First race you ever attended or raced

Motoxdoc wrote:

First we went to Claudostines Park a couple times with an MR 50. Then we went to the “Superbowl of Motocross” at the LA Coliseum in...

First we went to Claudostines Park a couple times with an MR 50. Then we went to the “Superbowl of Motocross” at the LA Coliseum in about 1974. About 2-3 years later I watched my brother's 1st race on an XR 75 at Escape Country/Racing World. That XR was my first hand-me-down bike until I got a 78 YZ 80 and the rest is history....well, history in my family at least!

Motoxdoc wrote:

First we went to Claudostines Park a couple times with an MR 50. Then we went to the “Superbowl of Motocross” at the LA Coliseum in...

First we went to Claudostines Park a couple times with an MR 50. Then we went to the “Superbowl of Motocross” at the LA Coliseum in about 1974. About 2-3 years later I watched my brother's 1st race on an XR 75 at Escape Country/Racing World. That XR was my first hand-me-down bike until I got a 78 YZ 80 and the rest is history....well, history in my family at least!

PFitzG38 wrote:

Yup. My first race spectating was the first Superbowl of Motocross when Tripes won, yours was probably the second one when Falta won right about the...

Yup. My first race spectating was the first Superbowl of Motocross when Tripes won, yours was probably the second one when Falta won right about the time I walked out of the premier of On Any Sunday and discovered Popular Cycling magazine and found out the name of the new sport that would guide my life. Growing up in Brentwood next to Dogtown in the '70s and going to a Jr High with banks that attracted some of the best skaters of the era it was going to either be skateboarding and surfing or moto. I still couldn't get over the light in the deep end of a pool but I could wheelie my Stingray as far as I wanted, and do a mean cross-up and bunny hop. I liked the freedom and competitive aspect of moto I guess. I had just seen a PUCH do a demo going around an ad hoc BMX track at Palms Park that had been set up for what had to be one of the first if not the first organized BMX race in the country and really liked what I saw and smelled. I didn't have a bike yet but it was all I could think or talk about.

The MR50 and Claude Osteens were the next year I think. The year after that was when Jeff Ward's dad and Harry from Harry Cycle Sales talked me through installing an 83cc big bore, cam, manifold and carb in my XR75 over the phone. - I was 14 with a few Craftsman open ends, a feeler gauge and socket set. Jack Ward convinced me if I could take my XR75 apart enough to take him the piston with a hole in it, I could put it back together and time it with a "buzz box" that he could sell me with all sorts of other JWRP goodies - If I didn't have to pay labor I could get a straight manifold and carb to match my bitchen new Harrys Pipe. I still have a small piece of valve that came flying out of the pipe at night once red hot.....Good Times - Braaauup!

Escape Country was my first gate drop err...rubberband release (it was right before they installed the hydraulic starting gate on the Marty Smith track) It was right around when XR75s were a little underpowered compared to the new YZ80's - I could catch them if they ran the track backward coming down the downhill from the Odessy track when they ran that configuration.