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4260
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8/7/2010
Location
Temple City, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
9/2/2022 12:12pm
Ok, I’m watching the 97 outdoor national series. (For reference point)
Wtf happend to the tracks?? , meaning I’m looking at the layouts vs the layouts of today.
Hangtowns direction made no sense to me lol… what happend to the water hole? Like how did the track shift. Does the water hole still exist?
Same thing with Glen Helen, there was no talladega and they made a left off of another hill onto mt. St Helen.
What exactly was that other hill and did Glen Helen plow a whole mountain?
Washougal starting line took off and and went to the right?? I’m so confused lol, so far the only track that somewhat makes sense to their current layout is Millville, even southwick had a blind right hand turn I’ve never seen before.
I’m kind of blown away by how much dirt these facilities have seemed to have moved as they hold very very little resemblance to what they were all those years ago.
Any old pictures or old timers who witnessed these changes your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Our sport (outdoors, should do a track layout through the ages spread in racer x or like before the national, would be cool to see)
Wtf happend to the tracks?? , meaning I’m looking at the layouts vs the layouts of today.
Hangtowns direction made no sense to me lol… what happend to the water hole? Like how did the track shift. Does the water hole still exist?
Same thing with Glen Helen, there was no talladega and they made a left off of another hill onto mt. St Helen.
What exactly was that other hill and did Glen Helen plow a whole mountain?
Washougal starting line took off and and went to the right?? I’m so confused lol, so far the only track that somewhat makes sense to their current layout is Millville, even southwick had a blind right hand turn I’ve never seen before.
I’m kind of blown away by how much dirt these facilities have seemed to have moved as they hold very very little resemblance to what they were all those years ago.
Any old pictures or old timers who witnessed these changes your insight would be greatly appreciated.
Our sport (outdoors, should do a track layout through the ages spread in racer x or like before the national, would be cool to see)
The hill where Talledega is now was called Animals Leap. The start at Glen Helen was always sketchy for the USGPs and the first couple nationals, it was basically a 90° right hander that then went along the base of the hill and then ran through the flats. The motocross track area was used for off road cars, sand drags and other stuff in the 80s and early 90s. The USGPs and 93 National didn’t use the hills much at all.
The USGPs only used the portion of Shoei Hill (the first uphill after the start) and it dropped down the back where RC flew off in 01, then went up to just the Animals Leap drop off. Basically the height of Talledega.
In 96 for the National, the layout used Shoei, and then went all the way to the top of the Animals Leap hill, coming down towards the start there was a step down in to the Animals Leap drop off.
In 97 they reversed the track to the clock wise direction, the start dog legged and went up the full Animals Leap hill, then they added Mt St Helen’s but went up the back side.
In 98 and 99, they reversed the track again, counter clockwise, using both Animals Leap and Mt St Helen’s.
They went clockwise in 2000 and was the first year they went straight up the face of Mt St Helen’s.
In 2001 Talledega was built and they got rid of Animals Leap. They added Yamaha Hill in the Canyon to keep 2 big hills.
In 06 they added going to REM Mt Whitney hill. Which went through 09. Somewhere in there they got rid of Yamaha hill because it got down to a big boulder on the climb up.
Here’s a photo of my dad leading at Glen Helen in 1988 at a CMC Golden State National below Animals Leap, where Talledega is now.
The Shop
The original location was on the south east corner.
Used till 91 92? Most of us know it as the staging area on practice days to get on the track.
The first relocation the one you saw. Was like the opposite side of the track. Down at the bottom of this small hill. Made a right turn onto the track.
Used until 99? 00?
Then it was moved to where it is now but not quite the same gate position. It was closer to the track and the left turn was a sharper corner. It also started out on the flatter area and went up the hill more.
Used only a few years. Till 04 05?
Then the gate was moved again to its now current
spot as to make the turn less sharp and the area was made more flatter.
With not as much incline.
Like 06 till now.
I hear they gotta move the gate again. Back another 50 feet. Suddenly the ama has decided the start straight was 50 feet too short after all these years.
The next year that stuff was removed and the moti tee's guy was parked on the infield. The next year was back in the old spot they had been at for years and still are. No way it's coming back now. They got too much stuff in the infield in that spot.
I haven't bought a moto tee's shirt since 04.
Animal Leap in 1989 on my 89 YZ250 with the Fox Polk-a-dot gear and Custom Painted JT Helmet . Good times
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