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US
Edited Date/Time
2/19/2019 1:11pm
Everybody probably remembers their first moto win like it happened yesterday. Lets see how good your memory is. What was it like crossing the finish line first for the first time? Dates, tracks, class and any other details add to the flavor. Since it was my idea, I'll start first:
Claverack, NY 1981, New England Mini Cycle Assoc. (NEMA) 80cc 7-11 novice class, won the second moto, pretty sure I went 5-1 on the day but don't remember what place overall I got. I remember the last lap was a real nail biter, the second place rider was closing in fast and I think some lappers got in the way which helped me out. Always loved that track ever since, I gave it the nickname "minidilla" for it's similarity to the real 'Dilla with rolling hills and deep loamy roostable farm soil.
Have at it!
Claverack, NY 1981, New England Mini Cycle Assoc. (NEMA) 80cc 7-11 novice class, won the second moto, pretty sure I went 5-1 on the day but don't remember what place overall I got. I remember the last lap was a real nail biter, the second place rider was closing in fast and I think some lappers got in the way which helped me out. Always loved that track ever since, I gave it the nickname "minidilla" for it's similarity to the real 'Dilla with rolling hills and deep loamy roostable farm soil.
Have at it!
Will never forget it!
When you have only won 5 or 6 moto's in your life it is not hard to remember em, haha
The Shop
Got a shit start and was in second by the end of the lap and then the guy in first falls handing me the lead!
I'm feeling pretty good until I hear a bike catching me.
I have a club championship to my name, that was pretty cool, consistency and rocking up to every round paid off
EDIT: I still have that race on VHS and will often sit in the dark naked and cry as I watch it.
If it makes you feel better my first win in the sticks, I cut the 3rd to last turn like a demon after catching from the back. The kid I beat was pissed, and the kid I caught later also went on to do some damage down here. I'm still bitter... Like Vic Bitter.
It was the day after a SX (possibly Pasadena where Glover won and Magoo did the infamous whip?) so entries were light -- for those days -- and I had a good feeling.
I went 1-1 but I had to work for it after bad starts. It was the whooped out track that went through the sand wash. There were a couple of good guys but I do remember that I never got tired in a moto. Oh the days. My starts were so bad that I didn't get a holeshot until 1987. Lol
To be honest 2nd feels good. Like "yeah I'm next after that bloke, the winner".
I was gutted. I'd been racing since 1977 and I hadn't even come close to even sniffing a win. I was this close, and it was ripped from my grasp. I leaned the bike against a fence post and walked back to the pits. At that point, I didn't care if someone took off with the damn thing. One of my buddies rolled it back to the pits for me. The funniest thing about the whole incident was my friend's mom. My parents never went to the races, so she was my "track mom", and she treated me like one of her sons. Let me tell you, she was a fireball, and protected her kids like a momma bear. She had been on the infield watching the race, and when she saw what happened, she walked back to the pits to console me. She sat on the tailgate with me, put her arm around me and asked, "Where did you buy that bike?". I told her, and she disappeared. A few minutes later, her son (my friend) said, "oh shit".
I stood up and looked as she stomped across the track (during a moto) and made a beeline to the guy who owned the shop. She had her finger in his face and was giving him the business. I felt so sorry for him, hell it wasn't his fault, but that didn't matter to her. Ultimately, the problem was traced back to the (non) chamfer in the exhaust port, a major issue with the CR250's that year. It caused a seizure, and ended my race. When I took my bike into the shop, the owner said, "was that your mom?" I apologized and told him no...but she might as well be. I ended up winning a couple of motos that summer, but they weren't as memorable as the one that should-have-been.
Pit Row
I got bumped and I'll be damned if I'm not the middle of the pack again.
Showed up at last race of the year with the B guys, never rode so hard in my life. Just trying so damn hard to keep up. Puked all over the place after the checkers. Couldn't wait to see where I finished. LAST PLACE!!!!!! haha I love motocross.
I've had the euphoric '"in the zone", everything clicking feeling before, and lost.
*edit - I'll go ahead and be honest..... Maybe the fact that I sandbagged to experience a win had something to do with me not being so amazingly stoked after I got it. My series bumps mid year and I skipped a few rounds letting my stiffest competition get bumped and I stay back.
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