If you turned pro when you were 16...

125MX

Position

Rider

Hometown

Points

1Marty SmithSan Diego, CA420

2Bruce McDougalOrange, CA240

3Chuck BowerAnaheim, CA235

4Mickey BooneWinston Salem, NC200

5Tim HartTorrance, CA196

6Jimmy EllisCobalt, CT167

7Jeff FolandSan Diego, CA153

8Dan TurnerPlacerville, CA126

9Robert HaagNewport Beach, CA100

10Vincent ClarkLompoc, CA94

Lackey

Karsmakers

Semics

DiStefano

Weinert

G. Bailey

Stackable

Same here. Sorby, Andrew Short, Tedesco probably up there too. I’d say half the field, haha. 

Bubba 2003. I realize Langston won the title that year, but even in the most ridiculous fantasies, turning pro from 2002 to 2004 would’ve been and was hopeless for anyone.

I would’ve been getting the championship phone call instead of Grant 😏 2003

magoo

Mcgrath

LOL

Marty Smith. 

Would have been 1984.  Being from Louisiana maybe I could have hit the road with Alley Semar as he was running the 125 class then against the likes of Ward, O’Show, Whiting, Dubach, Rick Ryan, Kehoe, Cooper, Andrew’s amongst others.

Fun post

My 1st race was in 91 but I wasn’t 16. 91 had More fast guys MC, Lamson, Swink, Larry Ward, Healy,Parker.  I turned 16 in Nov 83 there was no sx. So make it 84 natl not that many top guys. I would hv been a top 3 guy. I won my 1st race after the yr b4 I bought a bike & ride maybe 6 times. Then the next fall I raced a full gate of 125 A  and won. I think I rode twice the whole yr b4 the race. 

2002 -

Chad Reed

Mike Brown

Travis Preston

James Stewart

Ivan Tedesco

Same here, you forgot to throw in Stroupe, canard, Josh grant, and JLaw!!!

2007, so rv, Townley, Grant, Dungey, Helper, J law

I turned 16 in Nov 83 so I hv 84 also. Interesting thread some yrs like 91 super stacked. I was a big bball star , ran a low 10 in a 100.  Super freak I tried to drop out and play in Europe at 15.  My mom wouldn’t let me then at 16 I hv to pay 160 a month for rent so bball was done. I probably would’ve won motos in 84 and won  races . To be honest. I never knew how shallow the field was in 84.  2 hrs of sleep at a warehouse in KC lastnight. Dynamite then pistols, ar15 and ak47,s rapping shots off till 4am.  Ak 47,s sound whicked cool echoing off of buildings. 

Chiz has been pro about as long as Ive been alive. I turned 16 in 2020.

Season points standings(top 15) in motocross:

1. Dylan Ferrandis

2. Jeremy Martin,

3. Shane McElrath

4. Jett Lawrence

5. Justin Cooper

6. Alex Martin

7. RJ Hampshire

8. Mitchell Harrison

9. Cameron Mcadoo

10. Brandon Hartranft

11. Jo Shimoda

12. Carson Mumford

13. Hunter Lawrence

14. Derek Drake

15. Jarrett Frye

2013. Tomac Roczen baggett Martin Ac cooper Webb plessinger I think. 

1977

1984 piece of cake I would,ve had that.

2003 Round 12 Steel City. Stewart, Hughes, Langston with fellow Aussies Craig Anderson getting 3rd overall and Michael Byrne rounding out the top 5

Guy Cooper
Mike Kiedrowski 
Jeff Matiasevich
Jean Michel Bayle 
Jeff Emig

1990

Ping is 2 months younger than me so if I had been fast enough to turn pro at 16, I'd probably be lining up against him.

Also guys like Rusty Holland, Tim Ferry, Nathan Ramsey, Scott Sheak, etc...

125 Class

250 Class (No Four Strokes)

500 Class (No Four Strokes)

1978 and Yamaha swept all 3 classes! 

I did and it did not go too well. 20th was not what i was expecting nor my dad. Just behind Seb Tortelli, though. 

Moral of the story is it does not matter when it happened there were some bad ass dudes. Love this sport. 

Cool thread! 

Micky Dymond, George Holland, Guy Cooper, Erik Kehoe and Donny Schmit would have been on the gate in the 125 class with me. 

That was the year David Bailey's career ended. 

That’s a pretty stacked field rt there. The top 5 were all gp riders. Seguy in 8 th I Love that fox  vid jump contest move he did with a leg tap on the front fender. Mashchio had great style in the gp,s.  Ever see these vids I watched a few a couple months ago. There the current French championship series. The group is pretty fun. There all on 125,s . Racing and pit filming . 1 rider had his group of women super excited that he won . The tracks looked awesome and real fun. Full gates of 125,s. My French is very rust I didn’t understand much of what they were saying. But the vids r Great so I watched quite a few. The races with higher temps had a lot of people spectating . My last name is French it’s from Quebec & northern NY. Indian tribe name, there was no boarder long ago. French  pronunciation is Goo ett ta. It has multiple means , invisible warrior of the forest, the Forrest, the woods. Language is still spoken today 30k yrs later. It’s Iroquoin. Oneida Indian tribe also called The people of the standing stone . Mostly know as The Turtle Clan. From Turtle island the original name of America. They help GW win the revolutionary war. 

At 16, that puts me in 2005 250f outdoors

=======

Top 10 in points 

tedesco

short

alessi

Langston

brown

hepler

grant

millsaps

walker

smith.

=======
 

yep im not even in the same galaxy as the fast 40. 

Everybody on your list started out as a novice and advanced to local pro. Think of it like a natural progression from pop warner football to high school, then college and then to pro's. Having raced some on that list at the local tracks I can assure you they got a whole lot faster after a factory ride and a few years on the national circuit

I could have done some damage but old man Slate paid a Neanderthal's wage.