top riders of fla from 76-81

jeff.hope.98
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4/29/2013
Location
Orlando, FL, USA
jeff.hope.98 7/3/2013 3:27pm
7/3/2013 3:27pm
245 wrote:
GREAT PICTURE, I don't remember you flat tracking much. but we are old,
Yea, I was offered a full sponsorhip in late 70's to road race for Honda of Orlando but turned it down. Not sure what the story is on John Olten, I heard a long time ago he was workin at a car dealership in south Fla.
245
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64
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11/27/2011
Location
Marietta, GA, USA
245 9/20/2013 4:41pm
9/20/2013 4:41pm
Jeff do you know how old Mark Murphy is now? What year did he move up to SR mini?
Mike Wilshaw
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1
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5/16/2014
Location
Winter Springs, FL, USA
Mike Wilshaw 5/16/2014 10:26am
5/16/2014 10:26am
Wow! Great post and pics Guys!! I remember these days. All these riders were great fun to watch at the races!! My friends and I were "B" riders so we got to see all their motos!! Got see Keylon race many a Hare Scramble too! He was so fast!

I know most of these guys as well and still ride on occasion with Dale Ellis,John Collins, Tom Magee "Magoo", Tim Ealy and Mark Fiola ! Dale and Tom are racing GNCC and FTR Hare Scrambles, Collins rides a few time a year(mostly Reddick), Mark rides a lot with his son and Tim rides when he can too.

Ha, Tim and I are going to Coyote MX this Sunday. He`s riding his YZ250 and I`m on my CRF450, I have also been secret trainingWink Maybe I`ll be able to keep up......
mquehl
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14
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12/5/2008
Location
Grayson, GA, USA
mquehl 12/9/2015 3:59am
12/9/2015 3:59am
Amazing what you find when you are sitting in a Waffle House and google your name. I know its been 2 years since last reply on this but I figured Id chime in. Caught up with Jeff Hope on facebook. Kinda cool that alot of us are still around. Hope to meet up with all of you soon

The Shop

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245
Profile picture for user 245
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64
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11/27/2011
Location
Marietta, GA, USA
245 12/13/2015 4:40am
12/13/2015 4:40am
Buck B wrote:
Hey I knew almost everyone of the riders mentioned in this discussion. A few names not mentioned yet, Dale and Pat Ellis and John Bowers, they...
Hey I knew almost everyone of the riders mentioned in this discussion. A few names not mentioned yet, Dale and Pat Ellis and John Bowers, they all rode Hodakas back in the early 70's. Dale and Pat were from Deland and 1/2 Pint Bowers was from Tifton Georgia. How about Troy Bush from Iron City Georgia, that kid hauled. Then there was the Carter Brothers from Tallahassee, Phil on the YZ400, Joe on the 250, Goober on the 125 and Chris on 80's and 100's. Mark Land from Monticello was fast, he won the Georgia Florida shootout in the early 70's. In 1973 Jeff Hope was super fast on an XR75 Honda. I think that kid had bad kidneys or something. Keith Watson was another fast guy from North Florida. Wow it's so cool to remember this stuff. I once saw Kenny Keylon win a local Hare Scrambles, that guy did it all.
jeff.hope.98 wrote:
Buck B my kidneys were fine but I did have serious shoulder injury at nml series in bradington around that time
Troy Bush had kidney trouble, he had some tubes crossed. I only have one kidney that cause me trouble back when we were in minicycle Jeff.
Todd D
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90
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1/7/2012
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Marysville, CA, USA
Todd D 12/13/2015 1:26pm
12/13/2015 1:26pm


First race ever
73 iron city Georgia
Gt 80
wolfy0067
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534
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8/14/2014
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Wernersville, PA, USA
wolfy0067 12/13/2015 3:12pm
12/13/2015 3:12pm
Still have my trophys from 84 season 4 th over all. we used to fly down on Thursdays and pick our bike up that were stored at a friend. Truck out to the practice tracks I think the tracks names were biflow, orange port and others always loved gator back park.
Just to say we used to fly out of newwark NJ air port u paid in the air 69.00 bucks. Race in Florida get back home work and fly back for the series. Great times,
mquehl
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14
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12/5/2008
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Grayson, GA, USA
mquehl 12/13/2015 7:34pm
12/13/2015 7:34pm
Yeah the Carter brothers were real fast I went to Tallahassee a couple times and actually got to race against one of them
He beat me first moto but I won. Fun course Hope my old friend Paul Hogg reads this. Would love to reconnect> Carter family was real cool. We hung out for the weekend. Had a blast
John Curwick
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1
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9/30/2015
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Saint Petersburg, FL, USA
John Curwick 12/12/2016 6:55pm
12/12/2016 6:55pm Edited Date/Time 12/12/2016 6:55pm
Good to hear about all the old racers here. I did a lot of racing from 1972 to 1981. Won my first 1974 125cc Expert State Championship in Florida, beating out two very fast brothers by the names of Steve and Doug Dillon, those boys were very fast back then. Steve still rides with his sons today. I also won another 1980 250cc Expert State Championship beating Robert "Gordie" Gordon. Laid off a couple years, then went on to road race in the Suzuki GSXR Cup races, 3 Hour Endurance Races, and several Daytona 200's. Had a couple endurance team mates by the names of Dave Sadowski, Jamie James, and Mike Kennedy (the guy from Airplane Repo), also did some tire testing for Dunlop during the 3 Hour races.
PK97
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7/28/2016
Location
Englewood, FL, USA
PK97 12/12/2016 7:52pm
12/12/2016 7:52pm Edited Date/Time 12/12/2016 7:56pm


Thought I would add to this post. I raced Florida from 79-82, best years in 81-82 250B and 125B as number 97 from Sarasota. There were a lot of good guys from the Sarasota/Bradenton area in the '70s and early '80s: John Measel, Gary Clark, Marcus Ricketts, Tom Fleming, Steve Edwards, Terry McCamy, Wally Ausborn, and many others.

Tom Fleming has had his own suspension shop for many years and is big in FTR

JOHN CHOATE
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2024
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9/18/2008
Location
Dallas, NC, USA
JOHN CHOATE 12/30/2016 7:02pm
12/30/2016 7:02pm
I don't remember racing against Kenny Keylon but apparently my memory fails me sometimes. #22 RIDE ON !!!

project racer 12/31/2016 6:10am
12/31/2016 6:10am
I see my name in there, 250N class. Led it until a nice biff at the final race at Gatorback .


project racer 12/31/2016 6:54am
12/31/2016 6:54am
Sports Stadium '79, 250B. Still have those leathers, they can stand up by themselves.



Scott Mallett
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2
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10/1/2017
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Trabuco Canyon, CA, USA
Scott Mallett 9/17/2023 1:54pm
9/17/2023 1:54pm

Here are a few pics from 1980-81

Cocoa 250A start 1980

Cocoa start 0

A couple of Orlando Starts 250A 1980

Orlando start

Orlando Scott Crash

Pit Row

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