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it was muddy, granted, but until that day i thought nobody could beat James.
The Shop
Keyser’s Ridge, MD
I was 12 years old and was given the awesome responsibility to be a yellow flagger at a National race. I was placed on a deserted area of the track that had a series of slow switchback turns before some wide open downhill’s and sweepers before the finish line.
At the end of day with little action in the way of flagging (it was a slow speed section of the track) I was admiring Steve Wise’s commanding lead of the second moto of the 125 class. As the laps were winding down, Marty Smith was reeling Wise in and was on his rear wheel on the next to last time they would pass me.
Being the diligent safety worker, I didn’t pay too much attention to the leaders as they completed the last circuit of the “one and done” National layout. As the two came into my view, it was apparent that this was going to be a battle to the checkered flag. Coming to “my” turn (a right hander, almost a 180, and with an oddly placed, abnormally high chain link fence to the outside of the corner) factory Honda rider Smith blitzed the outside of the slow corner as privateer Wise seemed to be protecting his lead with a lower than normal entry.
Rather than crossing over, and cutting under Wise on the exit of the corner, Smith stayed wide and pulled even with Wise on the exit. Neither rider budged, both using all 125cc’s on the corner exit, causing Wise to drift into Smith and “hip checking” him into the chain link fence. Smith stayed upright but lost too much momentum to apply anymore pressure to Steve Wise as he went on to win.
There are no pictures to my knowledge…there wasn’t anyone even close to that section of the track other than me, and there seemed to be no reason for that section of fence. It was the most bored I had ever been at a National, until then.
Chadapult 2011 - I think my Gf at the time said I was more bummed for him than he was. I couldn't believe it.
Chads first win this year, was the first moment I jumped out of my seat screaming. Now my 8 y/o watches the races with me and he likes Dungey and Chad. The last lap we were both giddy like school girls and he crossed the line and we jumped up screaming. For the first time I thought he was done. Was a huge surprise.
I have only been following the sport since 1995 though. Have rewatched old races, but it isn't as exciting as at the time.
That and Hangtown 91.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf-llC9vlvU
But there are so many others!
Watching those makes me miss when riders actually earned their number every year! Bad moment when that changed.
and it was from that day on i realized i had super powers.
I might pick his MEC battle with RV, though. That scrub + squirting up the inside was soooo slick. Damn I wish they'd finished that race. Another lap like that would've been incredible.
Watching Canard's 2010 title run was special, too. It was the first time someone I was emotionally invested in was winning (I didn't care too much for JS at that juncture), so I probably got extra hooked on moto watching that series.
I care more about safety issues being perpetually ignored than I do about the number system.
San Deigo SX in 01
Doug Henry on his smoking YZM400
James should just have manned up, admitted he was beaten by a better rider, instead of trying to come up with a list of excuses......
Driving the entire 2007 outdoor season..... BT vs RV for 24 motos, RC still able to beat Bubba then riding off into the sunset, Bubba getting injured at Unadilla throwing the season completely wide open and Grant Langston taking the win. Plus making all the friends that I have now
Seeing Jeffrey Herlings lap Max Anstie who was in third place during a Lierop GP in perfect weather conditions
Finally finding the motocross track in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia
there's probably a few more memories that I can't think of right now...
Pit Row
I'd grown up in a racing family, bikes were part of my blood from the get go. Crawling, then running around my Dads and Uncles race / workshop, playing with bike bits and spanners.
I was pretty well versed in Motorcycle racing then, knowing who the World Champions were, and having traveled to many, many bikes races.
Roger Decoster, Joel Robert, Adolf Weil, Willi Bauer, Bengt Aberg and a bunch of Poms, were over for some races. My mom was being a royal bitch at the time, trying to break Dads influence on us kids, and she was pushing the whole Sunday School line of BS on us.
So we weren't allowed to go. Dad had other ideas, so we all were dressed up in our sunday best, and were supposed to be going off to church............ Not Fucking Likely! Strange that we blokes had to go, but mom didn't........
Dad pointed the car to Oran Park, we peeled off our good clobber, and changed into 'runamoke' gear. It had pissed down, the track start was downhill, at right angles to the main (Road Race circuit) straight, with a jump just before the first turn - a right hander, I think. It was carnage, but RD and the other Euro's were looking like JC walking on water.
It was the best day ever - we got home burnt to a crisp, covered in mud, with the biggest smiles on our dials. Can't recall the explanation given to mum, but the parents broke up soon after. That, was a good thing, for all of us. I spoke to Roger Decoster at the 98 MGM Grand race, in the pits, and we had a natter about that day. I think it was 26 years later, and he remembered quite a bit about the race meeting, which I think he dominated - how he remembered, I don't know, with all of his years of racing / massive events.
I think that day really instilled in me my passion for MX.
I've since gone to many GPs, and MXDNs, plus many internationals in Europe, and SX and MX in the states - I think that day was the start of all of that. Best thing to happen to me - seriously folks, pull your bloody finger out, and get to as many overseas races as you can. There's a big wide world out there, and your local / national racing, wherever you are, is just the tip of the iceberg.
The other in-person moment for me was Washougal 2003 when James Stewart started in like 10th. My Dad and I were sitting right at the S-turn at the bottom of the hills before the Chuck Sun tabletop (RIP). Stewie comes railing around and then procedes to wheelie over a single all the way to the Chuck Sun table and then scrubs the shit out of it to barely get 2 feet off the ground. Shit was seriously one of the most legit things. Well, that and the quad I witnessed in person in Vegas '03 before he wadded himself.
2:22 in the video below. The move made Bailey stop and just say "ooohhh".
https://youtu.be/bAT8-_MEbDg
I remember that day well because Nick Wey came around the first lap before the black flag in 2nd place behind Stew (my two favorite riders at the time, so it was cool to see them 1-2 for a split second)
Lots of good times at Red Bud, can't wait to go there this season. Luckily the 4th is on a Saturday (got the day off work by default!) so I'll get to make a weekend out of it this year.
I think that was the same year that RV and Townley were both racing Pro-Circuit Kawi 250s. I had never seen anyone abuse a bike as much as those two did. They were bouncing off the rev-limiter for literally 75% of that race, flat out pinned neck n neck the whole time. That was ALMOST as cool as watching Stew float that bike around
Bear in mind i was there to see Dave Thorpe's last to lead at Farleigh , and Jobe's leap over Malherbe to not pick those was hard.
My own personal highlight was watching moto2 at St Jean MXoN with GB leading after race 1 and Georges Jobe sneaking under my umbrella as the rain fell, just watching the race like a fan... i never got a picture because i would rather enjoy the moment than ruin it trying to capture it , dont regret it for a minute.
1990 Atlanta SX - Incredible race. Seeing Wardy so pumped at the win was inspiring.
2011 Atlanta SX - Me and 60,000 other fans screaming and standing the entire race. Loved it.
Post a reply to: which ONE moment in moto, can u never forget?