Jojo Keller surprise return in Epping NH

ZINGER8
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ZINGER8
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 8:10pm
Last sunday I was at the new epping Mx track .while watching prictice I saw a big and burely gent riding a ktm 350.Was it who I thought it was?Indeed it was keller.I havnt seen him riding or racing in years.He signed up for the 40+expert.I figured he was just out there to get the feel of a new bike or something. Not thinking much of him against guys who never left the game.First moto he was in first by the second turn.Second moto he holeshotted and never looked back finishing 1,1 for the day.Driving home I was shaking my head in amazement,how could anyone do what he just did whithout practice or even riding?
PS Thank you Mike G for the great accomadations
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rockcrawlerdude 10/13/2010 11:24am
10/13/2010 11:24am
ZINGER8 wrote:
Last sunday I was at the new epping Mx track .while watching prictice I saw a big and burely gent riding a ktm 350.Was it who...
Last sunday I was at the new epping Mx track .while watching prictice I saw a big and burely gent riding a ktm 350.Was it who I thought it was?Indeed it was keller.I havnt seen him riding or racing in years.He signed up for the 40+expert.I figured he was just out there to get the feel of a new bike or something. Not thinking much of him against guys who never left the game.First moto he was in first by the second turn.Second moto he holeshotted and never looked back finishing 1,1 for the day.Driving home I was shaking my head in amazement,how could anyone do what he just did whithout practice or even riding?
PS Thank you Mike G for the great accomadations
natural talent goes along way.......
seth505
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seth505 10/13/2010 11:24am
10/13/2010 11:24am
haha that is awesome, what is he mid or late 40s now at least??
Chris_ONeal
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Chris_ONeal 10/13/2010 11:49am
10/13/2010 11:49am
late 40's maybe even in his 50's.
Adam43
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Adam43 10/13/2010 12:00pm
10/13/2010 12:00pm
And he is a huge dude too. It never really leaves you...

The Shop

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dedi684
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dedi684 10/13/2010 12:22pm
10/13/2010 12:22pm
That there folks is FUCKING AWESOME!
Highsider
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Highsider 10/13/2010 12:39pm
10/13/2010 12:39pm Edited Date/Time 12/26/2010 6:44am
dedi684 wrote:
That there folks is FUCKING AWESOME!


JoJo with Joe Bolger at Undadilla's 40th Anniversary, 2009.
Suns_PSD
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Suns_PSD 10/13/2010 12:41pm
10/13/2010 12:41pm
Impossible, the 350 is clearly outpowered.
ZINGER8
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ZINGER8 10/13/2010 1:51pm
10/13/2010 1:51pm
Suns_PSD wrote:
Impossible, the 350 is clearly outpowered.
if I didnt see it with my own eyes I would say the same thing
ZINGER8
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ZINGER8 10/13/2010 1:53pm
10/13/2010 1:53pm
The guy is one special person on and off the track,the whole place was cheering for him like the old days
Highsider
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Highsider 10/13/2010 2:41pm
10/13/2010 2:41pm
ZINGER8 wrote:
The guy is one special person on and off the track,the whole place was cheering for him like the old days
JoJo has a sharp memory, also.
hellion
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hellion 10/13/2010 2:53pm
10/13/2010 2:53pm Edited Date/Time 10/13/2010 2:56pm
He invented the scrub, it's immortalized in the famous Buckley photo. I'm not surprised he's still fast. Unless he was a secret trainer I don't think he ever was too much into getting in tip top shape. But he could ride as hard as he needed to and seemed to never get tired so it worked for him.
At one point in the late eighties he and I rode for the then powerful Cycle Design team here in New England. The owner wanted the guys to train together once a week for a while. So I'd make the trip down and go for a run with guys like Wemyss Scott, Greg Mayo, Dave Rudnicki, and Alan Wickstand. Jo Jo would be there too, but he'd hang out in the shop with wonder tuner at the time Al Doane, lighting off M80's and scaring the crap out of everyone.
Then he'd show up on the weekend and kick all our asses. One time in Maine he even smoked a cigarette on the way down to the line! I'm pretty sure it was a joke, but with JoJo you never knew for sure. He killed us that day too.
Sometimes he'd do the most amazing slow wheelies behind or even in front of the starting gate. Most anyone else would have been reprimanded I'm sure, but with JoJo it was all part of the fun. And it did have it's advantages, psyching everyone out of their boots.
Those were some colorful days with some colorful personalities in the NESC, and JoJo was the most colorful of all.


Oh yeah, anyone who was joking that the 350 was clearly underpowered never saw JoJo ride a sleeved down RM 125/100.
zippy895
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zippy895 10/13/2010 3:13pm
10/13/2010 3:13pm
i miss watching that son of a bitch race pro.awesome!
KAWboy14
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KAWboy14 10/13/2010 4:43pm
10/13/2010 4:43pm
the guy used to come down to the winter ams in florida and tear up the sand!
ZINGER8
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ZINGER8 10/13/2010 4:50pm
10/13/2010 4:50pm
He may be looking for a factory contract LOL
ZINGER8
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ZINGER8 10/13/2010 6:15pm
10/13/2010 6:15pm
rockcrawlerdude wrote:
but did he do a bubba scrub?Laughing
no,the jojo scrub!!!
Sonny
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Sonny 10/13/2010 6:23pm
10/13/2010 6:23pm
old vid but good

jleews6
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jleews6 10/14/2010 4:39am
10/14/2010 4:39am
I remember from back in the day and his name was well known throughout NE. There is alot of people out there that dont know nothing about MX but they know the name
Jojo Keller.

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jatharp12
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jatharp12 10/14/2010 5:13am
10/14/2010 5:13am
Once, in the early 80's, Jojo, rudnicki, Graham Barber, and a few more taught the minicycle kids at a mx school. On the second day, we all had to run. I really was dreading it, and ended up way behind everybody else. I ended up with Jojo, and we turned around like we finished up front, doing only half the run. My dad, and all the other riders were really suspicios, but we never told the truth. He was my idol from that day on.
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seth505 10/14/2010 5:25am
10/14/2010 5:25am
jatharp12 wrote:
Once, in the early 80's, Jojo, rudnicki, Graham Barber, and a few more taught the minicycle kids at a mx school. On the second day, we...
Once, in the early 80's, Jojo, rudnicki, Graham Barber, and a few more taught the minicycle kids at a mx school. On the second day, we all had to run. I really was dreading it, and ended up way behind everybody else. I ended up with Jojo, and we turned around like we finished up front, doing only half the run. My dad, and all the other riders were really suspicios, but we never told the truth. He was my idol from that day on.
Haha, that is awesome!
jleews6
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jleews6 10/14/2010 6:25am
10/14/2010 6:25am
jatharp12 wrote:
Once, in the early 80's, Jojo, rudnicki, Graham Barber, and a few more taught the minicycle kids at a mx school. On the second day, we...
Once, in the early 80's, Jojo, rudnicki, Graham Barber, and a few more taught the minicycle kids at a mx school. On the second day, we all had to run. I really was dreading it, and ended up way behind everybody else. I ended up with Jojo, and we turned around like we finished up front, doing only half the run. My dad, and all the other riders were really suspicios, but we never told the truth. He was my idol from that day on.
LOL that just shows he is a cool dude.
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Crash82 10/14/2010 7:15am
10/14/2010 7:15am
KAWboy14 wrote:
the guy used to come down to the winter ams in florida and tear up the sand!
I saw him in 1987 south of Tallahasee, that was the day my girlfriend busted me lip in front of Bob Hannah...
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seth505 10/14/2010 6:44pm
10/14/2010 6:44pm
speak of the devil...saw Jojo at crowhill today spinning laps. Marshall and Decotis were out there ripping on 2strokes as well
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PN27416 10/15/2010 4:40am
10/15/2010 4:40am
One of my favorite racers of all time. I remember one year in the early 80s after the last moto of a Southwick national. Him and Hannah back of Hannah's box van, girls and beer. It was epic!
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jleews6 10/15/2010 5:07am
10/15/2010 5:07am
Alot of people from Mass dont know it but there is still tracks in Plymouth that Hanna,Jojo,Dowd and others made in the woods and some guys still practice on them today. They have been there sice the early 80s. My son said they are nice and he said it was cool just knowing that he got to ride a track that those guys cut in.
project racer 10/15/2010 5:18am
10/15/2010 5:18am
First time I saw Jo Jo was at the St. Pete round of the 1980 Florida Winter Am series , I believe it was. He was on a '79 Honda CR250 , and I think he took the overall in the 250 Pro class on that well used bike. Riding for Bettancourts Honda.

Last time I saw him was in '87 at Croom Winter Am round on the Kawasaki's. Still fast ,but just did not seem to gel with the green bikes. I based my decision to buy an "87 KX250 that year on watching him on the Kaw.

I was not real fond of that bike ,either, especially after bumming a couple of rides on an '87 CR250.

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Highsider 10/15/2010 5:32am
10/15/2010 5:32am
jleews6 wrote:
Alot of people from Mass dont know it but there is still tracks in Plymouth that Hanna,Jojo,Dowd and others made in the woods and some guys...
Alot of people from Mass dont know it but there is still tracks in Plymouth that Hanna,Jojo,Dowd and others made in the woods and some guys still practice on them today. They have been there sice the early 80s. My son said they are nice and he said it was cool just knowing that he got to ride a track that those guys cut in.
That is cool. Thanks!
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Huckster 10/15/2010 6:30am
10/15/2010 6:30am
what ever happened to his LL comeback attempt a few years ago?
Chris_ONeal
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Chris_ONeal 10/15/2010 6:47am
10/15/2010 6:47am
Huckster wrote:
what ever happened to his LL comeback attempt a few years ago?
Fall out with the owner of Planet Fitness, they where the funding.
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Chris_ONeal 10/15/2010 11:47am
10/15/2010 11:47am
Funny story....

Couple years ago Jojo, the owner of Planet fitness, some riders and I went out to one of those Hibatchi places in Georgia, near MTF. Anyway Jojo was chowwwwing down on those salted pea pod things.

After dinner was over I decided to try one. They have 3 peas inside of them. I went to eat the first one and no pea? The second and no pea? WTF?? Then I realized I was eating his left over empty ones!

I almost puked!! As much as you love a rider that is wayyyy over board!

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