First race, how did yours go?

plynn41 wrote:

I rode dirt bikes from the time I was 5 until I graduated high school, and always wanted to race. But my parents weren't cool enough...

I rode dirt bikes from the time I was 5 until I graduated high school, and always wanted to race. But my parents weren't cool enough to buy me the '76 CR125 I wanted, and talked me into spending my own money on a TL125 instead. But they wouldn't even spring for a helmet...I guess I've still got issues.

I was 47 at my first race in July 2010 at Oneal Bottoms Raceway (now closed) in Batesville AR. I raced the 40 and up class, because all the guys at practice told me to stay out of the 250/450D class if I definitely needed to go to work the next day. It was 105* that day, but the racetrack was on the White River which is always cold, and there are places to cool off between motos. I had bought my 9 year old boy a used YZ85 the year before (because I'm a cooler parent than mine were), and bought myself a '97 CR250R (because I had been out of riding when they came out and didn't realize it was considered a turd. We were both beginner/novices, but I was a bit faster and more adventurous due to my experience on play bikes as a kid (my boy learned to ride on the YZ).
First moto, I lined up early in what looked like the quickest and straightest line to the first corner. A gaggle of 450s lined up all around me, so I knew I had made a good choice. What I did not make a good choice about was not buying a roost deflector. They're for wimps, right? I was slow off the gate, but giving it all she had---but DANG THE ROOST HURT! No rocks, but the pieces of dried dirt fell like I was getting shotgunned. After the first 3 or 4 turns it became clear that I was in a competition for last place with a rider on a Kawi 250t. Neither of us were jumping any of the doubles (and this track has a couple of pretty intimidating doubles). On the third lap, I passed the guy by going big and jumping the biggest of the doubles. But I fell down 3 corners later in a muddy corner and had trouble starting my bike and ending up getting lapped by everybody before I could get the bike (and my breath) going again. I finished last and managed 3 laps.
Second moto I was not interested in being lined up on the left side with all the 450s, so I lined up far right with the strategy of "just let 'em go and then see if you can catch anyone later on." The rest of my strategy was "jump all the jumps and stay on the bike). It had been a field of 8, but 3 of the geezers didn't answer the bell for the second moto due to the heat I suppose. When the gate fell, I knew I wasn't especially quick off the line, but I found myself out front and you better believe I was gassing it. My wife filmed the whole thing while I stayed on the gas all the way around the first corner and half way down the second straight. Then I saw all the spectators waving at me to go back to the start line. The gate had been dropped prematurely because there was still a 50 rider on the far end of the track and they had already shut down the rest of the field, but I didn't see the shut down because I was an island on the right side of the starting grid. I still like the picture because it looks like I'm roosting away from a pack of 450s.
When the gate dropped the second time, I was last to the first corner, but ended up riding a much better race. Mr. Kawi was one of the heat related drop outs (wuss). I didn't catch anyone, but I jumped all the jumps this time and got my 5 laps in. I got an honest 5th place trophy out of a class of 8 because motocross is partly an endurance sport. Here's the hardware with my then 10 year old Zach.[/URL]

dboivin wrote:

82' brown city mx. wore cowboy boots and overalls and a brand new bell moto3. i flipped my bike on the start cuz some A rider...

82' brown city mx. wore cowboy boots and overalls and a brand new bell moto3. i flipped my bike on the start cuz some A rider my dad talked into helping me said "pin it and lean over the front and drop the clutch when the gate drops". i wheelied, flipped and broke off my rear fender in my first race/start. lol. A week old 1982 yz 80. i proceeded to endo 18 more times and got 2 laps in total.

maicocd wrote:

Mine was 1979 at Trailway Speedway in Hanover, Pa. Having been the "neighborhood champion" on my XR-75, I thought I could probably make a decent showing...

Mine was 1979 at Trailway Speedway in Hanover, Pa.

Having been the "neighborhood champion" on my XR-75, I thought I could probably make a decent showing. Unfortunately, all the Trail-50's and Sears/Briggs&Stratton competition that I had waxed leading up to that point, had failed to prepare me for my introduction to being on a real MX track loaded with YZ-80's and RM-80's.

It was a rude introduction to not only being roosted unmercifully by the knobs of these high-screaming pre-mix jet fighters, but it was also downright humbling to have 6 year-old kids also blitzing me on their ultra-sano Italjet 50's.
Plodding around on my XR-75, I felt like a bumble bee just whistling a merry tune as mad hornets circled all around me!

Fortunately, another hapless XR-75 rider was in attendance, so we were pared in an "XR-75" class as to spare us the inevitable pummeling that certainly awaited us.

Dressed in my traditional Honda-Line red, white and blue jersey, with matching Honda-Line helmet, I felt like Marty Smith briefly... at least until I looked down at my Wrangler jeans and carpenters workboots.

We lined up with the rest of the YZ and RM crowd, although we were to be scored separately in our own little XR-75 class consisting of just the two of us.

As my Dad's 8mm home movie of that historic moment will attest, I actually yanked a holeshot against my stiff competition!
Off the gate- First
Down the start chute- First
Middle of the start chute- First
End of the start chute- being passed by almost everyone
First corner- almost last except for the other guy on the XR behind me
Right after first corner- DEAD LAST... as he passed me too!

I hung in there throughout the race and took my first checkers at a real MX race!

I rode off the track towards the pits to see my Mom greet me in great excitement. She was telling me that I had won!
I asked about the other kid on the XR that had blown past me that I was sure had won.
"His bike broke... you won!"

The next day at school, as I got to brag about my first MX race all the kids in class, they asked me what place I had finished.

"First place" I got to tell them without lying!!

Why bore them with all the little details about the other kid's bike breaking???

Hard to believe that was 31 years ago. There have been hundreds of races since then, but as they say- "you never forget your first"!!

thatdad wrote:

I raced there in around 73 or 74 on a tm100 and later on a rm125b. They brought in a big crowd. Before that, we raced...

I raced there in around 73 or 74 on a tm100 and later on a rm125b. They brought in a big crowd. Before that, we raced at an outlaw track called Marysville in Marysville PA and also went up to Moto Mecca in :Lenhartsville PA.

I don't have a first race story, but in practice someone took a picture of me and put in in a couple of magazines and it ended up on the wall of our local shop. I was famous. There was some other guy in the picture named Tony D.