A gem by Jody Weisel

Craze
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Craze 12/26/2011 10:53pm
12/26/2011 10:53pm
ATKpilot99 wrote:
I've always wondered why Dowd never races the Vet World championship race. Would it make him ineligible to race a national ?
It wouldn't make him ineligible (no sanctioning body), but he's still fast enough to race the nationals I guess would be the main reason IMHO
Drfletcher
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Drfletcher 12/27/2011 6:18am
12/27/2011 6:18am
I'm a chiropractor from Atlanta and now I'm trying to think if I've been stuffed in the corner by an older guy. Damnit!
mark_swart
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mark_swart 12/27/2011 6:46am
12/27/2011 6:46am
Digger437 wrote:
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates...
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates getting older. haha
You hit the nail on the head! I can't wait until my 40th this November, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else say that out side of MX.
+30 gave me a new lease on (mx) life. It's an entirely different vibe, it's almost like if you are out there at all it's a victory. I run two classes and I can see a big difference between even +25 and +30. The +25 guys are on the gate all serious, not talking and acting like they are at A1 or something. On the +30 gate we're joking about who is jumping what so we don't land on each other, complementing on each other's bike bling and usually laughing a lot.
zookrider62!
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zookrider62! 12/27/2011 6:48am
12/27/2011 6:48am
Jody talking up vet racing, now Ive heard everything

The Shop

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cool_hand
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cool_hand 12/27/2011 6:55am
12/27/2011 6:55am
I feel it,....being 44 I raced my first race not too long ago and came in 1st place ( I was the only racer, the other geezer quit after the first moto! )

Still that plaque on my wall declares to all my friends who play golf and crossword puzzles, I'm still mixin' it up on the weekends.

---chl
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Highsider
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Highsider 12/27/2011 7:16am
12/27/2011 7:16am Edited Date/Time 12/27/2011 7:39am
Digger437 wrote:
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates...
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates getting older. haha
mark_swart wrote:
You hit the nail on the head! I can't wait until my 40th this November, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else say that...
You hit the nail on the head! I can't wait until my 40th this November, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else say that out side of MX.
+30 gave me a new lease on (mx) life. It's an entirely different vibe, it's almost like if you are out there at all it's a victory. I run two classes and I can see a big difference between even +25 and +30. The +25 guys are on the gate all serious, not talking and acting like they are at A1 or something. On the +30 gate we're joking about who is jumping what so we don't land on each other, complementing on each other's bike bling and usually laughing a lot.
253 days and I will be legal in the 60+ Class!
Millville has a 55+ and a 60+ class and has a couple of fall race dates after my September birthday.
Please note the 55+ class at Millville got tougher this past year when an influx of "fast young guys" became eligible.
Punks!Grinning

Oh, yeah...Redbud needs to add the 55+ and 60+ classes to the Nationals Weekend amateur schedule. Just squeeze us behind the +40A in a second gate drop and with another less-attended class.
2
Old-skull
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Old-skull 12/27/2011 7:34am
12/27/2011 7:34am
Im proud to be a Vet B (+40) rider! It gives some of the kids to talk about when I can hang with em and sometimes even beat them. Nothing is better than taking off your helmet and they just look at you going WTF???
mark_swart
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mark_swart 12/27/2011 7:36am
12/27/2011 7:36am
Digger437 wrote:
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates...
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates getting older. haha
mark_swart wrote:
You hit the nail on the head! I can't wait until my 40th this November, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else say that...
You hit the nail on the head! I can't wait until my 40th this November, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone else say that out side of MX.
+30 gave me a new lease on (mx) life. It's an entirely different vibe, it's almost like if you are out there at all it's a victory. I run two classes and I can see a big difference between even +25 and +30. The +25 guys are on the gate all serious, not talking and acting like they are at A1 or something. On the +30 gate we're joking about who is jumping what so we don't land on each other, complementing on each other's bike bling and usually laughing a lot.
Highsider wrote:
253 days and I will be legal in the 60+ Class! Millville has a 55+ and a 60+ class and has a couple of fall race...
253 days and I will be legal in the 60+ Class!
Millville has a 55+ and a 60+ class and has a couple of fall race dates after my September birthday.
Please note the 55+ class at Millville got tougher this past year when an influx of "fast young guys" became eligible.
Punks!Grinning

Oh, yeah...Redbud needs to add the 55+ and 60+ classes to the Nationals Weekend amateur schedule. Just squeeze us behind the +40A in a second gate drop and with another less-attended class.
Yeah my first +30 race I was 32 and talking to a guy on the gate who was 38 and he said the same thing about us young punks!

@ Cool_hand: I won a few trophies that same way and they are just as shiny!! Take 'em when you can get 'em!
dcg141
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dcg141 12/27/2011 7:44am
12/27/2011 7:44am
I once had a tee shirt that said..Vet MX,,if your gonna beat the kids..do it at the track!
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Highsider
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Highsider 12/27/2011 7:50am
12/27/2011 7:50am
dcg141 wrote:
I once had a tee shirt that said..Vet MX,,if your gonna beat the kids..do it at the track!
That's awful....Laughing Laughing Laughing
exsarg
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exsarg 12/27/2011 7:53am
12/27/2011 7:53am
im 43 race vet a hs and mx. i have a 3 year old boy. my motivation to stay in this is so i can ride with my kid. hes already got a pw 50 with training wheels. bought it before he was born!!! no i wont be a crazy mini dad! he should get on it at 4 years old. how cool will it be when im 55 hes 15 and were out in the bush or the track. as a side note i live near pete degraff up here in canada. pete was mentioned in the mxa article with a pic, hes 55 and the current and 4 time over 50 world champ. his speed is amazing. fast local pro speed. he spends most of the winter in cali. watch for him. #151 on a honda. super friendly dude. i know that the world vet races at glen helen dont necessarily have the best. think kw kicking hughes ass but i do believe that degraff is truly the worlds fastest over 50 mxer.
OldGuy
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OldGuy 12/27/2011 8:51am
12/27/2011 8:51am
I will Be 62 in July an I have stuffed younger riders in a corner. Looking forward to the Vet race in Red Bud again this year. Got drilled last year and taken out. Still got a sore shoulder but I am looking forward to it. I like riding/racing more now that ever. It motivates me to keep exercising an I think that is a good thing.
Rupert X
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Rupert X 12/27/2011 9:25am
12/27/2011 9:25am
Hando wrote:
Whether you hate him or love him, Jody Weisel is one of us.
Well said, my good man.

Concur with your vivid assessment.
Stooperbike
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Stooperbike 12/27/2011 9:41am
12/27/2011 9:41am
The older I get the better MX is. I love the sport and an article like this will keep me motivated. Great read.
Tiki
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Tiki 12/27/2011 10:16am
12/27/2011 10:16am
Gary Jones and Malcolm Smith are my heroes. Great guys, still smooth as glass. I always feel like I'm 10 years old when i am around them.

great thread WhKnuckle
motomike137
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motomike137 12/27/2011 2:32pm
12/27/2011 2:32pm
Digger437 wrote:
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates...
The cool part of being an ole mx racer is you actually enjoy your 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays when the rest of the world hates getting older. haha
People I work with and friends who aren't into moto used to look at me like I was crazy when I'd tell them I can't wait to turn 40 or 45 or 50 or whatever the next age group was...lol. I'd try to explain to them that I get to be one of the "fast" guys again for a couple of years!
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Muezh
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Muezh 12/27/2011 3:50pm
12/27/2011 3:50pm
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program. Race in the morning home by early afternoon to spend with the family. Best thing they ever did in my opinion.
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Rizzo 12/27/2011 4:39pm
12/27/2011 4:39pm Edited Date/Time 12/27/2011 5:22pm
Muezh wrote:
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program...
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program. Race in the morning home by early afternoon to spend with the family. Best thing they ever did in my opinion.
Baja Acres.......do you know Mailman?


On a side note, the article was pretty good especially for MXA stuff and being "a vet". But IMO, Ryno should be handicaped a bit against the rest of the field, make him ride an 08 bike or stock motor/suspension, something, that dude has everyone covered and is a boy amongst men at the vet races. I mean that in a respectful way givin his talent/ability/accomplishments and NO disrespect to the other riders that are giving up 3-5 years on him. Props to all of em!

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swizcore
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swizcore 12/27/2011 5:59pm
12/27/2011 5:59pm
Muezh wrote:
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program...
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program. Race in the morning home by early afternoon to spend with the family. Best thing they ever did in my opinion.
Yup, that's huge.
TomZ
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TomZ 12/28/2011 6:52am
12/28/2011 6:52am
Muezh wrote:
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program...
right on! great read.. so true in so many ways. Im 39 and my local track, Baja Acres, is finally going back to a Split program. Race in the morning home by early afternoon to spend with the family. Best thing they ever did in my opinion.
Hey Muezh !! Happy Holidays.

Watch how many Vet riders will come back out now that we can get done before 1pm. Smart move !
39.......you whippersnapper !!

Rizzo........Hughes is extraordinary for sure....but you can't handicap the best guy. At Great Lakes Grand Prix he showed the Vet class and everyone else how to get around what many thought was the toughest track they had ever ridden.....

It's funny to hear racers from other districts talk about D14 guys...............considering our riding population relative to some other states, Michigan has an unusual number of fast Vet riders. Crown, Bigelow(s), Jannette, Grewe, Moegle (current LL Champ), Pickett.....the list goes on and on. Look back on the unusual number of LL top finishers and it is noteable how many D14 racers have competed at the top level.

OK......i am done with the Michigan Mafia plug now.
rocrac
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rocrac 12/28/2011 8:03am
12/28/2011 8:03am
Excellent read. I just hope the sport realizes pricing itself out of the 20 somethings budgets is not a good thing.
motomike137
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motomike137 12/28/2011 8:35am
12/28/2011 8:35am
rocrac wrote:
Excellent read. I just hope the sport realizes pricing itself out of the 20 somethings budgets is not a good thing.
Take the prices of new bikes, equipment and everybody thinking they have to roll in a fancy rig and combine that with a sinking economy without many middle and lower middle class decent paying jobs for the average person and we have a very tough situation. Many like myself who grew up with the sport and have been around it from back in the seventies are so fortunate to have witnessed all the changes, all the incredible races and racers, the heartbreaks along the way with devastating injuries and then to finally see it get on TV live frequently from a spectating standpoint. At the amateur level we have bikes that are better than ever before but potentially crossing a threshold at a time when technology can take them there but the average motocrosser will not be able to keep up financially. The next few years are going to be interesting to see what happens and see if we are able to keep a healthy grass roots level version of MX alive or will it slowly creep uphill and out of reach for the lesser haves.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 12/28/2011 10:14am
12/28/2011 10:14am
My riding and occasional racing still makes my mom cry ....well worry and she has been asking me to quit for 15 years saying I'm too old at 33 .... I constantly explain to her that growing up with my dad trail riding at Carnegie hills and schaads started my addiction I transversed into moto at 16. I always tell her ill stop riding when I physically cannot get on my bike.
Lightning78
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Lightning78 12/28/2011 10:15am
12/28/2011 10:15am
With that being said .....I'm off to ride milestone today on my RM250 braaaaaap! Smile
Motodude
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Motodude 12/28/2011 4:09pm
12/28/2011 4:09pm
Vital needs 'like' 'dislike' buttons.
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Driven71
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Driven71 12/28/2011 4:30pm
12/28/2011 4:30pm
Loved the article. Makes me even more anxious to get back on the gate, and more importantly, bench race between motos with the rest of the old and slow crowd! It will be a long winter here in Maine...

As for the Dowd comment, the last time he was up this way he ran about 6 classes and won every moto. I got to line up with him in the 30+ and saw his rear fender for about 2 corners. Was able to talk to him about his moto classes and hope to take one this year. Super nice and humble guy.
Randy Olson
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Randy Olson 12/30/2011 7:14am
12/30/2011 7:14am
"I think Sigmund Freud wrote that anything that makes your mother cry is worth doing." When I came home with a brand new 1979 RM125 in the back of my dad's truck, my mom didn't cry, but she didn't speak to either of us for two weeks either. It was SO worth it. My friend Doug ran a mile in the rain after school just to look at the bike. A couple of years later, I sold him the bike. I think his mom cried.

I would add that the old guys are the guardians of the sport as well. Who knows the history and tradition of the sport better than the guys lined up on the gate at a vet race?
2
GIwasB4
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GIwasB4 12/15/2014 7:35pm
12/15/2014 7:35pm
Cool Smile
olds cool
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olds cool 12/15/2014 7:56pm
12/15/2014 7:56pm
GIwasB4 wrote:
Cool Smile
Just when you think you've seen just about everything, a three year old thread gets revived by...emoticons! Well played sir, well played. Smile
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Fresh
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Fresh 8/20/2019 6:12am
8/20/2019 6:12am
I’m trying to find the Jody’s box where he talks about his dad never seeing him race. Anyone know how to find it? It’s seems the mxa website has had a cull recently

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