Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
Bromely Suzuky's Barry Carsten vs RRP's Ty Wallace. Watching them triple, triple through Englishtown's finish line is what may have HOOKED 12yr old me into this sport.
Growing up in D5, I'd have to say Stevie Crowe was my first local hero. But we had so many to choose from... Guys who weren't much older than me like Davey Yezek, Shane Lawson, Mike McDonald, Dan Blackham. I remember when Greg Kreinbrook won the B class at Loretta's and the story about the winter jacket. Mark Neiderheiser was a fast guy who would jump anything and everything. The first jersey I ever got was from Mike Jones at the 87 Steel City USGP.
Thing is... I don't even know that I knew they were my heros at the time because they were just regular racers each week that we hung out with. We'd see them at Mountain View Cycle practice track or Glassport during the week. We'd travel to out of district races in Ohio or eastern PA in big caravans of Motorhomes. What an awesome time to be a MX racer.
From afar ; Marty Smith , because ; Marty Smith !!
Locally it was Mark Barnett. He showed up one weekend at our little club track & the speed he carried around it had everyone slack-jawed, it was like he was riding a track we were unfamiliar with, even though we built it & had been riding it for years.
I saw Russ @ Oat field mammoth qualifier. He is still involved in moto and still a great dude. He works for Pirelli tire.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
I helped Rusty with parts ,on Kx 80's and Dennis on big bike's, for Mike Kidd arena cross. Looking back I think we picked the right guys.
Growing up racing Elsinore in the 2000’s there was a ton of fast guys who would show up for the old super saturday series. Justin Keeney was always there and he was unreal fast and the coolest dude. His dad too. My mom did scoring/sign ups and they were the nicest people. There was a group of about 5 of us who were the local 65/85 kids and Keeney would always cheer us on during our motos. Dude was the shit
You should talk Skylab into dusting off his Vital account
1990 - Jeff Dement. I would see him at all the local riding spots around Houston and got to know him and his dad Ronny really well. We bought a lot of Jeff's used RM80s before he moved to big bikes and got to ride with him a ton when I was just getting started. I was a superfan of Jeff through his amateur years and throughout his pro career and lost touch when he went to Europe to race the GPs.
Dennis was fast, he had a lot of talent and raw speed. Agency was a great track, I used to ride there a lot of weekends.
Had a company video meeting today with Dennis and a few others. I let him know some of the Vital's was asking for a Skylab sitting on the site. He said he would try to dig up the password and login.
Being from N California, it would have to be Brad Lackey, watched him race local many times. Not necessarily moto, dist 36 legend Ray Huff was a hero to a bunch of us! He schooled a whole bunch of future legends
I think this will be the X Brand Forum Check-In tomorrow night on the MotoXpod Show. Growing up and racing most of my time in Texas, I have a couple of riders who stand out. And one from Cali where I first started racing
Dennis Hawthorne at Lake Whitney.
Seeing him go through the whoops before the finish was mind blowing. Took me 0.1 seconds to realize I didn't have it and never would. Then it took a few more seconds and I was ok with that.
I saw him at Swan a lot
District 34 - Carlo Coen.
Yes, Larry's stepdad Harry, made him start backwards, and it didn't matter because Larry would win. Like you, I was in awe of Larry, and he'd try to jump jumps that seemed impossible.
Huffman and McCormick were blazers, too. They'd smoke everyone. Perhaps you also remember Danny Ulven? He was next level as well. Lots of fast PNW guys in the 80s.
Marylands D7 racer Jimmy Lauer whos family Rand the race track Big Berm was an early team green rider that did well at a couple nationals.
Cheers brother. I came here to say the same thing. I’ll never forget when I bought my 1999 CR 250 and brought it to little Oakie for the first time and he gave me a thumbs up and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Pit Row
Donnie Schmit D-23. I was 125 C class and sucked. Donnie was so far above and beyond anyone else at the track. It was great to see him make it. RIP
Late 70’s early 80’s Northern Californian’s I am sure there are many, but there is only 1 Magoo
I was maybe 13,14or 15, at Hangtown. We went into the pits post race to get some autographs, I was waiting my turn for him to sign something for a few other people. There was a Fox gear bag sitting next to his rig so I asked him if it was his. He said it was, do you want it? I grabbed it, he signed it, and I walked away with it. It had a little tear in it but I was peaking! Made this kids day. Always a fan
You must have your years mixed up. Larry's last year on mini's was 1984, He raced 125jr and 125B in 85 - 125A/250A in 86 and Pro-am in 87.... His first national was Washougal in august 1986 right after getting 5th at LL's in 125A class. So no way he was on small bikes in 87.
Would have to be John Finkeldey from the CT shoreline back around 1981 and 1982. He was a KTM factory sponsored 500 national and SX rider. I was an 11 year old with a YZ 80, just getting started. He finished 9th overall on 500 nationals in 1981 and 9th overall again in 1982. Me and all the other kids thought he was GOD himself.
That's awesome!
yep. i had 2. Keith and Eddy.
i used to climb up top of king kong after my morning motos at baja acres just to beg keith to pancake that thing. and he always did it for or us.
Mine was probably a kid named Taylor Watts our of Lubbock TX. He raced a few races in Midland, TX and was just on another level. I think his family owns Watts Yamaha in Lubbock. Awesome kid
Keith, Eddie, Brian and Alan could all go around Baja so fast it was insane!
Romans 10:15.
Yeah the OP was asking for first one. King was a little before my time and Swink was almost 5 years younger but we had so much talent coming out of district 14 every year from late 70's through early 2000's especially the 80's it was unreal. It's kinda sad the last 10 or so years we aren't really producing much national level pro or amateur talent like we did.
Kent Howerton was everyone’s favorite in the San Antonio area.
Post a reply to: Tell Us About Your First Local Moto Hero ?