Remember Your First?

motoxxx599 5/22/2018 10:18am
5/22/2018 10:18am
RIO BRAVO 1988 - night track. Track had a forward falling gate. Raced the day track the next weekend and it was a rubber band start.
mikec265
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mikec265 5/22/2018 10:25am
5/22/2018 10:25am
I got the holeshot in schoolboy. My first moto ever and with the rubber band.
Scared shitless and surprised, I slowed down and looked behind me after the 1st turn. Wound up getting lapped. 1990 CR125
scottydogmx 5/22/2018 10:27am
5/22/2018 10:27am
2005- 06 southermotocross (SMX) Northchapel, wouldn't be surprised if they are still using it today.
Tony Ford is old school with old school tracks- no prep apart from watering
dadofagun
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dadofagun 5/22/2018 10:30am
5/22/2018 10:30am
Branson, 1982. Their setup featured 2 bands, on each side of the start line, both attached to a single pin in the center. My Dad had me get as close to the pin as possible, wished me luck, and began his usual walk to the infield. As he was walking around the start, one of the bands let go, hitting him on the back of his legs as he was walking by. As bad as it sounds, I laughed my ass off..... You can’t blame me, I was only 7!

The Shop

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r.sal923
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r.sal923 5/22/2018 10:38am
5/22/2018 10:38am
2017 was the last one for me.
mx12boy
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mx12boy 5/22/2018 10:45am
5/22/2018 10:45am
It was a CMC race in Auburn down by the American River around 1980.
DEMONDAVE
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DEMONDAVE 5/22/2018 10:47am
5/22/2018 10:47am
during the pitbike craze in 04' or 05' podium productions ran races at lake Elsinore with a rubber band start
GuyB
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GuyB 5/22/2018 10:59am
5/22/2018 10:59am
jimmie wrote:
Yeah I remember.... 1978 Ascot Raceway. And 1982 Corona Racetrack, rubber band start only because the gate was being used for the Los Angeles Coliseum Supercross...
Yeah I remember....

1978 Ascot Raceway.

And 1982 Corona Racetrack, rubber band start only because the gate was being used for the Los Angeles Coliseum Supercross that weekend.
We actually used rubber band starts for a long time at Corona.
Ted722
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Ted722 5/22/2018 11:05am
5/22/2018 11:05am
Watsonville/Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds 1986 on the trusty '83 CR250! I remember a few at the Cow Palace too in the late 80's/90's.
Forty
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Forty 5/22/2018 11:06am
5/22/2018 11:06am
Strum WI 1974 ? Last one was 1981 in CO
DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 5/22/2018 11:15am
5/22/2018 11:15am
Next question: Were you ever the guy (usually on one of the ends) who got tangled up in the band?
TooOldToPlay
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TooOldToPlay 5/22/2018 11:44am
5/22/2018 11:44am Edited Date/Time 5/22/2018 11:45am
DoctorJD wrote:
Next question: Were you ever the guy (usually on one of the ends) who got tangled up in the band?
Comin' at you!



(Me on the end of the line)
skidmarkz
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skidmarkz 5/22/2018 11:51am
5/22/2018 11:51am
Motosport Park Sayers, TX around early to mid ‘70s.
Gary105
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Gary105 5/22/2018 12:39pm
5/22/2018 12:39pm
Sir Roostsalot wrote:
The first race I ever did had a rubber band start. It was the last race of the year and they installed a backwards fallIng gate...
The first race I ever did had a rubber band start. It was the last race of the year and they installed a backwards fallIng gate for the next season. So the first race I ever did was the last race for the rubber band. It was 1980 NEMA fall Jamboree at Lunenberg MA.
I was at that exact race.... Lots of rubber band starts for me there. Terrible picture but this was from that track. Jumping the quad on a YZ100....
HighPlainsSquid 5/22/2018 12:41pm
5/22/2018 12:41pm
Georgetown, KY ca 1979. I'm on a '78 RM125. Got the holeshot, got arm pump, lost the holeshot, ended up 3rd place. Rubber band!

bigmaico
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bigmaico 5/22/2018 12:47pm
5/22/2018 12:47pm
Well this is funny to me as I'm a little backwards on this one!

My after school job in 1973 was to help build forward falling starting gates!

I help build most of the gates that were used in Cailf. I seemed to get really good starts on them too!

I didn't starting racing until 1974, so I never saw a rubber band starting gate until about 8 years ago!

The Local Vintage club did one that was split in the middle, I got my worst start ever!

BTW: One of the spectators wasn't paying attention & got smacked hard by the rubber band!
bayodome
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bayodome 5/22/2018 12:58pm
5/22/2018 12:58pm Edited Date/Time 5/22/2018 1:00pm
No rubber band start, but they did use a stop light instead of a 30 second board! 1995. 125C Class at Sleepy Hollow in PA. Went 29-29 for...29th overall!

Had no idea what I was doing. All I cared about was beating my buddy...did that and had a blast. Couldn't walk without some pain for about a week. Then went and raced again for the next 3 weekends in a row.
potatoflake
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potatoflake 5/22/2018 1:39pm
5/22/2018 1:39pm
I did one in 2004 and again in 2016, gotta love small towns

Pit Row

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Roostermx58
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Roostermx58 5/22/2018 1:46pm
5/22/2018 1:46pm
East Bend in North Carolina used to use rubber band starts. Its been a couple years now since they used them.
MohMoto14
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MohMoto14 5/22/2018 2:07pm
5/22/2018 2:07pm
No rubber band but have done had a few starts at Honda Hills with the stop light.
crf250pilot
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crf250pilot 5/22/2018 2:13pm
5/22/2018 2:13pm
I remember my dad saying "Just run right through that rubber band, the guy will have to let it go eventually. So that's what i did and sure enough ripped the cord right out of the guys hands and got a huge holeshot on my 81 yz60. ( This was way before they cost $4,500 dollars).
2T42
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2T42 5/22/2018 8:55pm
5/22/2018 8:55pm
Good old Rubber band starts!

We used to race at Laurel Indiana off a rubber band start in the early 90's and I remember Aaron Plessinger's dad Scott starting BACKWARDS on the line for some reason and still pulled the holeshot.

Lots of locals considered taking up golf that night.
Deja New
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Deja New 5/23/2018 1:38am
5/23/2018 1:38am
Mine was a Desaster behind some bushes at high school. Was a rubber start but the effin thing broke. Had wood chip n bark embedded in me knees then mates trying to cheer me on. A bloody shoe horn would have been the ducks nuts was so damb slippery was like trying to use the clutch for the first time. She went off like a cracker though was like stickin it in 6th all the was through the powerband but I was so drunk I tripped before I got to the finish line and might even have chucked up once or twice.
NorCalRedRyder 5/23/2018 2:23am
5/23/2018 2:23am
Oh ya I do! A little 105cc Italian Beta, she came pre lubed with a quality suspension. She didn't realize how much of a rookie I was and I blew my piston in a bout a minute and a half. She now is riding pro at the Hustler Club in San Francisco. But she was a hell of a bike, never used the rubber band start with her.....probably should have in hindsight.
motoxxx599 5/23/2018 4:02am
5/23/2018 4:02am
Deja New wrote:
Mine was a Desaster behind some bushes at high school. Was a rubber start but the effin thing broke. Had wood chip n bark embedded in...
Mine was a Desaster behind some bushes at high school. Was a rubber start but the effin thing broke. Had wood chip n bark embedded in me knees then mates trying to cheer me on. A bloody shoe horn would have been the ducks nuts was so damb slippery was like trying to use the clutch for the first time. She went off like a cracker though was like stickin it in 6th all the was through the powerband but I was so drunk I tripped before I got to the finish line and might even have chucked up once or twice.
thats the strongest Australian accent I've ever seen written
Deja New
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Deja New 5/23/2018 4:06am
5/23/2018 4:06am
Deja New wrote:
Mine was a Desaster behind some bushes at high school. Was a rubber start but the effin thing broke. Had wood chip n bark embedded in...
Mine was a Desaster behind some bushes at high school. Was a rubber start but the effin thing broke. Had wood chip n bark embedded in me knees then mates trying to cheer me on. A bloody shoe horn would have been the ducks nuts was so damb slippery was like trying to use the clutch for the first time. She went off like a cracker though was like stickin it in 6th all the was through the powerband but I was so drunk I tripped before I got to the finish line and might even have chucked up once or twice.
motoxxx599 wrote:
thats the strongest Australian accent I've ever seen written
I’ll take that az a compliment Smile

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