"The Whole Experience Takes Me to a Younger Place One Lap at a Time" | Diamond Don's Vintage National 2

Motocross has a rich and interesting history. I don’t mean Ricky Carmichael going undefeated in 2002 or even back in the ‘old’ days when Jeremy McGrath was the King of Supercross. I’m talking about when men were men and raced on tracks that still had grass on them. They jumped on iron bikes with an impressive 5"-7” of suspension travel with dual shocks and went into battle. Usually with open faced helmets. Legends!

If you would like to see some footage from this event as well as interviews with Kevin Windham, Blake Wharton, Trampas Parker and more please click the YouTube link below.

For those of us that are still fairly young, no comments necessary, we never got to race bikes like that. So, I was pretty excited a few years ago when some buddies told me one of the biggest vintage races in the country is held every year about 45 mins away in Jefferson, Texas. Diamond Don’s Vintage National celebrated its 20th anniversary this year from September 7th through the 11th. I decided to head over and once again enjoy a weekend of dirt bike racing.

The first thing that always catches my eye is the beauty of these machines. There’s just something cool about the ruggedness of the vintage bikes. And the fact that most people at these events seem to have a fleet of them. If you have a passion for motorcycles, you can spend hours at a vintage event looking at all the bikes and I promise the owners will be more than happy to visit with you about the history of the bikes, all they’ve done to them, and to share racing stories. You will absolutely leave with more friends than you showed up with.

Every year at Diamond Don’s he tries to have a legend of the sport out. This year, Kevin Windham was the guest of honor and was asked to race the intermission XR200 race that is a crowd favorite. Two-time World Champion Chad ‘Trampas’ Parker is a regular who regularly destroys the competition in this event. Also, in attendance this year was Blake Wharton, and Texas Pros John Short and Scotty Wennerstrom. Even Michelin’s Randy Richardson came over to be a part of the event. Believe me when I say, they ride those old 200s faster than most of us ride a 450. It’s ridiculous and so cool to see.

Listen, racing is racing. We all love to do it. What are the reasons most of us race? It’s fun, we’re competitive, it’s the coolest sport in the world, and our friends and family are there. Vintage racing is the absolute epitome of all those things. I visited with some racers to see why they love Diamond Don’s and vintage racing. 

Tony Moseley: Former Regional Sales Director for Kawasaki Motors, AMA Board of Directors, and President of the Texas Vintage Racing Club (TVRC) – “We originally did it in the 80s when the bikes weren’t that old. It gave us another opportunity to race. One interesting thing is once you get a bike right, it’s never obsolete. A vintage bike for the Class 74 and older is always 74 and older. And the pace is slower and injuries are less. It’s laid back and not quite as competitive. We’re as much about the people and machinery as the competition”

Rob Springer: Local Texas Racer – “It’s the best vintage race of the year. You get to see stars every year and it’s a big party and a lot of fun. People from all over the place meet here every year”

The friends, family, and party aspect get brought up most of the time when talking to people around the vintage scene. I never once heard anyone saying they were there for points, trophies, or money. It really is the root of why most of us rode dirt bikes to begin with. 

Tony Moseley – “We started the group in ’88 saying we were a motorcycle racing group with a bit of a party problem. Now we’re a big party group with a bit of a racing problem every now and again”

Obviously, there’s a lot of nostalgia at these events as well. It takes those who grew up in 70’s and 80’s back. There’s nothing like watching a movie or hearing a song from your youth and being transmitted to that time. Vintage racing is much like that.

Bill Rockley – “For me racing vintage motocross literally takes me back to the 70’s without all the pressure and drama of being 18 and bulletproof. Riders are your best friend in the pits and the fiercest of competitors (without take outs) on the track. The whole experience takes me to a younger place in my life 5 laps at a time. At 69, it’s ten times the fun as it was back in the day. When racing is done, the campfires are lit, dinner is on the grill, and there’s plenty of bench racing and reliving the past”

One thing that I heard a lot of, which isn’t much different than today, is brand loyalty. Some guys are Yamaha guys, and some guys are Kawasaki guys. And some guys are Bultaco guys.

Jim Eller: Team Bull – “We raced back in ’70 and ’71 on Bultacos. If you didn’t run a Bull, you were second place. When we pulled up, we went home with all the trophies”

Do yourself a favor and look into vintage racing in your area. Maybe you are at a point where you feel you are getting too old or banged up to continue racing modern bikes. Vintage racing could be the answer. I promise you will have a blast and want one. And remember, your modern bike will be vintage bike one day. Hope to hear some vintage stories on the message board after this. Braaaaap!