Who's the most succesful Off Road Racer to convert to MX?

Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp
Edited Date/Time 3/1/2018 8:31pm

There are a lot of instances of MX'ers having success in Off Road, but I don't recall any big ones the other way around? Stephan Everts comes to the top along with Mike Brown and Rodney Smith for MX'ers trying off road.

What have you got for offroader's winning on the track?


Here's a cool article by Shan Moore. He just so happens to be an ex MX'er out of Oklahoma who road a Bultaco in the 500cc Supercross series in 1975.
https://www.dirtrider.com/mistakes-mx-pros-made-transitioning-to-off-ro…



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jeffro503
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jeffro503 3/1/2018 2:09pm
3/1/2018 2:09pm
Usually the other way around. Mx to off road. But with some guys going back and forth...Brown , Strang , Sipes , Abbott , Dietrich......quite a few.
Marty1028
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Marty1028 3/1/2018 2:14pm
3/1/2018 2:14pm
Id say Ryan Sipes. Pretty sure he went offroad first, then to mx, then back to offroad even better than he was before.

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jeffro503
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jeffro503 3/1/2018 2:27pm
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twotwosix wrote:
Active? Christophe Charlier
Forgot about him. Yep....he can ride the wheels off just about anything.
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 2:27pm
3/1/2018 2:27pm
twotwosix wrote:
Active? Christophe Charlier
Why does everybody keep bringing up Beta? Just kidding. I'm not aware of his background, but he is now on Beta's team, so I guess he went from MX 1st?

It seems to me that there are lots of kids learning in off road these days, and I'm just wondering how many of them ever come over to the dark side successfully.

Plessinger is a good one, but I don't think he was a champion offroad? and he's not one in MX, yet. He may be the best example though.
F150Motocrosser 3/1/2018 2:31pm
3/1/2018 2:31pm
This doesn't really count, but it was awesome seeing Colton Haaker participate in Straight Rhythm this year
MelonFan123
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MelonFan123 3/1/2018 2:33pm
3/1/2018 2:33pm
to go from active pro off-road to pro MX, has to be Dietrich right? He had that fill-in ride with Factory Kawasaki then he was on one of those Yamaha support teams for a year or two - maybe Valli or MotoConcepts when they were on blue.
Dropbear
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Dropbear 3/1/2018 2:35pm
3/1/2018 2:35pm Edited Date/Time 3/1/2018 2:35pm
Roger Decoster won a gold medal at the ISDE (T) and a National Trials Championship before he won a World MX title. Does that count?
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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 2:42pm
3/1/2018 2:42pm Edited Date/Time 3/1/2018 3:06pm
Superdave19 wrote:
Ricky Dietrich had a good run when he ran the outdoors-
That's who I was trying to remember. Seems like he cracked the top 10?


How's those memory pills working for ya?
Awesome, I swear by them.
What are they called again?
Hmm, let me ask my wife. Hey what are those flowers with thorns called?
Rose?
That's it.
Rose, what are those memory pills called?

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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 2:43pm
3/1/2018 2:43pm
Dropbear wrote:
Roger Decoster won a gold medal at the ISDE (T) and a National Trials Championship before he won a World MX title. Does that count?
We could have a winner? linky?
Dropbear
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Dropbear 3/1/2018 2:50pm
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Dropbear wrote:
Roger Decoster won a gold medal at the ISDE (T) and a National Trials Championship before he won a World MX title. Does that count?
Johnny Depp wrote:
We could have a winner? linky?
Don't have a link, just from memory. I am old
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 2:56pm
3/1/2018 2:56pm
Dropbear wrote:
Roger Decoster won a gold medal at the ISDE (T) and a National Trials Championship before he won a World MX title. Does that count?
Johnny Depp wrote:
We could have a winner? linky?
Dropbear wrote:
Don't have a link, just from memory. I am old
Yep, you're right. I didn't know about that. That would be hard to beat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_De_Coster

De Coster began his professional motocross career with the Czechoslovakian firm ČZ racing in the 500cc class.[1] He was also competent in other forms of off-road motorcycling, winning a Gold Medal in the 1964 International Six Days Trial, and won the 1964 Belgian Observed Trials National Championship.[1] He won the 500cc Belgian National Championship in 1966 and moved up to the Grand Prix World Championship in 1967.[1] He won his first 500cc Grand Prix in 1968.[1]
Mit12
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Mit12 3/1/2018 3:02pm
3/1/2018 3:02pm
It was not me that’s for sure.

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Moto Mofo
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Moto Mofo 3/1/2018 3:05pm
3/1/2018 3:05pm
Plessinger has to be the most successful rider to transition from offroad to moto. He won XC2 races in GNCC before he began his professional MX/SX career.

I remember Barry Hawk qualifying for a 250 National at either High Point or Mt Morris in about 2003. In Cycle News, he was quoted as saying it was his very first MX race on a motorcycle.
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BMSOBx2 3/1/2018 3:09pm
3/1/2018 3:09pm
Rodney Smith was good enough back in the day to win at both.
ML512
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ML512 3/1/2018 3:09pm
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F150Motocrosser wrote:
This doesn't really count, but it was awesome seeing Colton Haaker participate in Straight Rhythm this year
Colton Haaker has also qualified for an outdoor national on both a 250 and 450.
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Moto Mofo 3/1/2018 3:10pm
3/1/2018 3:10pm
Decoster did the ISDT and Trials stuff while also racing scrambles, or whatever it was called before MX existed. That was simply a different time, when people who competed on motorcycles weren’t afraid to try anything and everything.
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ML512 3/1/2018 3:12pm
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Superdave19 wrote:
Ricky Dietrich had a good run when he ran the outdoors-
Johnny Depp wrote:
That's who I was trying to remember. Seems like he cracked the top 10? How's those memory pills working for ya? Awesome, I swear by them...
That's who I was trying to remember. Seems like he cracked the top 10?


How's those memory pills working for ya?
Awesome, I swear by them.
What are they called again?
Hmm, let me ask my wife. Hey what are those flowers with thorns called?
Rose?
That's it.
Rose, what are those memory pills called?

Ricky Dietrich qualified for a 250 SX main event all the way back in 2006...

He also raced three outdoor nationals prior to winning his WORCS or Endurocross title. His best finished in outdoors was fifth in 2009 at Freestone while filling in at Factory Kawi...which he replicated two years later at Freestone again but for Valli Yamaha.
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Sully 3/1/2018 4:03pm
3/1/2018 4:03pm
Moto Mofo wrote:
Decoster did the ISDT and Trials stuff while also racing scrambles, or whatever it was called before MX existed. That was simply a different time, when...
Decoster did the ISDT and Trials stuff while also racing scrambles, or whatever it was called before MX existed. That was simply a different time, when people who competed on motorcycles weren’t afraid to try anything and everything.
You're definitely right about it being a different time, but I'm not so sure it was that they weren't afraid to try anything and everything, so much as they went where the money was. If a local race paid better, then that's where those guys went.
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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 4:07pm
3/1/2018 4:07pm
Superdave19 wrote:
Ricky Dietrich had a good run when he ran the outdoors-
Johnny Depp wrote:
That's who I was trying to remember. Seems like he cracked the top 10? How's those memory pills working for ya? Awesome, I swear by them...
That's who I was trying to remember. Seems like he cracked the top 10?


How's those memory pills working for ya?
Awesome, I swear by them.
What are they called again?
Hmm, let me ask my wife. Hey what are those flowers with thorns called?
Rose?
That's it.
Rose, what are those memory pills called?

ML512 wrote:
Ricky Dietrich qualified for a 250 SX main event all the way back in 2006... He also raced three outdoor nationals prior to winning his WORCS...
Ricky Dietrich qualified for a 250 SX main event all the way back in 2006...

He also raced three outdoor nationals prior to winning his WORCS or Endurocross title. His best finished in outdoors was fifth in 2009 at Freestone while filling in at Factory Kawi...which he replicated two years later at Freestone again but for Valli Yamaha.
A couple of good ones, Haaker and Dietrich backgrounds. Thanks

I would expect some GNCC guys to be in the mix, but it doesn't seem that other than Plessinger and Sipes many have come up.
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Johnny Depp 3/1/2018 4:10pm
3/1/2018 4:10pm Edited Date/Time 3/1/2018 4:11pm
Moto Mofo wrote:
Decoster did the ISDT and Trials stuff while also racing scrambles, or whatever it was called before MX existed. That was simply a different time, when...
Decoster did the ISDT and Trials stuff while also racing scrambles, or whatever it was called before MX existed. That was simply a different time, when people who competed on motorcycles weren’t afraid to try anything and everything.
Sully wrote:
You're definitely right about it being a different time, but I'm not so sure it was that they weren't afraid to try anything and everything, so...
You're definitely right about it being a different time, but I'm not so sure it was that they weren't afraid to try anything and everything, so much as they went where the money was. If a local race paid better, then that's where those guys went.
It's like everything these days in amateurs, specialization. You gotta be on the select "A" team by middle school or you'll never amount to anything

Back in the day we played every sport even as High School seniors. There are still some that do. Now get off my grass.
rbm33
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rbm33 3/1/2018 4:36pm
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I have often wonder the exact opposite. Why don't aging motocross riders convert to a career in off road or other disciplines that an older rider can compete at? Look at Guy Cooper and Mike Brown, they have both had very sucessful careers after motocross. So, who don't more motocrossers do this?
godog
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godog 3/1/2018 4:40pm
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Up north eh we had Julian Cerny. Raced XC for years tried his hand in cmrc mx nationals....
GNCC Lapper 3/1/2018 4:44pm
3/1/2018 4:44pm
Not most successful, but Shane Watts qualified for 3 Nats. in 2000 and 2001. And with a headlight / taillight on his bike at Steel City.

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