Hangtown 30 years ago

[img:807fe]http://homepage.mac.com/stusiak/.Pictures/2006%20Old%20School/crop0005…]

Little background; some of this will be old news to people who have read it before. I posting it first on MT, because MT was the first board I found a home at years ago, and then at MD and MXI.

My pop took me to my first MX in 1971, a Trans AMA at Carnegie Cycle Park when I was 13 years old. We hit the Nor Cal Trans AMA round every year after that until 1979, when the series had run its course. Still, it wasn’t until 1976, when I had my own wheels, that I made the trek out east of Sacramento to my first MX National race, the traditional Hangtown opening round at Plymouth, California. So, the race this Sunday will be my own personal Hangtown 30 year anniversary.

MX has been good for my soul since my Jr. High buddies introduced it to me in 1970. I was fortunate to grow up at a time and in a place (Richmond/Pinole in the NorCal east bay area) where off road motorcycling was thriving and people embraced motocross. Richard Mann and Brad Lackey were our hometown heroes (not bad local inspiration) as kids, and there were tons of local fast guys that made up the next generation of pro up-and-comers: Magoo, Schultz and a host of others. My best friend, Rich Wilson, took his own shot at the nationals, in the late 70’s, and I had the privilege of wrenching for him at a USGP support class one year and a couple nationals.

I’m sure I’m not the only guy, but I got hooked on MX photography early when my pop let me take some photos with his camera. I had that kid’s dream of being an MXA photographer, but after a couple of submissions realized that wasn’t going to happen and then just shot for pleasure. There wasn’t any way to share your photographs with people, so they got stashed.

Although most of the childhood friends who enjoyed the sport with me back in the day have moved on from MX, it stuck for me. Even during the years from the early 80’s into the 90’s, when I was in school and then striking out on a career and beginning a family, I was waiting for CN (in that old school way) to arrive after the races to keep on top of what was happening. How much joy the sport brings really hit home a couple years ago when, after being very ill for a couple years and then having some major surgery, I was back on my feet and finally made it back to Hangtown in 2000 (that was hot!!). Honestly, it’s a little maudlin, but I wept when we walked up to the track by the oak tree drop off, and guys were pinned and you could feel the ground shake with them landing. I think it was just one of those moments when it sinks in that part of a life worth living is having things you enjoy, and in the flash of that moment I was overwhelmed with the feelings of recalling years of great memories with people who meant a lot to me and also of the relief that I was going to get to live some more life enjoying something I loved.

So going to Hangtown each year is particularly special for me. It’s a bit like each new breath I don’t take for granted.

It wasn’t long after that that in 2000 that I discovered Mototalk (and Gibby’s board down the road), and made a whole new boatload of MX friends; some I’ve met, some I haven’t. And with the introduction to the internet as MX medium came the realization that this was a pretty cool way to get to show pictures. I started scanning old pictures, which a lot of you saw. Some of the stuff was scanned pretty crappy, but it was good to get it out. And then, with the generosity of Pat Schutte and DC, and really the encouragement/inspiration some very gifted professional, I have had the chance to shoot some races all over again.

All of that is a long-winded lead up to say that I started a project in the winter to rescan some of the old stuff still available to me, as well as scan some that had not yet been done. The notion was to have an old school page at the ftemoto.com site. Unfortunately, a busy spring stalled me about half way through (and it takes awhile to doctor mangled B&W negative, believe me).

Still, there is some fun stuff completed. The shots here are from NorCal races from 1971-1979. The kick off to the nationals seems like a pretty good time to bust them out. So, consider it a work in progress. Some of these you’ve seen, but hopefully they look better. Some are new. MX photos are all about enjoyment; they need to be seen. Hope to see you at the races. In the meantime, enjoy: [url=http://homepage.mac.com/stusiak/Old_School_Preview/PhotoAlbum142.html:8… School Work In Progress[/url:807fe]

XOXOX FTE