Story time: When a pro flew past you

I definitely remember your name. Crazy how big CMC was at one point. I remember watching all of you guys. Baggett, Baker, Rutherford, Sjoberg, Peick, and even Stroupe. The Intermediate and Pro classes were stacked for a while.

I've shared this story before, but my dad did a local race one year--I think it was at Woodland--and Rick Burgett showed up to race.

My dad pulled the holeshot and led for a while, and inevitably Burgett was on his ass and made the pass. In the next corner, my dad went in a block passed him. Shortly afterward, Burgett passed him back and left him in the dust. Still, it was a glorious for my dad, who still tells that story.

Micheal Willard flew by me at Amherst Meadowlarks on a 125 in late practice one time in about 2001.

I almost shit my pants, I never seen someone ride that fast in my life.

Shane Watts used to ride there too, he was fast but Willard at least looked faster.

Loretta Lynn's 1987 Damon Bradshaw was 2 gates from me on the line. Right before the gate dropped I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He jumped and was stuck in the gate. Couple of laps in I was somewhere around 20th and he passed me going into a corner like i was standing still. The next year it was amateur day at Texas stadium and Jeff Emig was in my class. The start in my heat was I was around 5th. He passed my in a rhythm section like I was a beginner.

This past fall at Tomahawk in WV on a Wednesday. AJ Catanzaro was there and he was hauling. He passed me probably a dozen times that day. Dude is fast.

Josh Lichtle tripled over me one time. He was on a 60. I was on a 250.

Yeah dude micheal brandis and Steve mertens blew past me at hangtown so fast I couldn’t believe it.
Steve Mertens being the fastest.

I remember that. I remember lining up with 43 250 juniors. Another round we had 65 and split into 2 divisions. Those were good times.

Steve Ramon and Ken DeDycker often trained at my local track, mindblowing speed.. they came by every few laps i did lol.

Here is me at WW Ranch back in December, about to lap Mike Alessi.... Just kidding, he was lapping me. Haha.

My best story is from Hangtown 2006. I reached one of my lifelong goals of making it into the 80 man Sunday show in the 450 class that day (no I didn't make the motos). In practice it was all 450s and Stew, RC and WIndham went by me in train that resembled a bullet train. I did take the few moments to look around and realize how cool the moment was. I will never forget it.

Gncc 3rd gear down a pretty fast section. A 2stroke ripping goes by me off the trail. Looked like a deer on cocaine. it was Scott Plessinger. I wish he would had done a muddy national. It looked fake when he was on it.

another one

i was hanging out at a road crossing of a National Hare and Hound in Utah and Danny Hamel came launching off the one side of the road, cleared the road, and landed on the other side in sage brush taller than i was wide open hanging off the back. as he went sage brush was flying in the air and you could see nothing but dust and brush. it was a good few minutes before the next guy (one of the Pearson bros) came by and it was a HUGE difference in how they both went by.

unreal.

Peely inspired me?Another one. Going through a sweeper on a cr250 just letting it eat. This is when i learned you have to have “ pro eyes”. I forget his name but he was in the videos great outdoors. Racing out of a van. So he could make mains and nationals. back to my free riding lesson. He set up that sweeper and never shut off from the previous corner.ghost by the next section? Momentum, lines, gear higher etc. it adds some sauce to it when you see a true pros speed a foot away from you. mad respect for anyone on a pro gate.

Back in 2005 they hayday of Lake Elsinore MX,

I was minding my own business killing the vet track, passing the older dudes on my 01 250f being a 16 yr old practice day hero. nailing the double-double-double on the vet feeling like a badass. Well anyway im on that back section that was a table top-table top- table top for those who remember. All i fucking hear is this bike absolutely pegged, so i stay on the left and i look up over the middle table top and who is it.. James got damn stewart above my head and he flat landed the shit out of that 125 and scrubbed the next jump.. I stopped after the next jump and sat on the side of the track kinda depressed because i realized i had no shot of ever going pro.

fast forward alot of years, glen helen on a dumbass choice to go on a thursday! 2013-2014 cant remember.
I have not gone back since that day.

Riding or should i say put putting around, and i come to that first got damn downhill before you make the left under the bridge and head back up. I'm at the top of the hill in like 2nd gear because i'm a squid now and before i even get to the lip from the outside i hear a wfo 450 on the outside, right as i go over the lip its James stewart again to remind me how mortal i am... as hes jumping half-way down that first downhill, i wish i had a gopro then, because i was in fucking awe.. as to 1. how does one get that much speed out of a turn.. and 2. how high he was in the air and then took off like a rocket at the bottom.

fast forward later that day. (probably 5 laps later)
The sand section in the back, I went to the outside well because i suck and was tired. anyway i made the left to the sand pit and bogged and blake bagget and tyla rattay went to the inside and roosted me so fucking hard. I went and sat down until all the pros were done so that i could putt put the track in peace.

Kyle Chisholm and his brother also flew by me one day at Tampa MX. Kyle was scrubbing the finish line triple so low he was no more than 7 feet from over the middle of the table. He passed me on the straightaway leading up to it. Absolutely amazing to watch. I talked to both of them and their dad for a solid hour afterwards. If you ever get the chance to do so I highly suggest it. They were super cool people and are very down to earth.

Another one that comes to my brain is being passed by Jesse Ansley (Last years XC3 champ) at his hometown hare scramble series. The sound of that's 125 screaming through those sandy whooped out trails is pure heaven to the ears.

Ryan Villopoto on his supermini, passed me on my Xr80 at horn rapids going about 200 mph, after my family got done riding for the day we just all sat there for atleast an hour in awe just watching him absolutely throw down. I knew right then and there this dude was gonna be badass

Back in the 1990's John Dowd would fly past me a couple of times every weekend. Every 125 or 250 A moto for a few years with one or two laps to go just like clockwork JD would come tearing by to give your weekend dose of shame. One year he had "Wellen" for a butt patch. Saw it, wondered to myself, what the F is a Wellen? When I figured it out a few corners later I laughed so hard I nearly crashed.

Some fun time training with Prado

Lapped by Stefy Bau.

Like most that grew up riding in the 80's/90's in the greater Los Angeles area, I learned very early on it wasn't happening for me.

I got 2.. One was at my local track (3Palms).. K-Dub was @ the highlight of his career battling RC for the outdoor title. Was at the track on a weekday...Passed
Me on an inside rut x10speed as I was going on a bank outside berm. To this day I’m still trying to figure out the physics of it.


Second was about a month ago. Got a chance to rip Cycle Ranch on the Fly Ride Day with Bradshaw. I’m 49, but have been riding quite a lot.. wanted to see what the ol’ #45 had in the tank.... Don’t kid your self...still smooth, effortless...gapped me like a spark plug on a borrowed GasGas300.. Loved every minute of it ❤️

My first and only mx race so far, I decide I'm gonna Ironman the 90 minute Moto at fingerlake raceway nearby without a teammate. First time kid passes me on the 85 so fast he's gone. It's a long race, so I see him coming for awhile the second time . I've gotten the big double and tabletop down by this point (lol) , and decide I'm not just letting him by. So Jeff Emig I become, world's best blocker wide lines all out so he can't pass me. As we come around the back to the big double, I sack up on my 2000 kx250 2nd gear wound out and I'm making this double great. I hear a panic rev above me and looked up. Kids flipping me the bird, and tripling to a "single" that's another 30 feet away lol. Turns out his dad owns the place. He finished top 25 a couple years at hangtown and Glen Helen. That was the day I found out I wasn't actually fast. Good times. Kinser Endicott was the kid.

I was at Washougal for a practice day in 1994 in the 125 beginner class. I am about to enter the woods sections that is before the whoops and I hear a guy behind me hauling ass. I was thinking, who is that sandbagger??? I hear him coming up and I took the inside of the corner hoping to hold him off and he just blew right by me. Saw that it was Jason McCormick as he was leaving me in the dust. That dude was so fast at Washougal.

Was over in California for a riding trip (I'm from Australia), had been there for a few weeks now and was feeling comfortable on a crf250 I was borrowing. Riding Elisnore one day and they had this big step up triple into a huge landing, from the downside you can't see the otherwise of the track. I was in the corner after that downside and I heard this animal sounding bike coming over the hill. They were going so fast I couldn't see who it was.. before I even got to the next corner they flew right past me. It was Ryan Villopto. Prepping for 2012 outdoor season.
From memory he was just coming back from Injury. didn't look like he skipped a beat.

To this day I've been passed by almost every top Aussie rider, a huge amount of international riders. This one stands out. I'll never forget seeing that big number 2 on the back of his Jersey flying past me at a pace I can't even describe

Ponca city...I was on a 125 and Alesia 800 on his 85 took off over me like a rocket ship...i was like wtf

I was down in Florida for the winter when I was 19 years old... I was traveling around, hitting races and practicing anywhere I could in a Chevy van with a brand new KX250.
Mind you- I was making this winter trip as a way to get a mega jump on the local expert competition up north, as well as laying the groundwork for a potential pro career... (at least this was the thinking of a 19 year old kid racing at the time)

I went to some sand pit riding area (I think it may have been Brooksville) and was really struggling and sucking wind from riding in the deep sandy, whooped out trails and sand bowl.

So I'm finally getting going, feeling slightly better about myself, when I hear someone behind be just totally pegged. Before I can even turn around, some guy in Fox gear on a Suzuki totally blows by me, lays it sideways while completely wide open into a berm, then just totally sandblasts me with a hailstorm of sand roost.

Before he was completely out of sight (which wasn't long at all) I read the back of his jersey... "Tichenor".

Ron Tichenor was my first barometer of what it would take to race pro and it was rather depressing realizing it probably wasn't in the cards for me...!!!

Back in 1997 I was practicing at OCR in Bithlo, FL and Brian Jorgensen and another GP rider I think from England were there. There speed was unreal but the 1 hour long motos they were doing was the most impressive thing. I had no illusions of turning pro ever, I was 28 at the time, but it showed just how hard these guys work and the level of dedication they have.