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The 500 class was indeed the "premiere" class in 1982 and ALL years previous. The premiere class status was undergoing a changing of the guard, so to speak, at this moment in World GP MX time however.
Brad spent 10 years in the big boy class to achieve his goal of world champ. Where all other American GP World Champions, (Trampas Parker "89" 125 and "91" 250...Donny Schmit "90" 125 and "92" 250...Bobby Moore "94" 125) won their titles when the field of "the best" riders were not all in the same class. No disrespect to them at all.
So to beat up on Ryan Hughes for his comment "no American has won on their first try" is a bit harsh to say the least. I doubt if any one else could remember World GP MX history on the fly, well enough not to make the same error.
Anyway, here's to another American World GP MX Championship, this time via Ryan Villopoto!
Respectfully disagree; it ebbed and flowed in the GPs over time between the two classes once the 250 class was introduced. The 250 class in the Hallman/ Robert era was definitely a cut above in its time.
The Shop
Same thing happened here, only it came with the demise of the Trans-AMA Series in the late seventies, and the 250s had the platform of supercross (soon to be joined by 125s).
DC
MX Sports
When I hear 450s, on SX tracks regulary hitting their rev limiters - so those blokes are hitting anywhere between 10 /12,500 rpm on a bloody 450 - yikes - I really do respect the abilities / bravery of the riders
Now, pedantic pricks will say it's not an 'open class', but it's how many called the 500 class, for the most part - while it was 500cc, and no more. Be it 2t or 4t. At least in the GPs, til they 'opened' it up to 650ccc 4ts, though, that was just the MX3 class in 2003, I think. .
I'm always reluctant to even mention 500s in racing - I don't want to be associated with the drongos that think an old 500 2t will "destroy everything" (I own and ride one, so I feel free to be realistic about a near 3 decade old engine, in the case of the Honda, that is the most basic, well, primitive of things). But, I will always campaign for equivalency in classes, and a return to 125 , 250 and a 450 /500 class racing. Handicap class racing, as it stands now at the very highest of levels, is a piss poor way to go.
I've seen / read a lot of things about Ryno, that don't always leave him in a good light. But hell, most US Journalists, know buggerall about Motocross GP history, or racing outside of the US, but they regularly pontificate about it.
So, I'll choose to give Ryno the benefit of the doubt - perhaps he meant "no US rider has gone to the 500 class / MX1 / MXGP class the first year of them doing GPs, and won it"? If he meant to say that / meant it along those lines, he'd be right.
RV, may, or may not end up being the first to do so. It should be great to see him have a go at it.
Okay, that the sort of generalization it's hard to let go, "Most?" Who?
Pit Row
Post a reply to: 1982 FIM World Champion Danny Laporte