How Did You Get Started In Motocross...

RandyS wrote:

In 1968 my dad came home from work, he came into the house and asked me to get his lunchbox out of the truck. When I...

In 1968 my dad came home from work, he came into the house and asked me to get his lunchbox out of the truck. When I got outside there was a brand new blue Z50K1 in the back, I was 6. There wasn't really motocross in the US at that point but my dad raced flattrack along with some scrambles and enduros so I was pretty much born into it.

sixo wrote:

CAN we all just agree our dads got us in to this sport? And money, wives, or injuries kept us out long enough to go crazy...

CAN we all just agree our dads got us in to this sport?
And money, wives, or injuries kept us out long enough to go crazy until we couldn't handle it anymore ..
Then we got another bike again somehow someway after getting a better job, getting a divorce, or healing up..
Then we got our own kids in to it because its the best father/son/daughter sport in the world ?

40Plus_922mx wrote:

This is long winded I apologize. But some of you 40+ guys who grew up in OC may like the story. Moved from Huntington Beach to...

This is long winded I apologize. But some of you 40+ guys who grew up in OC may like the story.

Moved from Huntington Beach to Trabuco Canyon in 1975. We lived on a very rural road with houses dotted every 5 to 10 acres. Covered in Oak and Sycamore trees. Place was beautiful. One of the first things I remembered at the age of 8 was coming home from the Alpha Beta on El Toro Rd and as we drove up Hamilton trail there were about 6 or 7 kids all parked off the side of the road just watching the new family drive up in our green and brown Country Squire station wagon with no seat belts. . My parents were totally shocked. "Look at all those kids on motor bikes honey?". All the kids on Hamilton Trail had XR75's, MR100's etc. I watched for 5 years as kids flew by my drive way going back and fourth to their homes and venturing out on all the trails and fire roads. . I'd just be sitting there playing in the dirt and I could hear the Basani, and supertrapp pipes coming up the road as groups of them would fly by .

My brothers and I all wanted dirt bikes. But my mom was scared sick of them. So it just never happened. Tragically in 1980 my mom was coming home from that same Alpha Beta when 2 guys in an RX7 came over the double yellow coming up Harris grade and hit her head on at speed. She was killed. Needless to say it was a very tough time. I was 13. That Christmas my dad bought us all new dirt bikes My older brother got a DR400, my younger brother and I got XR100's, and my sister got an XR80L. We all had to agree to wear protective gear all the time, and my dad taught us how to ride on our property for a few weeks before we were allowed to venture out. I still remember the fear I felt having my first wreck. We had a gravel area and when I yanked the front brake I washed it out and went down taking out our trash cans by our barn. Scared me to death. But I got up and said, "Ok, well that wasn't so bad".


Riding my dirt bike put all my troubles on hold. It was like I was in another world. Very therapeutic. We would routinely have mock races at certain areas within Trabuco canyon. Ferber's, Edgar's Lake, The Crazy 8 (Yes with an intersection), Howels (that place with the dry pool down in The Oaks)


I rode with anger and aggression. When we'd line up I remember HATING everyone else. I just wanted to kill those guys. But when I yanked my helmet off I felt a little more "healed" if you will. Within a year I was the fastest guy in our group of kids. I was challenged by one kid who was on an brand new RM 125 and i beat him straight up on my XR100.

My dad also took us up to Johnson Valley (Cougar Buttes) one time. It rained all the way up. We had a Chevy van. I remember laying on the floor as it rained driving out 18. John Lennon's song "woman" was playing on the radio I remember feeling intense pain as I thought about the plight of my mother and her undeserving fate as I listened to the lyrics. I resolved that by thinking my mom would want me to continue in my life and give it 100%. It was a turning point in my pain during that time of my life. That trip was awesome.

In 1981 my brother took me to Saddleback for the national. I was amazed at how fast these guys were. I was standing in the corner when Howerton rammed it inside of Hannah. What most people don't know is that Hannah actually wrapped his arms around Howerton's waist as he was falling and tried to take him down with him.



When I got back home I pushed myself to be faster. Within a year my bike has like 9 broken spokes, a taco'ed wheel, bent forks, broken engine mount and more. I beat that thing to death. Over the next 34 years I rode and raced as much as I could between poverty and blessings. My sister in law married Joe Tuttobeme who was a local pro out at Perris/GH and the like for a time. He hung out with Mike Hooker, Will Musgrave, and those cats. He made a few night shows in the early 90's. He pushed me even further when I was in my mid to late 20's.


I am now 47 and still ride on occasion. I now live in Lucerne Valley (So I can ride whenever) and can see Cougar Buttes from my back patio sitting in my spa. I have broken many bones, I can barely walk when I wake up, My back and neck are shot. But I would not trade the reward riding has been all these years.

Steve125 wrote:

Long story semi short... I was a 10 year old sand pit specialist, bombing around with my buddies on a 76 YZ80 in the summer of...

Long story semi short...
I was a 10 year old sand pit specialist, bombing around with my buddies on a 76 YZ80 in the summer of 77. That November I got a spanking new 78 YZ100E that I could barely reach the ground on. One day the following spring of 78, while I was doing chores sweeping my parents driveway, my Mom was inside calling around trying to get me enrolled in some kind of riding school because she wanted me to be safe. She heard about a Gary Bailey MX school coming to our area and the local contact was the NEMA racing organization. The NEMA Vice President told my Mom, "before you sign him up for the school, why don't you see if he even likes motocross, and sign him up for a race?"
My Mom then came outside and said these exact words... " I signed you up for a Gary Bailey Motocross school... and by the way, your first race is next week."

Thanks for everything Mom. RIP.. That moment changed my life..

danman wrote:

My mom and dad were divorced when I was 4 or 5 years old. I lived with my mom and we didn't have any money because...

My mom and dad were divorced when I was 4 or 5 years old. I lived with my mom and we didn't have any money because I have 3 sisters and a brother and my mom was just a waitress. Due to this, I spent more time at my cousins house, who is one year younger than me. My uncle has raced since his teens and still races today at 67ish! My cousin started riding at 4 years old. Part of hanging out at their house was watching/helping them work on their bikes. My uncle bought and sold bikes constantly, so there was always something to work on. One day, he made sure I went with to look at a 1982 RM125. When he finally negotiated a price with the guy, he looked at me and said, "Ok, here's the deal. This one is yours to ride, but you two have to strip the whole bike apart, paint the frame, and clean everything on the way back together"(I didn't have to split the cases, but everything else, I did). I remember to this day, he paid $260 for the bike, I rode it for just over a year, and he sold it for $400. Then, he bought another one on the same premise. I think we did this for 3 or 4 bikes, then I just bought one from him. I didn't motocross right away, mostly hillclimbs, but practiced on a track.
I owe my aunt, uncle, and cousins more than I could ever repay!

PFitzG38 wrote:

This thread is great! HOF material.

How Did You Get Started In Motocross...

Such a simple question. I can't believe it's never been asked before.

ML512 wrote:

My father grew up in snowmobile shop in Utah and eventually got into motocross as well. My mom grew up playing in Pismo on quads and...

My father grew up in snowmobile shop in Utah and eventually got into motocross as well. My mom grew up playing in Pismo on quads and in buggies with her parents as well. So naturally, I was on a motorcycle fairly early (before I could even ride a bicycle actually!). Grew up racing here in the heart of motocross (Southern California) and I'm your typical local "wish I had more talent" practice pro.


After jumping around between construction and odd-jobs in the Industry, I landed here at Vital. So I guess all that riding payed off eventually.