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In 1980 My mom was killed on Harris grade 1/2 a mile from our house coming home from Alpha Beta in El Toro. My dad and my other 3 siblings were lost. My dad bought us all dirt bikes a month later. It was very theraputic.
In 1981 My oldest brother (a total partier) asked my dad for some money and the keys to our chevy van to take me to the nationals at Saddleback. My brother ended up buying a case of beer with my ticket money and hid me under the bench seat in the back of the van at the gate. He and his friend drank the whole time while I stood at the fence watching all the races. I had never seen anything like this. I was hooked. I was 13.
When Howerton went inside Hannah and tried to clean him out I watched in amazement!. What you never hear is that Hannah actually grabbed Howerton by the waist and tried to yank him off the bike as he went down. Hannah's hand fell into the rear spokes of Howerton's bike for a split second. He still got back up and took off. I was a fan instantly. Since then I have gone to nearly every Cali round of SX when I could afford it. My wife and all of our 4 kids follow both series now.
The greatest sport on earth.
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This was the first (and last) time Supercross came anywhere close to my home.
David Bailey won that day. He was in total control and it was really right at the start of his time at the top of the sport.
Somewhere I still have some great pictures that my Dad took on the actual field on that day.
I was 10 years old.. McGrath was so popular and rocking the 1-800-collect sponsor haha. I remember the 125's specifically because Mike Metzger and DV were in that class and my friends dad who took us to the race was raving about French riders and how he also knew Metzger from the local tracks. The 250's were insane.. McGrath, Emig and Hughes for the podium in the main.. And a STACKED field of legendary riders that night ranging from the three I already mentioned to Mike Craig, Larry Brooks, M. Pichon, Larocco, Huffman, Bradshaw, Lamson, Larry ward, Ezra Lusk, Phil Lawrence, Jimmy Button, and the chicken!
Craziest thing is that although he may not be a full time sx racer, Mike Brown was in the 250 main that night.. And I believe he won an xgames gold last year and will be at some nationals this year! Iron Mike!
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This is cool man!
I can't remember if there were any day qualifiers, probably not because I can't see how I could have made it out of one in any good position. I remember looking at my heat and realizing I was in the same heat with Lechien, Omara, Hannah and other fast guys I can't remember. All I knew was it would take some kind of miracle to even not look silly while on the same track with these guys.
There was no miracle, I crashed and concussed myself to the point that I had no balance. I got up and rode into the side of the finish line table top, fell again, and then fell again on the concrete on the way out of the stadium. I don't remember much after that, actually I don't remember much of that day at all.
But that's how it was in those days. There was no support class, you had to jump right in the deep end. Here in New England we barely had double jumps on any of our tracks at the time, and certainly nothing that resembled stadium whoops. It was sink or swim, and most of us locals, if not all, sank that night.
Anyhow, heres proof. A pic of me and my stock RM250 next to Lechein and Omara and their works Hondas getting ready to go to the gate.
Anywho, that was the only race Matt Walker won and it was the first year he rode for PC. It was also the first race Eric Sorby raced in America and he pulled the holeshot and finished 3rd! He also got in the way of just about everyone out there, too. Danny Smith, Tedseco, Short, Gooselaar, none of them could get around the dude. Preston did but boy they couldn't have guessed what the next few years would be like with Sorby out there! Stewart had broken his foot in practice I believe and then crashed in the 1st turn. Still came back for tenth but Preston made up a slew of points that night. And it was also one of the 1st nights Andrew Short got a significant amount of TV time!
As for the 250s, Carmichael and Nate Dawg were going at it pretty hard and Nate was really holding his own. Ricky did get around him but it was good. He was able to triple that stepup and then roll the next two and find an inside line that no one else could take. I think that's where he made the pass. That was also not long after DV messed up his shoulder so he wasn't really 100 percent yet and he also got together with Jeremy and went down. I didn't see it but it turned out to be one of only 3 races where he didn't finish on the podium. Wow. Still, no one could touch RC at that point in the series.
Great story bud! and i am sorry about the loss of your mother, must of been really tough at such a young age.
...and yes, it is "the greatest sport on earth!"
I am from chile so it was very difficult for me to convince my family to come to a SX. So i got lucky and my Ex gf invited me to a trip so i told her i wanted to go. The most shocking part for me was when i heard the sound of the 450 reving. Holy shit it was a feeling i would never forget. I also remember when the C guys were trying different jumps in the rythm section and then the a guys came and jumped everything with no effort. Damn!!
Mine to was the 1979 LA coliseum Super Bowl of Motocross. My mom had her purse stolen with our tickets in it, so my friend Dave and my Mom went to the ticket concession to see what could be done about our stolen tickets, while I sat in the truck waiting I could hear the bikes and the crowd, and I remember how miserable I was stetting there wondering if we were going to be able to get in and see the race.
My Mom and Dave came back and thank god they were able to get our tickets or seats back and we saw the race, and it was awesome.
At that time my mom had never been to a big race, and she definitely didn't know all the riders and wasn't into it like me and my buddy Dave , but I remember how excited she was to see and watch the race, and I thought how cool it was that someone who wasn't even into to could enjoy it as much as she did . I know I definitely did, and I don't think I've missed but one Phoenix Supercross since the first in 1986 .
https://youtu.be/SAxG16ycNQg?feature=player_detailpage
Pit Row
This is something I need to do in my forty's. I go to Houston a few times a year for work. I try to see if can catch a super cross there. Unfortunately it never works out.
One race that sticks out in my mind from when I was younger was the race held at the Rose Bowl... what a joke that was! Even as a kid I thought it was lame. Although, I'm pretty sure Matthes would say otherwise for obvious reasons haha.
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