TMNT Racing Team? (late 80's early 90's)

ga_pike
Posts
2650
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA, USA
Edited Date/Time 11/6/2014 7:52pm
Back in the late 80's and early 90's, there was a group of guys racing in the northeast who were sponsored somehow by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They rode Kawasaki's and had ninja turtle graphics. One of them raced against me on 80's and a couple were on bigger bikes.

Does anyone remember who those guys were or have any pictures? For some reason I wanted to think Ronnie Faisst was the one in my class, but he rode Honda's growing up according to The Vault on MX Sports.
|
DownSouth
Posts
9926
Joined
7/5/2008
Location
Tallapoosa, GA, USA
7/10/2013 1:02pm Edited Date/Time 7/10/2013 1:27pm
Wasn't Tommy Norton one of them? He won Blackwater on a 125 one year.

Google says it was called "Team Mirage" after Mirage studios (which google also says was the people who created the Turtles). It looks like they sponsored some roadrace guys also.

Pic found here


A team photo from Southwick
mxnick
Posts
1019
Joined
12/4/2007
Location
Nor Cal, CA, USA
7/10/2013 1:36pm Edited Date/Time 7/11/2013 9:43pm
Yes! A very cool story indeed.

Larry and Gerry Lashaway rode for them (motocross), as did Tommy Norton (off road), as well as Dale Quarterly (road racing).

They were mostly into Kawi's, though Dale also rode a Duc.

The sponsorship actually came through, I think, Mirage studios or something, which was the parent company and designer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They owned the license on those turtles and made millions.

As I understand it, they were based in New England, and the guy liked motorcycles. And since Mirage Studios or whatever it was called was basically just printing money, they stepped in and started helping some local New England racers in the three disciplines of racing.

It was a cool story, and a neat program.

I think they were involved until 1996, or so.

I dont know who the guys name was at Mirage though.

The Lashaway brothers were fast.
mxnick
Posts
1019
Joined
12/4/2007
Location
Nor Cal, CA, USA
7/10/2013 1:39pm
ga_pike wrote:
Back in the late 80's and early 90's, there was a group of guys racing in the northeast who were sponsored somehow by the Teenage Mutant...
Back in the late 80's and early 90's, there was a group of guys racing in the northeast who were sponsored somehow by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They rode Kawasaki's and had ninja turtle graphics. One of them raced against me on 80's and a couple were on bigger bikes.

Does anyone remember who those guys were or have any pictures? For some reason I wanted to think Ronnie Faisst was the one in my class, but he rode Honda's growing up according to The Vault on MX Sports.
And Faisst was originally from New Jersey, and rode a CR80 with a big "1" on it.

He was fast as kid and before he got all the tats.
7/10/2013 2:18pm
DownSouth wrote:
Wasn't Tommy Norton one of them? He won Blackwater on a 125 one year. Google says it was called "Team Mirage" after Mirage studios (which google...
Wasn't Tommy Norton one of them? He won Blackwater on a 125 one year.

Google says it was called "Team Mirage" after Mirage studios (which google also says was the people who created the Turtles). It looks like they sponsored some roadrace guys also.

Pic found here


A team photo from Southwick
Norton won Blackwater in 1990 on a KTM (with the famous "Team FAH-Q wins!" quote at the finish) then ended up on Team Mirage in 92. And yes, was the only rider to ever win Blackwater on a 125.

The Shop

ga_pike
Posts
2650
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA, USA
7/10/2013 4:35pm
Thanks for the info guys!
agn5009
Posts
6747
Joined
6/8/2012
Location
State College, PA, USA
7/11/2013 3:37pm
I have a poster autographed from Tommy Norton the year he was on Team Mirage TMNT at Blackwater. Meeting Tommy when I was a young buck was definitely one of my favorite experiences. I'll take a photo of it and upload it tomorrow. Definetly a pretty bad ass looking bike.
Chris O'Neal
Posts
1149
Joined
11/5/2007
Location
Essex, CT, USA
7/11/2013 5:20pm
The Lashaway's were from New Hampshire if I remember correctly and were fast NESC riders. I remember hearing about their track having insane jumps and everyone wanting to ride it.

But in the mid 90's NESC was stacked especially when Dowd and Henry showed up! There was easily 20 riders at every race that qualified for Nationals with good results.

Does anyone remember the Umohoffer brothers Mike and Dave? Those kids were identical ginger twins that were so fast on 80's and 125's from NY!
7/11/2013 7:38pm
This is the greatest post ever created on Vital. Cowabunga!
maxc811
Posts
50
Joined
3/17/2012
Location
Weston, MA, USA
7/11/2013 7:48pm
lashaway is from western MA....they still ride alittle i hear.....i miss the mid 90's
1
ga_pike
Posts
2650
Joined
7/14/2011
Location
Valdosta, GA, USA
7/11/2013 8:04pm
The Lashaway's were from New Hampshire if I remember correctly and were fast NESC riders. I remember hearing about their track having insane jumps and everyone...
The Lashaway's were from New Hampshire if I remember correctly and were fast NESC riders. I remember hearing about their track having insane jumps and everyone wanting to ride it.

But in the mid 90's NESC was stacked especially when Dowd and Henry showed up! There was easily 20 riders at every race that qualified for Nationals with good results.

Does anyone remember the Umohoffer brothers Mike and Dave? Those kids were identical ginger twins that were so fast on 80's and 125's from NY!
Yep... I raced against the Umohoffer brothers too. Nice kids as I remember.
mxnick
Posts
1019
Joined
12/4/2007
Location
Nor Cal, CA, USA
7/11/2013 8:56pm Edited Date/Time 7/11/2013 8:58pm
The Lashaway's were from New Hampshire if I remember correctly and were fast NESC riders. I remember hearing about their track having insane jumps and everyone...
The Lashaway's were from New Hampshire if I remember correctly and were fast NESC riders. I remember hearing about their track having insane jumps and everyone wanting to ride it.

But in the mid 90's NESC was stacked especially when Dowd and Henry showed up! There was easily 20 riders at every race that qualified for Nationals with good results.

Does anyone remember the Umohoffer brothers Mike and Dave? Those kids were identical ginger twins that were so fast on 80's and 125's from NY!
Wow, thats a blast from the past - man, team "Double Vision" as they were known! Those two brothers were my arch nemesis back in 1991. Cool guys, and the father (Dave sr?) was a really good dude as well, though Mike hated me after he rear ended me and went down hard at Waldon.....

The father was a true bad ass with that little program they had - his bikes always looked great, he was always there and supporting both kids to the absolute max, and they had a track at their house. I remember that he would even paint the kids helmets as well, and they looked as though Troy Lee painted them!

They were both really fast, but man did they hit the deck alot. I recall that both of them had a ton of injuries in just a few short years of racing. They both seemed to go away from the sport shortly after moving up to big bikes.

I do recall that in 1993 the father started taking them to race at NESC and they spent a ton of time hanging with the Lashaway's, and since the travel from NY was pretty tough.

And Chris, yea, those local 125 and 250 expert classes were stacked - Pat Barton, Tony Lorusso, Keith Johnson, Mike Treadwell, Wally Silva, Scott Carter, John Dowd, Doug Henry, Badger, Weymess Scott, Austin Squires, Brian Austin, and even guys like James Brothers, Jason Boron, Ben McCarthy and Shane Oconner, who were wicked fast as well. Holy smokes, those were some fast times!
tomktm22
Posts
1
Joined
11/6/2014
Location
Natick, MA, USA
11/6/2014 7:52pm
Tommy Norton still rides for FAHQ!
1

Post a reply to: TMNT Racing Team? (late 80's early 90's)

The Latest