Posts
12209
Joined
11/16/2011
Location
Menifee, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
11/16/2021 7:08am
The "Have you lined up against Chad" thread got me to thinking about some of the fast guys I had the challenge of racing against. I've never been a pro, but I did some time near the sharp end of the 125B class in SoCal and at amateur nationals in the '90s. That put me up against a few heavy hitters who would go on to become pros or other notables within a few years. Here's my list:
Billy Laninovich - 250F Supercross winner and great guy. He's from my hometown and I consider him a friend. Reeeeedonkulous whips. I finished ahead of him once, when he was just starting out on big bikes. Once.
Mike Sleeter - KTM tester and brand ambassador, now living in Australia.
Steven Eugenio - Fast, fast, kid. Came out of nowhere and got amazing speed. One year, he was a 125 Novice. The next, he was smoking most of us Intermediates. A year later, I saw him qualify for the Vegas SX.
Chris Sprenkel - He was on my race team at the dealership I worked for. He came awfully close to winning the World Mini in 125B and then became a national pro.
Turbo Reif - Landed on Honda of Houston, I think??
Richie Owens - A satellite Suzuki team of some kind.
Shane Lusk - Ezra's little brother, who was blazing fast but suffered a bad injury if I remember right.
Who have you guys raced with?
Billy Laninovich - 250F Supercross winner and great guy. He's from my hometown and I consider him a friend. Reeeeedonkulous whips. I finished ahead of him once, when he was just starting out on big bikes. Once.
Mike Sleeter - KTM tester and brand ambassador, now living in Australia.
Steven Eugenio - Fast, fast, kid. Came out of nowhere and got amazing speed. One year, he was a 125 Novice. The next, he was smoking most of us Intermediates. A year later, I saw him qualify for the Vegas SX.
Chris Sprenkel - He was on my race team at the dealership I worked for. He came awfully close to winning the World Mini in 125B and then became a national pro.
Turbo Reif - Landed on Honda of Houston, I think??
Richie Owens - A satellite Suzuki team of some kind.
Shane Lusk - Ezra's little brother, who was blazing fast but suffered a bad injury if I remember right.
Who have you guys raced with?
Rollerball, Carl Vaillancourt, Allan Dyck, Stan Currington, Zoli Berenyi, Rudi Zascko, Jason Frenette, Marty Burr, and too many others (I hit my head a lot).
So there i was, without any motocross experience at all, ligning up second line right somewhere behind Nancy van the Ven, Herlings and Coldenhof a bit more to the left, My reed valves broke down in the first lap which made the whole experience even worse. Jeffrey lapped me within half of a lap.
anyhow, good times.
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Doug Dubach and Spud Walters, Thundercross
and bunch of other 90s pros in the late 80s before they were pro in So Cal
Cross Creek, Bastrop.
Lined up with Charley Bogard a few times at Swan. Lined up with Robbie Reynard at Lake Whitney.
Bob Hannah, Kenny Zahrt, Johnny O, Jim Holley, Rex Staten, Danny LaPorte, Donnie Hansen, Gary Semics. Too many others to remember.
Many UK stars from the 90s/00s.. Nunn, Crockard, Sword, Anderson, and Kevin Strijbos once I think. And Kenneth Gunderson, Ken De Dyker too.
It puts it in to perspective just how good these guys are, I remember on riding on a a sand track with Cameron Taylor and just thinking, when he comes by I am going to give it 110% for 3 corners and see if i can stay on his wheel, I will brake where he brakes, open the throttle where he does, follow his lines. And i couldnt even come close to that, and no doubt he was cruising
Being on the same track as those guys just gives you even more respect for what they do
Alessis’/ Villopto/ Dungey/ Canard/ Grant/ Stroupe/ Izzi/ Bagget/ Wilson/ Tickle/ Tomac/ Bogle/ Barcia/ Craig/ Millsaps/ Hill
I just happened to be in the middle age of the above spectrum and got to watch a lot to talent lap me regularly….very blessed to have grown up racing when I did
Lots of name when racing in local SoCal race like Vet Worlds and 2 Stroke nationals.
But one of my favorite photos is this one from a Transworld race at GH. There is Doug Dubach, Travis Preston, Mike Sleeter and MC. I ended up getting beat to the first turn on my stock RM250 smoker but still makes for a pretty good photo. And no, I did not beat any of them in the race either haha
Justin Brayton, Teddy Maier, Gavin Faith, Cody Gilmore, and maybe Chad Pederson but I don't remember. I would just get the heck out of their way when they went by. Teddy Maier used to do a riding/camping thing at his place in Fort Dodge, Iowa and there were a lot of good riders that would be there. I just focused on hitting a couple of his massive jumps. They always went straight to the moon but were relatively soft if you came up short.
Pit Row
Chad Reed when he was 16
Stefan everts and Joel smelts when they came out here for the Taupo international ,
Never ridden outside Nz , but have been lucky enough to race most guys that came here ,
I also got frequently waxed by Daniel Blair.
I'm sure there's a shit ton more since I raced ALL OVER CALIFORNIA on a PW50 and KX60 around 1988 - 1991 - Barona Oaks, Perris, Glen Helen, LACR, Carlsbad, Marysville, Sunrise, etc.
Me at Perris Mx around that time
Stefan Everts
Robbie Madison
Ronnie Mac
Steve Ramon
Jeffrey Herlings
Many many more!
All at the Weston beach race in the UK though so not sure it counts!
Fort Dodge has always had fast guys. I was just a half lap behind them.
Here are some that were in my heat races in SX, and the outdoor national at Whitney...
Johnson. Hannah, Omara, Glover, Ward, Shultz, Burnworth etc...
Went down in the first turn with Hannah in a heat race at the '83 Houston SX. He wasn't too happy. Leichen slammed in a turn about a half a lap in a heat race the next year. .
Locally Steve Wise would race the local South Texas Expert class between nationals. A promoter had a $50 bounty on me for a few months at a track in South Texas. When Steve showed up, he removed the bounty!
Howerton showed up the day after he won the Anaheim SX in 81 at his track in San Antonio. There was about 8-10 of us signed up that day. He let us go and then reeled us in. Then pulled over and let us gap him, only to reel us back in.
Same age as Wardy and Myerscough. Had Wardy on one side and Myerscough on the other at a NMA Mini Bike National in Houston at Rio Bravo. Also lined up with them at a NMA Mini Bike National in Missouri. Ended up 4th in that one.
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