When a national level pro blasts past you, you think?

Had Josh Hill scrub past me when he was down in Aus and Gibbsy fang it around the outside of me at light speed. Makes you feel like a tree they’re riding past

Yes I do. If you're on a track with a national level pro, you better be thinking!

Dennis Jonon on a KX 65 at Challenge Trax in Kingsville, Mo. Nothing like a kid on a 65 smoking you.

I was riding a standard Sunday morning race day practice on my RM 80 at Glen Helen in probably 97 when Mike Alessi blew by me. I was like, 'that fucker probably has a track in his back yard" I was right. ps not a fan

In juniors I had dreams of being a pro until I finished 2nd to Takeshi Katsuya...

by about a minute in a 5 lap race haha

International track at Indian Dunes. Johnny O flew over me and was gone. Back in the day lots of pros would show up at Indian Dunes for the big pro purse days. Got to see lots of really fast guys back then. Those guys are aliens I tell you...

RC and James from minis to 125s. It was amazing and i feel lucky to have witnessed it first hand. So fun. Then during the winter ams or Gold cup RC at his peak as a pro would show up and do laps round and round as our motos would go on through the day. Good times.

Blake Wharton. I was midway through this long sweeper and I hear the sound of a 250; I turned my head to see how far away he was and I soon as I moved my head to look over he was already past me. I saw the name on the back of his jersey and his hair sticking out the back and thought to myself "Makes sense." There were some sections of the track he wasn't pulling away from me (I have proof) and but the majority of them he just blew my damn doors off like I wasn't moving.

I had a similar experience with Greg Albertyn at Glen Helen one time. I heard someone coming and thought I'd just stay inside where I was since the turn was kind of a sweeper. Out of nowhere there is a loud BRAAP and he's inside about 5 inches between bar ends. He was in and gone before I could do anything stupid as it really startled me. I didn't even think there was a line there. I gave up riding at Glen Helen on Thursdays. I didn't want to be that guy that ruins a career because I spode out in front of a real pro. I don't care how fast you think you are, like you said, different planets.

1981, Nashville TN. I was way beyond my race pace for about 15 seconds when I realized that Billy Lyles and a guy named Pedro Peralis were on my tail, they blew by me so insanely quick it was then that I realized I'm a pussy and will have to get a real job. I met both of them that day, and both were very cool dudes. Another thing that stood out that day was....You have it....or you don't. Good times.

Ezra Lusk doing a jump that I didn't even think was possible. I then pulled off and watched him thinking that this can't be real life.

After watching the Daytona TT last night I was reminded of being out on the "hard water" (ice) up here in Michigan during the winter riding with some of those boys. I'd be riding along at what I thought was a decent clip all the while keeping an eye out for the coming freight train of flat track bad asses. As they would catch me I would just get the hell out of the way as they come thundering by. Experiencing their commitment and corner speed up close is another one of those omg moments!

I started on the same minute with Rod Bush at a National Enduro in Tulsa in 1982. I saw him at the resets, but not so much in between. We would start a woods section and three turns later he was gone. Today's bikes have a button to select alternative engine maps. I think Rod had a secret button to select alternative universes. After turn 3, press the button and poof.

Pics or it didn't happen. For real though, that's pretty cool. This has been a fun thread to read through.

Good eye Lumpy... that is the straightaway right after the start at Antietam in 1989. I grew up racing Aquasco on minis, etc and obviously loved the place, but in later racing years I always enjoyed trips to Antietam.
Somewhere there is a picture of my Dad on that same straight in 1973 on his brand new CR-250.

I have this photos with Prado, I expected it to come from behind and then I tried to hold it a couple of corners. When I was young I competed a little more, once in 1990 competed in an international supercross here in Spain, in the qualifying I had on the grid next to me Trampas Parker recently crowned 125 world champion, was also Jim Holley, etc.

This is with Butron behind me, who comes to lapped me in one national round a few years ago.

It impresses when I have ever trained with pilots with high level Sidecars that compete in the world championship, how fast they are going, and when you pass them you do not feel like falling with that coming behind you.

I used to work for YOT so being around and riding with Pro's wasn't unusual. But one specific"holy shit" moment sticks out in my mind from LACR, 07 or 08 I think... It was the first time that Bobby Bonds had jumped down into the pit from the top section in 1 leap (it was table then double in). I was coming around a right hand corner when he came and cut under me, nothing unusual there. Except he just grabbed a handful of throttle, and I was eating roost. I couldn't believe how fast he was going and not letting off for the next jump, only to then see him just send it off the table. He was still in the air by the time I got to the same table and then I could see what he was doing, quading down into the pit. Somewhere there is a photo of him doing this but I couldn't find it. I honestly thought he forgot where he was and just sent it Doug Henry style. He made the jump clean.

Rode a track and Shawn was flying! Blew my doors off and it was a track I rode weekly and felt fast. I remember thinking, this guy didn't even make the main at St Louis supercross and made me look like I was on a PW..

Billy Whitley flying past me on a downhill at Swan in Tyler, TX. That's the first time I actually saw professional speed.

On a side note, cycling up Left Hand Canyon Rd. in Boulder a few summers ago I thought I'd clicked off a decent pace when a pro, being led by a moped assistant, zoomed past me with what looked like zero effort. It was a thing of beauty to watch. Still amazes me that someone could be at that level of conditioning.

I once rode with Herlings who was doing some laps in preparation for a Belgian national. I knew he was coming, so I just held my line, which was an inside rut. NOBODY was taking that outside because it was slower by a huge amount. Also there was no berm and no ruts, just dust and a terrible entry point into the next corner.

I naiiled the rut but Herlings just flat-tracked it around me carrying a retarded amount of speed, blasted off never to be seen again.

The only thing that crossed my mind was "what in the actual fuck."

Also, slightly OT but I always laugh when I remember hearing something on pulpmx a few years ago. Villopoto told Matthes he was doing hard laps at Milestone one day and Nick Schmidt just blew past him.

I got to ride with some of the AMA ATV guys at Montreal SX in 2012 was so excited to be in the same class as the guys I'd looked up to my whole life. I learned in a real hurry just how far I was from their class. In qualifying John Natalie cut a hard inside line and got by me, then cleared the very large, very steep, very unforgiving triple right out of the corner. First thought was "god damn that was huge" it was the second thought that was the problem. "I can probably clear that" one lap later I'm pulling off the track with a fractured wrist and a mouthful of barpad.

In late 2001 i had just moved to socal in Long Beach ... to start school at CSULB ....side note, i had a choice between Chico state and CSULB and was so into riding and this was at the peak of the freeriding videos and all i wanted to do was be in the mecca of it all and ride the tracks i read about in magazines and on the videos, so the choice between Chico and Cal State Long Beach was simple .... My first time riding at Elsinore I was on the vet track and im getting around at a gingerly pace and mind you this was at the 2nd peak of MC's super powers I hear this bike just HOWLING behind me and ....BOOM! My favorite rider of all time goes screaming passed me, what did I think/do? Just like Matt Damon in Rounders when he sits at the table with Johnny Chan .... I decide to turn it on and see just how long I can stat within sight of the Best Rider in The World at that time so w/o hesitation I decide to turn it on and stayed somewhat close even going into a nice wide 180 left hander and come out of the turn with wfo in 3rd (surprisingly in control) MC is about 20' in front of me going off this tabletop/triple and im so star struck i hold it wiiiide basically the same speed MC left the jump at only i was missing one i.portant skill at that time....called how to stay lower over jumps before there was scrubbing by soaking up the takeoff, of course MC had that part dialed and I hit that jump hauling some serious ass! Over jumped it by about 35+ feet way high up on a 97 CR250 and land to the FLATS ....I smashed my nuts sooooo hard and to this day I swear it serilized me lol.....what did I think about it? .... (In a helium influenced voice) dam I just got passed by Jeremy McGrath and that was the coolest thing that had ever happened....as the pain started to set in I came to my wits and thought dam dude I wanna be that fast and smooth one day.....still chasing that dream lol.

It puts it into some perspective, all the guys you see getting lapped on tv are going to make the local pros you think are really fast look pretty medium speed.

Had a few pros (both Enticknaps, Tortelli, Steinke) blow by me at Hangtown practice days, but the one I remember most is FUTURE Pro Enzo Temmerman flying by me on a 100 foot table at DT1 in Tulare. He was on a 65 and made it, I was on a 450 and came up 10 feet short. Depressing.....

Hammer 663s

Rode the track with copper Webb here in eastern nc when he was on the 150
Hear a fast bike coming, hold your line, hold your line, hold yo...shiiiiittttttttttttt...that's crazy fast. I need to get off the track before I get landed on.

Great stories. Sometimes it sucks being mortal, eh?

Not on a Motocross track but at Grattan doing a track day. I was having the best day ever on my old GSXR750 street bike, pushing into turn one harder and harder every lap. Then this local fast guy comes by me on the outside, throws it on his knee, takes his right hand off the handle bar and points to the track. He was showing his buddy where the entrance to the fast line was. I am holding on for dear life thinking I am Rossi or something and he blows by with one hand and looking backwards. Pretty humbling to think how fast this guy is and still he is slow compared to the pro guys.

Another one I had was racing a CRC Grand Prix at the old Riverside raceway. I was on my Maico 450 2 stroke going down a long paved straight. I was tapped out and had my head on the tank and I could hear a four stroke behind me. Back then there were not many 4 strokes around. This guy came up next to me on this tricked out custom framed 4 stroke like a bat out of hell. The worse part is I thought I was hauling and about the time he got next to me he shifted up a gear and was gone. My bike seized the next lap. Never found out who it was but he was flying.