Most talented racer?

T-BOND
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T-BOND 3/5/2006 4:52pm
3/5/2006 4:52pm
I gotta go with Joel Robert all the way. He still has the rock star status in Europe, and he earned it.
evomx244 (MD) 11/22/2007 4:38am
11/22/2007 4:38am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:03pm
The Dogger "Ron Lechien"
Oldskool (MD) 11/22/2007 6:44am
11/22/2007 6:44am
My answer is the GOAT!!! However, don't forget about [u:19lxqd14]Steve Wise[/u:19lxqd14] in this discussion. Certainly one of the most talented riders in several discliplines.
Bill163
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Bill163 11/22/2007 11:57am
11/22/2007 11:57am
This is Tough!! no doubt Steve Wise would be in the top ten from winning MX nationals to beating Freddy Spencer in AMA superbikes.

BUT after hearing what Ron Lechien told me what he did the night before winning nationals he's in Joel Robert territory.

The Shop

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RussS
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RussS 11/24/2007 8:21pm
11/24/2007 8:21pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:04pm
[quote="Sully":1ljmghzg]My dad likes to tell the story of the time he rode with Marty Tripes in the desert back in the early 70s. Tripes was 16 at the time, and smoked everyone. And he did it with one foot peg, too. At some point on the first day, he broke off his left peg and spent the rest of the weekend riding with his foot on the case.[/quote:1ljmghzg]

LMAO - seen Tripes with broken footpegs on more than a few occasions <img class= " title="Laughing">
UpTiTe 11/25/2007 9:41pm
11/25/2007 9:41pm
One name all of you are missing is Donnie Hansen, that guy was super smooth and technical. He was like Bailey, poetry in motion.
evomx244 (MD) 11/26/2007 8:37am
11/26/2007 8:37am
[quote:11nu70ga]Lechien said James amazes him, and no way were they going that fast....[/quote:11nu70ga] can't compare the rider's speed now vers back in the 80's. I just think based on talent Lechien has to rate as one of the most talented riders ever.
UpTiTe 11/26/2007 9:13am
11/26/2007 9:13am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:04pm
[quote="Big Lenny":2yetx1oh][quote="peeps sr":2yetx1oh]Damn Larry, I think you got it.... Marty Tripes and JMB. The "Dogger" is another one.[/quote:2yetx1oh]

Lechien said James amazes him, and no way were they going that fast....[/quote:2yetx1oh]Evolution.
ninety3
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ninety3 11/26/2007 6:53pm
11/26/2007 6:53pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:04pm
[quote="uptite":11szzwfw]One name all of you are missing is Donnie Hansen, that guy was super smooth and technical. He was like Bailey, poetry in motion.[/quote:11szzwfw]
Never even hit is prime, sucks, but yea he was a lot like Bailey.

Seen Donnie quite a few times lately, cool guy to bench race with.
Racer92
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Racer92 11/27/2007 12:20pm
11/27/2007 12:20pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:04pm
[img:1t6p8gs4]http://z.about.com/d/motorcycles/1/7/R/4/-/-/MSTomFritzPhoto.jpg[/img:1…]

[img:1t6p8gs4]http://z.about.com/d/motorcycles/1/7/Q/4/-/-/MS1stMotorcycle.jpg[/img:1…]

[img:1t6p8gs4]http://images.dirtrider.com/news/141_0411_baja_1000_03_z.jpg[/img:1t6p8…]

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloff ... .asp?id=91

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/news/2007/Malcolm.asp
YZsinthe70s 12/7/2007 3:58pm
12/7/2007 3:58pm
We're 4 pages into this without anyone mentioning Dick Burleson?
Law 131
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Law 131 12/7/2007 4:14pm
12/7/2007 4:14pm
Has to be Marty Tripes.

I remember a National at Sears Point in 78 or 79. On a surface best described as broken chunks of slippery asphalt covered by a thick layer of straw, that guy made it look easy.

When Tripes decided he wanted it, Hannah couldn’t touch him.

Pierce Law 131
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Suzuki RM 250/400
BobbyM (MD) 12/7/2007 7:01pm
12/7/2007 7:01pm
well shit...carl cranke
andymoto
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andymoto 12/9/2007 11:31pm
12/9/2007 11:31pm
Not me. That's for darn sure. Cranke, Burleson, Malcolm Smith, Mann; too many to list.

On Any Sunday still is the cream of the crop. Especially with the McQueen footage. Epic. Malcolm flying thru the town of Elsinore (?) and the cool people they showed that watched the bikes flying by and didn't bitch about a grass blade being out of place. Best motorcycling movie ever.
NW#599
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NW#599 5/22/2008 5:12pm
5/22/2008 5:12pm Edited Date/Time 5/23/2008 9:26am
Lowell Thompson was the most talented rider I ever got to see on a weekly basis live and in person. He was from Post Falls, Idaho and he was as smooth as they come. Never looked like he was trying and his bikes weren't screaming at the peak of power band every inch of the track. He would lead Larry Ward and Rick Simmett around the track and never look like he was trying. Ward and Simmett would have the power down at a deafening rate, while Mr. Smooth Lowell Thompson would be allowing his motor to breath and still kept his speed up. Always admired that. Feet on pegs in places nobody else did. He ran arenacross for a spell then disapeared. Anybody have any idea what he is up to?
krazee1
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krazee1 5/22/2008 5:16pm
5/22/2008 5:16pm
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and he did it with feet on the pegs smooth...poetry in motion. too bad we never got to see him on a big bike.

Pit Row

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BobbyM
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BobbyM 5/22/2008 7:26pm
5/22/2008 7:26pm
krazee1 wrote:
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and...
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and he did it with feet on the pegs smooth...poetry in motion. too bad we never got to see him on a big bike.
bruce bunch mentioned in the same breathe as dick mann or tripes or lechien? get real.
krazee1
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krazee1 5/22/2008 8:12pm
5/22/2008 8:12pm Edited Date/Time 5/22/2008 8:13pm
krazee1 wrote:
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and...
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and he did it with feet on the pegs smooth...poetry in motion. too bad we never got to see him on a big bike.
BobbyM wrote:
bruce bunch mentioned in the same breathe as dick mann or tripes or lechien? get real.
did you ever see bruce ride bobby? lechien was badass...bruce rode a lot like him...mark barnett said bruce was one of the fastest guys he had ever seen when suzuki had him try out the rm125...in 1981 on the long saddleback course he had fast lap time of the day on an RM80...micky dymond won the 250 pro race that day...i will never forget the dude...
UpTiTe 5/22/2008 8:19pm
5/22/2008 8:19pm
krazee1 wrote:
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and...
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and he did it with feet on the pegs smooth...poetry in motion. too bad we never got to see him on a big bike.
BobbyM wrote:
bruce bunch mentioned in the same breathe as dick mann or tripes or lechien? get real.
If Bruce wouldnt have been killed I would bet he would have owned most record books. He was liquid smooth, he never made a mistake. He was just as smooth on a 125. He owned the 125 pro class at Saddleback the saturday before he left for Ponca. He was also a good guy. That day was bad for so many people.
NW#599
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NW#599 5/23/2008 9:29am
5/23/2008 9:29am Edited Date/Time 4/9/2010 10:24am
BobbyM
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BobbyM 5/23/2008 1:32pm
5/23/2008 1:32pm
krazee1 wrote:
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and...
The most talented guy i ever saw was Bruce Bunch....he would smoke everyone in the 80 expert class with lap times faster than the 250 pros...and he did it with feet on the pegs smooth...poetry in motion. too bad we never got to see him on a big bike.
BobbyM wrote:
bruce bunch mentioned in the same breathe as dick mann or tripes or lechien? get real.
UpTiTe wrote:
If Bruce wouldnt have been killed I would bet he would have owned most record books. He was liquid smooth, he never made a mistake. He...
If Bruce wouldnt have been killed I would bet he would have owned most record books. He was liquid smooth, he never made a mistake. He was just as smooth on a 125. He owned the 125 pro class at Saddleback the saturday before he left for Ponca. He was also a good guy. That day was bad for so many people.
cool...sorry to hear bout his untimely death. sounded like he was a badass for sure...most talented? maybe not but it sounds like he was on his way.
Bauer
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Bauer 5/23/2008 1:35pm
5/23/2008 1:35pm
Tripes, Tim Hoover, Davey Williams...all natural talents. Hoover might have become the best ever had he not broken his neck at Mammoth in 1975.
UpTiTe 5/23/2008 2:51pm
5/23/2008 2:51pm
I guess if your talking about talented riders that never made it or got hurt the list is long. I have 3 that come to mind, Tim Aston Stevie VanDuzen Steve Shmitz all truely tallented riders that never made it becouse of injurys or selfindulgence.
TG130
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TG130 5/23/2008 11:03pm
5/23/2008 11:03pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 7:04pm
NW#599 wrote:
IIRC it happened before the races. The 3 racers had gone to a store in a rental car driven by a guy named Dana ? (can't remember the guy's last name). I heard that this Dana guy had been jumping the tracks and trashing the rental car beforehand and apparantly didn't notice the train when they crossed the tracks this particular time. Bonehead move on his part. The 3 kids were killed and Dana survived. His last name might have been Duke and he worked for an MX industry company that sponsored the racers.

I think I first read about this in Cycle News.
UpTiTe 5/24/2008 4:12am
5/24/2008 4:12am
mikey wrote:
RC I used to Windham, Lechien, Stewart, Bayle, Bailey, Huffman, McGrath etc. I dunno though, maybe talent isnt all smoothness and grace? How many times has...
RC


I used to Windham, Lechien, Stewart, Bayle, Bailey, Huffman, McGrath etc.


I dunno though, maybe talent isnt all smoothness and grace? How many times has RC saved a WFO swap through the "hoops" or got squirrely in one way or another? Too many to list. I guess the records and his inhuman consistency speak for themselves.
Dana was an Oakley rep. It happened after the second day of racing. Brookes was goimg to be in that car too but he had to go to a meeting with his team manager, his bike was being protested and they wanted him there.

They were all going back to the hotel becouse the day was over and Dana was in a hurry to get there, he swears he didnt see the train but alot of people siad he was jumping those tracks earlier in the day. To this day Brooks still wont talk about it. I rode for Oakley and knew Dana, I can tell you he was messed up in the head about it as long as I knew him.

Bruce and Rick were gauranteed factory riders and Kyle was pretty fast also. I was a year or two younger and it didnt really hit me until I went to the first Kyle Flemming memorial race in Az. I really liked Kyle.
NW#599
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NW#599 5/27/2008 12:04pm
5/27/2008 12:04pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 7:06pm
Bruce Bunch's 1982 R&D Suzuki he rode at Ponca before his death.

Click on the link below to view information and pictures of the bike. A guy bought it from R&D and it is in perfect restoration condition.

http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:d2hnJE5NhqsJ:www.vintagefactory.co…
NW#599
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NW#599 5/27/2008 12:33pm
5/27/2008 12:33pm
It was Duke Dana - came from the BMX world, same as Kyle Flemming.

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