zito to name a few. Oh i finished last in both races.

I sucked.
Got 11th out of 12 at Perris first 250 Beginner moto back in 91?
Second moto I relaxed and pretended I was play riding and got 7th with a last place start. That was inspiring. But I still suck.

Holeshot first moto, didn't know which way the track went, blew through first corner into the trees, came out last. While running 2nd to last, decided to try double jump, came up short, bounced over backside throwing me off the side, but didn't let go of the throttle, went wot off next jump, feet above bike and me (think superman) landed in a cloud of dust in front of spectator area. Jumped up real quick and quickly remounted to finish last. Got it all on tape...

Not what I expected MX to be...

I was 7yrs old for my first MX race so I cant remember that one very good, but I do remember being nervous in the weeks leading up to it though. So I will go with my first Road Race. It was at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah Georgia in 1988 and I think I was 19, I was on a sweet new Ninja 600 and doing pretty well running 8th out of 35 riders, having fun feeling good sliding it around and enjoying the ride when on the last lap at the end of the long front straightaway as soon as I hit my brake marker I get plowed into the back by another rider at about 150mph the bike swapped real bad and I barely saved it only to be hit again by the same rider who was still out of control from the first hit and both him, myself and both bikes went cartwheeling into the hay bales at about 120mph. Both of us were able to walk away, very beat up though with two destroyed bikes. That was my welcome to Road Racing that turned out to have many highs and lows over the years.