1986 Daytona SX

MPJC
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3/1/2018 6:26pm Edited Date/Time 3/3/2018 7:41am
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. This track looks extremely rough and the speeds look absurdly slow compared to today's supercross. I don't really want to start a "today's riders vs 80s riders" argument, but I can't help but wonder what today's bikes could do on that track. Starting just before 13:00, it looks like they're barely moving through the whoops. Are those whoops really that gnarly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yTmLBMZoU8
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downard254
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Bremen, OH US
3/1/2018 6:41pm
I’m gonna say that is the difference between an RC designed track and a Gary Bailey designed track. Gary always built them rough.
olds cool
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3/1/2018 8:15pm
Gary didn't worry too much about whether it "flowed" or not. Grinning
cable
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Rockford, MI US
3/1/2018 8:58pm
I remember walking the track at daytona before practice. 1995 or 97. Larry ward goes out and looks at triple and shakes his head.. first one was straight up. only one or two guys did it in practice and maybe even the heats. there were so many things that gary would put in the track that would throw you off. big hard packed clay curbs before corners, etc.
Johnny Depp
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3/1/2018 9:00pm
Most of those bikes could cut a fast lap on today's tracks. Those riders were the best of a magic time of our sport. I like the idea that only the highlights of the heats were in the TV show.

A summary for those who won't watch it:

Bailey, Johnson, Glover, Ward all stomping their start lanes down like a bunch of Polo players, stuff you just don't see today. Tight riding gear made them look more in shape. The lighter bikes look nimble and like they could use a steering dampener. The track was rough as hell with little airtime. These were the last years of works bikes, the glory days.Double row start gates I don't remember. Everybody wearing white. Larry Maiers and Bob Hannah in the booth. Bike swallowing ruts. Jim Holley 2nd off the start. Not a flat spot on the track, but very few jumps. Bailey making a crazed charge from a 2nd turn crash. Holley hanging up front between Glover and Johnson. Coors as the event sponsor. Bikes kicking sideways everywhere. Keith Bowen running 4th mid way. Bowen clips a double and his bike lays at the bottom of the jump blind. Glover with Johnson close, Ward with them, and Bailey coming from a ways back. Glover kept taking a bad line and Johnson got him in the whoops. The soft track deteriorating in a sadistic way. Bailey still coming to the front. Glover takes the bad line again and Ward takes 2nd. Johnson gets into lappers and they are unpredictable on this gnarly course. Bailey gets Glover in traffic. Flaggers standing on top of barrels around the track. Bailey stuffs Ward off the track and sets after Johnson but it's a huge gap. Bailey almost swaps out trying to stay in touch. Pic in Pic rider interviews during the race. A flagger yelling for Johnson on the last lap. Johnson, Bailey, Glover, Holley, King for the top finishes. Box vans in the pits.

Enjoyed that a bunch.

The Shop

JustMX
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3/2/2018 3:49am
Track was brutal.

Some of the jumps look l Iike they were 12' wide. Add in 18 extra riders and that all just makes bailey's ride all the more impressive.

Sure miss those days.
ATKpilot99
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3/2/2018 4:34am
I've watched that a few times . Can't understand why Glover continued to take that line lol. It would be interesting to hear his take on that race.
MPJC
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3/2/2018 9:33am
Where's Gary Bailey now? Would be interesting to let him design a SX track now! Would go over like a lead balloon among the riders. Might make for entertaining racing though. But back to reality - I'm sure we won't be seeing tracks like that any time soon (or ever).
3/2/2018 11:03am Edited Date/Time 3/2/2018 11:08am
There's really not enough space on the grass anymore to build a particularly interesting track. They've cut it down to a very skinny strip over the years that isn't any wider than a couple lanes
Ramptester
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3/2/2018 1:00pm
Why not bring back gatorback
doghouse
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3/2/2018 1:11pm
Brutal track
bdlcks
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3/2/2018 1:58pm
liked it more as a day race
TG130
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3/2/2018 11:58pm
Not only were Bailey's tracks rougher than hell with 40 riders starting, but they were also longer than the typical SX track, A 20 lap main usually ran for more than 30 minutes. A Bailey designed track would give today's riders nightmares.
JustMX
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3/3/2018 5:05am
TG130 wrote:
Not only were Bailey's tracks rougher than hell with 40 riders starting, but they were also longer than the typical SX track, A 20 lap main...
Not only were Bailey's tracks rougher than hell with 40 riders starting, but they were also longer than the typical SX track, A 20 lap main usually ran for more than 30 minutes. A Bailey designed track would give today's riders nightmares.
That main was 12 laps
Tbteam
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3/3/2018 5:09am Edited Date/Time 3/3/2018 5:10am
I helped Gary build a few of those tracks, and more interestingly, was around for a lot of the discussion on the early design. I'll just say that the overall theme of the discussions was "how can we brutalize these guys even more this year?"

The telephone poles buried in the whoop sections, the gator pits full of soft sand (and water if it rained), the track crossing section that would lip up at the entrance and kick the 80'a suspension sideways, blasting through a fenced area to the back section where Hannah smashed his hand on a gate... it was all so cool.

Now, it's pretty much all spec'd out with exactly measured jumps to the riders liking, on/off sections, etc. Any rider can completely screw up a corner and just blip the throttle to clear the next triple anyway.

Give me a bike that makes you ride perfectly or pay a price in lap times.
Johnny Depp
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3/3/2018 5:16am
Tbteam wrote:
I helped Gary build a few of those tracks, and more interestingly, was around for a lot of the discussion on the early design. I'll just...
I helped Gary build a few of those tracks, and more interestingly, was around for a lot of the discussion on the early design. I'll just say that the overall theme of the discussions was "how can we brutalize these guys even more this year?"

The telephone poles buried in the whoop sections, the gator pits full of soft sand (and water if it rained), the track crossing section that would lip up at the entrance and kick the 80'a suspension sideways, blasting through a fenced area to the back section where Hannah smashed his hand on a gate... it was all so cool.

Now, it's pretty much all spec'd out with exactly measured jumps to the riders liking, on/off sections, etc. Any rider can completely screw up a corner and just blip the throttle to clear the next triple anyway.

Give me a bike that makes you ride perfectly or pay a price in lap times.
After all that you blame it on the bike? How about give me a track like that again?
ATKpilot99
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3/3/2018 6:00am
TG130 wrote:
Not only were Bailey's tracks rougher than hell with 40 riders starting, but they were also longer than the typical SX track, A 20 lap main...
Not only were Bailey's tracks rougher than hell with 40 riders starting, but they were also longer than the typical SX track, A 20 lap main usually ran for more than 30 minutes. A Bailey designed track would give today's riders nightmares.
JustMX wrote:
That main was 12 laps
True. They did go to 20 not long after that I believe .
Ted722
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3/3/2018 7:07am


Tbteam
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3/3/2018 7:41am
Tbteam wrote:
I helped Gary build a few of those tracks, and more interestingly, was around for a lot of the discussion on the early design. I'll just...
I helped Gary build a few of those tracks, and more interestingly, was around for a lot of the discussion on the early design. I'll just say that the overall theme of the discussions was "how can we brutalize these guys even more this year?"

The telephone poles buried in the whoop sections, the gator pits full of soft sand (and water if it rained), the track crossing section that would lip up at the entrance and kick the 80'a suspension sideways, blasting through a fenced area to the back section where Hannah smashed his hand on a gate... it was all so cool.

Now, it's pretty much all spec'd out with exactly measured jumps to the riders liking, on/off sections, etc. Any rider can completely screw up a corner and just blip the throttle to clear the next triple anyway.

Give me a bike that makes you ride perfectly or pay a price in lap times.
After all that you blame it on the bike? How about give me a track like that again?
It’s both. Today’s bikes would make that track look flat.

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