Riders who won their first US pro race?

DC
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DC 1/25/2019 8:19am
1/25/2019 8:19am
MX45 wrote:
I can think of a few riders who have won their first pro race. Are there any others? • Ernesto Fonseca @ Tampa 1999 (Note: Fonseca...
I can think of a few riders who have won their first pro race. Are there any others?

• Ernesto Fonseca @ Tampa 1999
(Note: Fonseca was also the first rider to win a 125 SX aboard a 250f at Anaheim in 2001)

• Sebastian Tortelli @ Los Angeles SX season opener in 1998
(Note: This was a one-off US race for Tortelli as he did not come to US full time until 1999)

• Sebastian Tortelli also won his Pro motocross debut in 1999 at Glen Helen

• Eli Tomac @ Hangtown outdoor opener

• Adam Cianciarulo won his first 3 SX races in 2014

Honorable mentions....
• James Stewart placed second in his pro SX debut, but won his second SX race in 2002
• James Stewart won his first Pro Motocross at Hangtown in 2002
• Doug Henry was first to win on a 4-stroke in Las Vegas 1997
• Ricky Carmichael placed 6th in his rookie debut at the Steel City finale in 1996, but won the opening MX round the following year in 1997
Good stuff, but a couple of add-ons:

Tortelli actually raced two 125 SX events in 1995, then race LA2 in 1997 and finished seventh. The upset win in '98 was actually his fourth AMA Supercross.

Ryan Dungey (2007) and Trey Canard (2008) won the first 125 SX they ever entered.

RC finished eighth in that first 125 National, and his first 125 SX was LA2 in 1997 when he raced one 125 West Region race and finished 11th -- he had waited and let everyone go off the gate because he didn't want to mess up anyone in the points.

DC
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DC
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DC 1/25/2019 8:21am
1/25/2019 8:21am
St Ann More wrote:
Herlings Ironman


TSCHAM101 wrote:
herlings has raced Glen Helen before he raced at Ironman.. The GP's hit glen helen
Herlings also raced Charlotte, but I still think his win at Ironman was every bit as big as Jean-Michel Bayle winning the first 250 National he ever entered at Gatorback '89, though he had previously raced in the US at the '87 U.S. 125cc Grand Prix.

DC
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Benchracer17 1/25/2019 8:33am
1/25/2019 8:33am
MX45 wrote:
I can think of a few riders who have won their first pro race. Are there any others? • Ernesto Fonseca @ Tampa 1999 (Note: Fonseca...
I can think of a few riders who have won their first pro race. Are there any others?

• Ernesto Fonseca @ Tampa 1999
(Note: Fonseca was also the first rider to win a 125 SX aboard a 250f at Anaheim in 2001)

• Sebastian Tortelli @ Los Angeles SX season opener in 1998
(Note: This was a one-off US race for Tortelli as he did not come to US full time until 1999)

• Sebastian Tortelli also won his Pro motocross debut in 1999 at Glen Helen

• Eli Tomac @ Hangtown outdoor opener

• Adam Cianciarulo won his first 3 SX races in 2014

Honorable mentions....
• James Stewart placed second in his pro SX debut, but won his second SX race in 2002
• James Stewart won his first Pro Motocross at Hangtown in 2002
• Doug Henry was first to win on a 4-stroke in Las Vegas 1997
• Ricky Carmichael placed 6th in his rookie debut at the Steel City finale in 1996, but won the opening MX round the following year in 1997
small correction in "Honorable mentions...."

James actually won Glen Helen 2002 125cc



...and why not add a little Gary Bailey footage, just for the sound and awesomeness of itSmile
https://youtu.be/ROTAlypmqTo
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DC
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DC 1/25/2019 8:34am
1/25/2019 8:34am
TXDirt wrote:
Windham had a good ride his first pro race after Loretta's. Can't remember what it was exactly. I think he had the lead for most of...
Windham had a good ride his first pro race after Loretta's. Can't remember what it was exactly. I think he had the lead for most of the first moto.
Windham's first pro national was actually Gatorback in March '94, and he barely made the top twenty. Then he raced High Point in May and almost one the first moto over Doug Henry before wearing out. Then he went to Loretta Lynn's and dominated!

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Spudnut
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Spudnut 1/25/2019 8:38am
1/25/2019 8:38am
I could have sworn barcia won his first national
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UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 1/25/2019 9:53am
1/25/2019 9:53am
Marty Smith won the first two nationals he entered.
kpiper
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kpiper 8/3/2019 6:23pm
8/3/2019 6:23pm
TXDirt wrote:
Windham had a good ride his first pro race after Loretta's. Can't remember what it was exactly. I think he had the lead for most of...
Windham had a good ride his first pro race after Loretta's. Can't remember what it was exactly. I think he had the lead for most of the first moto.
DC wrote:
Windham's first pro national was actually Gatorback in March '94, and he barely made the top twenty. Then he raced High Point in May and almost...
Windham's first pro national was actually Gatorback in March '94, and he barely made the top twenty. Then he raced High Point in May and almost one the first moto over Doug Henry before wearing out. Then he went to Loretta Lynn's and dominated!

DC
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Is it not correct that Tomac is the only person to have won their very first pro race?

This is on his website...

"2010
Tomac became the first rider in history to win his professional debut"
DC
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DC 8/3/2019 10:18pm
8/3/2019 10:18pm
Tomac is the only rider who won his first-ever pro race and it was an AMA National; Marty Smith won the first-ever 125 National in '74 but he also raced what was called the non-AMA U.S. 125cc National Championship at Arroyo (now Glen Helen, more or less) the year before. Marty Tripes won the first-ever Super Bowl of Motocross but he had raced an Inter-Am I believe two weeks before but was DQ'd for not having a pro license (he was only 15).

I would need to check Fonseca again as I believe his first pro race was the '99 125 East Region SX opener, but I'm not sure.

But Tomac is the only one to win an outdoor national the day he turned pro.

DC
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BobbyM
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BobbyM 8/3/2019 10:28pm
8/3/2019 10:28pm
Tripes won his first supercross, I think DC.. But then again that was the 1st sx ever held.
GoggleFiend904 8/3/2019 11:21pm
8/3/2019 11:21pm
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember, but I think that's what happened
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Cali
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Cali 8/3/2019 11:36pm
8/3/2019 11:36pm
FlickitFlat wrote:
MC in his 250 debut.. Right?
No, Bradshaw won like the first few rounds
Joko
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Joko 8/3/2019 11:39pm
8/3/2019 11:39pm
Anyone remember what Hannah’s first few race results were in the 125 class?
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Cali 8/3/2019 11:52pm
8/3/2019 11:52pm
GoggleFiend904 wrote:
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember...
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember, but I think that's what happened
Thought Josh Grant turned pro on a KTM?
Cali
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Cali 8/3/2019 11:54pm
8/3/2019 11:54pm
Pretty sure, Robbie Reynard won either his first, or second pro race at Steel City 1993
Cali
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Cali 8/3/2019 11:57pm
8/3/2019 11:57pm
Jett Lawrence, raced Undilla one week after 2019 LL. Kicking his brothers ass & the rest of the field going 1-1. Oh wait, he is not going to do this until next weekend. lol
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CPR 8/4/2019 1:43am
8/4/2019 1:43am
shredder23 wrote:
Grant at A1. Rookie 450 season if you don't count the one off Seattle race in 08
-MAVERICK- wrote:
If you don't count the one off races, the same can be said for Chad Reed. First full season of 125/250 SX in 2002, he won...
If you don't count the one off races, the same can be said for Chad Reed.

First full season of 125/250 SX in 2002, he won Indy. (Won the first 6 races)

First full season of 250/450 SX in 2003, he won A1.
And in his first real pro SX race in Australia, Reed skipped the 125 class totally and went straight into the 250s against the big boys as a 16yo.
He won the race with a last lap pass on the late Peter Melton, however he was later disqualified. When told of the DQ Reedy said it didn't matter because he'd beat them all next week, which he did and went onto win the championship.
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moscrop940
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moscrop940 8/5/2019 12:05pm
8/5/2019 12:05pm
GoggleFiend904 wrote:
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember...
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember, but I think that's what happened
Cali wrote:
Thought Josh Grant turned pro on a KTM?
No. Came out of the amateur ranks #386 for Factory Connection. He pulled the holeshot at hangtown and was gaping the field before falling over in a right hander and couldn’t get the bike started for a few minutes....

I don’t think JG ever rode a pumpkin
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ga_pike
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ga_pike 8/5/2019 12:12pm
8/5/2019 12:12pm
Cali wrote:
Pretty sure, Robbie Reynard won either his first, or second pro race at Steel City 1993
Reynard's first pro race was High Point in 1993, he finished 7th. His first win was Steel City that same year. It was his 7th pro MX race. He also raced the San Jose SX that year and finished 18th (his 2nd pro race).
DC
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DC 8/5/2019 12:38pm
8/5/2019 12:38pm
GoggleFiend904 wrote:
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember...
Wasn't grant destroying the stacked field his first race for FC Honda until he dumped the bike and couldn't get it started? I really can't remember, but I think that's what happened
He was leading for two laps but he was way out front at Hangtown when he stalled.

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DC
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DC 8/5/2019 12:39pm
8/5/2019 12:39pm
Joko wrote:
Anyone remember what Hannah’s first few race results were in the 125 class?


DC
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DC
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DC 8/5/2019 12:41pm
8/5/2019 12:41pm
BobbyM wrote:
Tripes won his first supercross, I think DC.. But then again that was the 1st sx ever held.
Tripes did win that '72 Superbowl of Motocross, but I don't think it was his first pro race. He entered an Inter-Am a couple weeks before but was DQ'd for being too young -- he didn't turn 16 until 10 days before the Superbowl!

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Motoxtombo
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Motoxtombo 8/5/2019 8:15pm
8/5/2019 8:15pm
DC wrote:
Tomac is the only rider who won his first-ever pro race and it was an AMA National; Marty Smith won the first-ever 125 National in '74...
Tomac is the only rider who won his first-ever pro race and it was an AMA National; Marty Smith won the first-ever 125 National in '74 but he also raced what was called the non-AMA U.S. 125cc National Championship at Arroyo (now Glen Helen, more or less) the year before. Marty Tripes won the first-ever Super Bowl of Motocross but he had raced an Inter-Am I believe two weeks before but was DQ'd for not having a pro license (he was only 15).

I would need to check Fonseca again as I believe his first pro race was the '99 125 East Region SX opener, but I'm not sure.

But Tomac is the only one to win an outdoor national the day he turned pro.

DC
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Ernie rode Steel City in 1998 and finished 17th OA.

I was at Raymond James Stadium in 1999 for his first Supercross win, In practice he skimmed the whoops just as fast as the 250 guys,After seeing that I was pretty sure he was going to win that night.
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deanwhite51 8/5/2019 9:26pm
8/5/2019 9:26pm
Cali wrote:
Jett Lawrence, raced Undilla one week after 2019 LL. Kicking his brothers ass & the rest of the field going 1-1. Oh wait, he is not...
Jett Lawrence, raced Undilla one week after 2019 LL. Kicking his brothers ass & the rest of the field going 1-1. Oh wait, he is not going to do this until next weekend. lol
His brothers out injured... And he needs to be able to pull a start against the whole Yamaha Squad and battle with AC.

I truly hope he does well. Will not be surprised if he does well. But for him to crack the top 10 i would still be impressed.
Most kids his age are still racing Superminis.

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