Story time: When a pro flew past you

jtmaster
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jtmaster 3/22/2019 2:37pm
3/22/2019 2:37pm
Back in the early 90s I used to belong to the same practice track, Harrisburg MC,as a couple local pros. The fastest being Steve Herman who was national number 64 I believe at the time. He would blow by everyone on a regular basis. It was amazing watching how fast he could go and make it look so easy.
yz25
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yz25 3/22/2019 7:45pm
3/22/2019 7:45pm
Five pages strong. Every page and topic worth the read! Great thread!
5
Rob YZF250
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Rob YZF250 4/8/2019 4:13pm
4/8/2019 4:13pm Edited Date/Time 4/9/2019 5:06am
I want to read more, someone must have more of these stories. The closest to these stories i got so far was on a 2000 CR80 around 2004 seeing Carl Nunn at his practice track Mildenhall in the UK come gunning past me practicing on his factory SXF250. And i once see Paul Cooper ride at Elsworth practice track roughly around the same year, managed to meet him and chat to him that day. Will never forget it.
KawiNateR
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KawiNateR 5/2/2019 3:14pm
5/2/2019 3:14pm
I've had many pros fly past me in my years of riding the SoCal tracks, but there was a time when I flew past a couple of factory riders. I was just a teenager out at my local spot in Mockingbird Canyon in Riverside when I pulled up to see Warren Reid and Jim Gibson turning laps. Finally got up the nerve to go out on the track and as I crested a hill they were right in front me. Passed them like they were standing still! Which is almost what they were doing since they were out jogging the track after their motos.
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Subotai
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Subotai 3/9/2021 8:24am
3/9/2021 8:24am
Any more stories to share? These are definitely my favorites.
jtmaster
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jtmaster 3/9/2021 8:52am
3/9/2021 8:52am
Andrew Delong, GNCC pro, blowing by me at Pagoda MC about every 4-5 laps during members only ride day.
Dr.201
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Dr.201 3/9/2021 8:54am
3/9/2021 8:54am Edited Date/Time 3/9/2021 8:55am
It was around 2010 and I was racing at a track called horseshoe bend in Kentucky. It was a decent paying race and I was signed up to run the usual open a and lites a. I thought it was the usual suspects until I showed up to the gate and saw Tyler bowers, Nathan Skaggs, Ryan and Justin sipes, jimmy povolny, the Akaydin brothers, Steven mages, and about 10 other pro am level riders. I’m sure you can imagine what happened to me when the gate dropped lol. You just don’t see that type of talent at local races anymore..
blaze 57
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blaze 57 3/9/2021 9:09am
3/9/2021 9:09am
My best memory was around 1979 at a Friday night race in Puyallup, Wasgington. That was the old Trans Am series track or part of it that was used for night racing.

They had the 125 pros, open expert all on the same gate drop due to the small class sizes. I was on my YZ400. I had grabbed the hole-shot but half through the first turn which was a HUGE left hand sweeper a fast local pro (Pat Jacobson) on his Suzuki 125 went flying past me on the very outside like I was going backwards. I'll never forget the sheer speed he took that first turn with and never let off. Amazed the hell out of me, shocked me. Its been imprinted for over 40 yrs.

Pat Jacobson went on to a full Suzuki factory ride. I think it was 1980 or 81 he was paralyzed from the waist down in a (supercross) first turn accident. I think it was his first race with the factory ride Suzuki.
nd54
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nd54 3/9/2021 9:25am
3/9/2021 9:25am Edited Date/Time 3/9/2021 9:26am
For me it was 1995 at orlando mx in the winter. Coming out of the back section heading towards the front part of the track there was this long table top and on my cr125 I had to go to the outside of the corner before just to get enough run to clear it. One lap I see an rm125 with #199 on it rail the inside of the corner and we both go off the table top side by side and the rider looks over at me in the air and then after a landing a few corners later he was out of sight. When I pulled off the track after the session and going back to my truck I finally realize it's Travis Pastrana. I believe he was just getting on the big bikes and was already flying.
Shredder 3/9/2021 10:06am
3/9/2021 10:06am
Josh Strang jumped over me at Club MX a few months ago on the sand track. I was grateful he didn't land on me. I knew he was coming so I made sure to hold my line. As with all of these stories, blown away by the next level speed.
Kebrock
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Kebrock 3/9/2021 10:36am
3/9/2021 10:36am
Last summer at Supercoops in SE Mich, there was this kid flying around the track. It was a Wednesday, and the majority of the guys there were racers and were pretty quick. This kid was different and stood out from the "fast guys". He was already out on the track and I entered as he went by one lap. The next thing i know he flys by showering me with sand. Back at the pits, I noticed he had a support box truck and a small little entourage. Come to find out it was Hardy Munoz, who, the week before had taken 14th overall at Loretta Lynn's II and was in MI practicing for Ironman.
LoudLove
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LoudLove 3/9/2021 10:46am
3/9/2021 10:46am
Rider: Charley Bogard
Location: Moiser Valley
Lapped: Often. Sometimes with Brad Woolsey & Grayson Goodman in tow.

Charley’s 125 sounded like the throttle was safety-wired WFO.
MyBobbym
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MyBobbym 3/9/2021 10:58am
3/9/2021 10:58am
sumdood wrote:
I got passed by both McGrath and Pastrana at a Carlsbad Christmas Gran Prix. I knew they were there so I told my wife who was...
I got passed by both McGrath and Pastrana at a Carlsbad Christmas Gran Prix. I knew they were there so I told my wife who was taking pics to get a shot right before they went around me, it should be easy they're going to lap me at least 3 or 4 times. They did, she didn't. Multiple chances to get a picture of me in front of those guys wasted Sad Laughing One lap I did not hear MC coming and he went by so fast it made me about jump out of my boots. Laughing
I raced that race, the last one ever held there on moates 450 FMF Yamaha. I hopped on Marty's scooter and took over from Marty and I was feeling and looking when 30 seconds later the pro minibike group flew by me. Souped up XR's, louder N hell and within 10 seconds they were out of sight. Next group to go by were the womans pro class. 2 turns later and all could see was a cloud of dust. Then Jeremy passed me on the drag strip. I was satisfied after that and passed the bike off to Bauer. Great race no matter...
MyBobbym
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MyBobbym 3/9/2021 10:59am
3/9/2021 10:59am
blaze 57 wrote:
My best memory was around 1979 at a Friday night race in Puyallup, Wasgington. That was the old Trans Am series track or part of it...
My best memory was around 1979 at a Friday night race in Puyallup, Wasgington. That was the old Trans Am series track or part of it that was used for night racing.

They had the 125 pros, open expert all on the same gate drop due to the small class sizes. I was on my YZ400. I had grabbed the hole-shot but half through the first turn which was a HUGE left hand sweeper a fast local pro (Pat Jacobson) on his Suzuki 125 went flying past me on the very outside like I was going backwards. I'll never forget the sheer speed he took that first turn with and never let off. Amazed the hell out of me, shocked me. Its been imprinted for over 40 yrs.

Pat Jacobson went on to a full Suzuki factory ride. I think it was 1980 or 81 he was paralyzed from the waist down in a (supercross) first turn accident. I think it was his first race with the factory ride Suzuki.
Pat was a certified badass.
mxlawyer
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mxlawyer 3/9/2021 11:03am
3/9/2021 11:03am
Practicing at Southwick, feeling pretty fast on my brand new KX 250, about 5-6 laps in warmed up and feeling the flow. All I hear is a screaming 85 behind me. Little ?[¢=¢=€= Barcia stuffs me in a corner then proceeds to disappear like he's in another time zone. I'm pissed because he stuffed me in practice, blew sand into every area of my body, I'm on a 250 in the B class getting top tens every week, and I'm on a track that totally favors big wheels and power. I'm gonna put my head down and teach this kid what's up, right? Yeah, didn't happen. Lol.
4
Tim507
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Tim507 3/9/2021 11:06am
3/9/2021 11:06am
I've been passed by many a fast pro over the years! The most indelible memory is the early 90's at Hollister Hills at a Nat Hare Scrambles. I was riding the 40 class and was navigating a sloped downhill in the trees, tight and technical. I heard a bike coming fast and as I ventured a look to my right, Terry Cunningham blew past me on an upper trail with his front wheel in the air on a trail that I had no clue was there. He was gone in a few seconds! Talk about tunnel vision!!
CKNY
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CKNY 3/9/2021 11:34am
3/9/2021 11:34am
Tyler Medaglia has blown by me many times on the MX track and in the woods. Funny how you can think you go pretty good until a real pro shows you what real speed is. Same deal with Dusty Klatt.
1
-MAVERICK-
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-MAVERICK- 3/9/2021 11:44am
3/9/2021 11:44am
CKNY wrote:
Tyler Medaglia has blown by me many times on the MX track and in the woods. Funny how you can think you go pretty good until...
Tyler Medaglia has blown by me many times on the MX track and in the woods. Funny how you can think you go pretty good until a real pro shows you what real speed is. Same deal with Dusty Klatt.
Tuna,

Just letting you know that you can message GuyB to unlock your account.

And yeah, Tyler is fast, so is Jeremy.

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motomike137
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motomike137 3/9/2021 12:26pm
3/9/2021 12:26pm
Back in the day at Iron Mustangs in Brighton Michigan. They had this deal called the Wednesday night club and we would take turns watering the track and flagging a few races. So every Wednesday all season the club members could show up and practice for a couple hours and then they'd run a couple of motos. The motos were dead engine start and you would have a huge cross section of riders. I had a 90 CR500 and knew the trick for shutting it off so it would start in gear ( I think I just held the clutch in the whole time when and after I shut it off). Quite frequently I would grab the lead and make about a half lap give or take before faster guys got to me. Every so often Swinkster would be there riding and this is when he was on the 125 Suzuki. So I manage to rip a great start and lead until we got to the top section which was tight and twisty as heck. All of a sudden I hear a motor being held to the stops and Brian goes by me like I was dragging an anchor lol. He pulled away from me so quick I couldn't describe it!
Zerofear66
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Zerofear66 3/9/2021 12:43pm
3/9/2021 12:43pm
I was riding out at Milestone before it closed. Evidently they closed down the main track for a little while so a lot of the fast guys went over to the vet track. I was riding around at my usual slow speed and Barcia comes around the outside of a turn in what sounded like third gear wide open and just flew by me like I was standing still... to see that amount of corner speed 3 ft away from you is ridiculous. Literally made me feel like I have no idea how to ride my dirt bike.
2
suzukiread240
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suzukiread240 3/9/2021 1:28pm
3/9/2021 1:28pm
My best was 09 or 10 at Cal City MX Park. Kurt Caselli passed me on the back triple. I could hear him coming so I just held my line and sky’d the triple. He was on my tail off the face, whipped onto the option lane, landed on the rear end and was gone. I don’t think his front tire touched the dirt until he hit the corner. It was amazing how fast he was. It’s the only experience I had with that legend and one of my all time favorites.
SCAM124
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SCAM124 3/9/2021 1:44pm
3/9/2021 1:44pm
motomike137 wrote:
Back in the day at Iron Mustangs in Brighton Michigan. They had this deal called the Wednesday night club and we would take turns watering the...
Back in the day at Iron Mustangs in Brighton Michigan. They had this deal called the Wednesday night club and we would take turns watering the track and flagging a few races. So every Wednesday all season the club members could show up and practice for a couple hours and then they'd run a couple of motos. The motos were dead engine start and you would have a huge cross section of riders. I had a 90 CR500 and knew the trick for shutting it off so it would start in gear ( I think I just held the clutch in the whole time when and after I shut it off). Quite frequently I would grab the lead and make about a half lap give or take before faster guys got to me. Every so often Swinkster would be there riding and this is when he was on the 125 Suzuki. So I manage to rip a great start and lead until we got to the top section which was tight and twisty as heck. All of a sudden I hear a motor being held to the stops and Brian goes by me like I was dragging an anchor lol. He pulled away from me so quick I couldn't describe it!
Mike - We are not quite the Wedn night club but many of the same members and some of the officers are still in the club at Irish Hills MX (HVNH Comp Team).

If you're ever interested in riding again in IH, lemme know. I'll give you our schedule. There are a few Vital members that are officers also.
1
Falcon
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Falcon 3/9/2021 2:06pm
3/9/2021 2:06pm
Sometime in '96, I was practicing at Perris and MC was was there with Steve Lamson. They were freight training around the track, lap after lap, and I went out there to get a moto in. There was one spot where the track reconnected to the start straight and they had this huge, sweeping line all the way around the outside. Just feet-up, 5th gear, roost flying speed. My line was to hug the inside and go straight up to the first turn on the inside. Well, MC goes by just as we get to the straight. Lamson follows him, and the two take the long way around. When we reached the 1st turn, Lamson had technically passed me, but I still barely had the edge over him on the inside and I thought, "What the hell, I'll just take my line and he can certainly figure out what to do." He conceded the pass but then blew past me like I was riding a bicycle down the next straight. And that's the story of how I passed a 2-time National Champion. Cool It lasted all of 2 seconds. Shocked
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B Lenny
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B Lenny 3/9/2021 3:17pm
3/9/2021 3:17pm
Was in a heated battle with Ricky and James..Made a last lap pass and then I woke up...Blush
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AC271
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AC271 3/9/2021 5:33pm
3/9/2021 5:33pm
Doug Henry... He was at our local track this weekend. Had no idea who it was until eh end of the day. He is a badass, i still have the roost marks to prove it!
1
KennyT
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KennyT 3/9/2021 5:54pm
3/9/2021 5:54pm
Back around 1978-79 or so I was doing practice laps all by myself at a private Indian owned track n Palm Springs. It was tucked up against the mountains, sandy and all whooped out as it never got graded. At that time I was at the peak of my abilities and was winning Intermediate classes at the local races. I thought I was a badass on a bike for some odd reason.
So I’m out there doing my 15 minutes of riding and then stopping to rest up for my next ride and see a mini truck pull up with a trick Suzuki 125. It was Brian Meyerscough who at the time was a factory rider and was winning a occasional National. So he starts busting out laps and I go out there with i him, no intentions of keeping up of course. I was amazed at how many times he lapped me in my 15 minutes before my tongue was dragging. He’d blow by me like I was standing still. The amazing thing was he rode like that for a good 45 minutes and seemed to not slow down one bit. It was right around that time that my aspirations of being a top Pro took a huge dive into reality. I knew I needed to keep hammering nails for a living. Fun day but sad at the same time. Those guys are so far beyond a decent local rider it is ridiculous
1
mb60
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mb60 3/9/2021 6:10pm
3/9/2021 6:10pm
1987 Loretta's 250 B stock class. 1st Moto I draw the number 1 spoon feeling great already. Damon Bradshaw lines up about 3 gates down from me. The gate drops and out of the corner of my eye I see he jumped and got stuck in the gate. Long story short starting the 3 Rd lap he blows by me right before the mechanical area. 2 turns later he is out of site. Knew that day I was not factory material lol. I did end up beating him one Moto when he got a flat.
3
RM Mike
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RM Mike 3/9/2021 6:22pm
3/9/2021 6:22pm
The pros have talent and a sack of iron.

They all deserve respect.
1
motomike137
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motomike137 3/9/2021 6:29pm
3/9/2021 6:29pm
AC271 wrote:
Doug Henry... He was at our local track this weekend. Had no idea who it was until eh end of the day. He is a badass...
Doug Henry... He was at our local track this weekend. Had no idea who it was until eh end of the day. He is a badass, i still have the roost marks to prove it!
This one isn't exactly a story of getting passed but I was humbled just the same. A few years back when I was on my last racing stint I was at Baja Acres for Extremity Games weekend. They had created this huge uphill double that takes serious cajones to jump and I just couldn't summon up the courage. Doug Henry ripped it on his cage bike like like a backyard jump. These dudes are made of different stuff!
3
zeromarine
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zeromarine 3/9/2021 9:08pm
3/9/2021 9:08pm
While on the track on a open practice day Jess Pettis was ripping there and blew by me a few times lol.

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