Who was your biggest influence?

12/26/2010 7:33pm Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 7:39pm
DUH! It was Roger DeCoster. Mine too. Well, except for this other guy...

Have you seen this: http://www.akejonsson.com/

When I rode, I didn't conciously try to ape DeCoster's style. But it was a plain fact that my conception of how to ride was imprinted by all the pictures I saw of him. If I was doing it right, that's what it would look like.

But all these years later I don't ride anymore. And the only lasting influence he (Roger) has on my life more generally is cast by his mystique of absolute integrity. That's still alot.

On the other hand Ake Jonsson's story, as told in Popular Cycling in my first year of moto conciousness, and as related in his own book that held it's place as a primary text on top of the pile of all the others my freshman year of high school - now That guy had a huge and lasting influence. His development work when he switched to Yamaha, resulting in the famous iterations of Yamaico's, gave me the license and impulse for a lifetimes worth of dissatisfactions with my hardware and interminable efforts to improve them. I couldn't have enjoyed and engaged my wheeled sports nearly as much without Ake's contribution to my quirks.

From my Bridgestone MB-1 with a steep head angle that I put a stiff Accutrax fork on, to the ultra short chainstay Alpinestars that needed alot of stem to turn at all, to a race car that's like a bridezilla addicted to surgery, I've never escaped the spell Ake cast. And it's not like I was searching for the unknown. An off the shelf Klein Attitude with the gigantic UniKlein fork was the 72 Maico Trans-Am machine of it's day. I coulda bought one. But instead I tried to make other machines work as good. I succeeded as many times as Ake won world championships. I'd do it all over the same way. And I'm gonna keep on doing it.

Thanks Ake.

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toby lawes
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12/26/2010 9:24pm
eric keho was my biggest influence! i was a green beginner in 1978 at indian dunes mx park. i used to watch him ride on the int & glen track as a factory 80cc exp rider . I WANTED TO DO WHAT HE DID! (RIDE FAST)!!! I WORKED MY WAY UP TO THE EXP CLASS thanks to him.. but the biggest man i know is my DAD! with out him i would not of raced mx or got to see eric ride and race! THANKS DAD & I LOVE YOU!
anniebertmojo
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12/26/2010 10:41pm Edited Date/Time 12/26/2010 10:42pm
If were talking MX, it's Gary Jones. He gave me great advice (personally, professionally, and racing wise) as a 14 year old racer. As I moved up through the ranks at Saddleback, we became friends.



We are still friends and like family today. Gary (and Jody) got me racing again last year on a more regular basis in the Vet Class at REM-Glen Helen. I feel like a kid again but as an adult and I'm having the time of my life!!! So much so my company sponsors his son Justin every few races as he moves up the MX ranks.



The kid is fast like his ol'man!!! The apple did not fall far from the tree...
motogrady
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12/27/2010 6:41am

A guy by the name of Mike Clevland, a dist 7 rider.

Watched him ride an orange cappra, lift the front wheel and carry it thru all 4 gears,
in a field of waist high rye. '69, maybe 1970, I was maybe 12 or 13. He was just cleaning
the thing out before a moto, but damn, what a sight for a kid.

Pro wise, I looked at Torston Hallman a a role model early on.
12/27/2010 7:55am Edited Date/Time 12/27/2010 7:57am
Dennis Kanegae let me hang around his dad's shop and then hired me as a "Gunk Brush" there. But he tried to teach me how to race and did take my bike to the races and let me borrow the shop truck at times and the first 250 I raced was his bike.
Richard Thorwaldson was another that gave me work and taught me the right way do do things. I was lucky enough to be with him at his last AMA Pro Race at Anaheim.

The Shop

JPT
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12/27/2010 10:23am
Bugsy.
12/27/2010 12:13pm
Pierre Karsmakers in '73. Pierre , along with Tim Hart, did the MX portion of the old Yamaha Dirt Days promotional events that were held across the US. Watching him ride and listening to his advice made a big impression on an 11 year old kid.

RexBackman
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12/27/2010 3:52pm
From a professional MX photography stand point Steve French was my idol. He shot great stuff for Cycle News and others in the early to mid-70's. DC's got his stuff now...

A friend from high school (El Camino High, Woodland Hills), Bob Smith really is the one that got me into photography. He pinged me a few years ago - and reminded me! Smile

From a rider perspective - DeCoster, Sylvain Geboers, Brad Lackey, John DeSoto...One rider I missed, by about a year was Joel Robert - I never got the chance to see him ride.
mr50racer
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12/27/2010 4:22pm
As a youngster I wanted to be Marty Smith. He was my favorite Pro back then.. That was until Magoo came through Missouri... He was my favorite after that. My biggest influence would have probably been George Holland. Him and Erik Kehoe were gods when I was coming up riding 80s, He was fast and didn't brag about it, He was acting like a true proffesional at a young age, I rode for R&D while he was there and I watched him like a hawk......
slowvet
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12/28/2010 7:02am
Dennis Kanegae let me hang around his dad's shop and then hired me as a "Gunk Brush" there. But he tried to teach me how to...
Dennis Kanegae let me hang around his dad's shop and then hired me as a "Gunk Brush" there. But he tried to teach me how to race and did take my bike to the races and let me borrow the shop truck at times and the first 250 I raced was his bike.
Richard Thorwaldson was another that gave me work and taught me the right way do do things. I was lucky enough to be with him at his last AMA Pro Race at Anaheim.
Cool story wrench. After seeing Jim Pomeroy race an international mx in Brou France in '75 I was smitten and had my idol. Glen Taylor, a Maryland A rider on Maico's in the early 80s was my local influence.
DirtDgr
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12/28/2010 6:40pm
Dad.
RBrider
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12/29/2010 7:18am Edited Date/Time 12/29/2010 11:03am
Gary Bailey, probably. His advice, as i remember it, was to be either on the gas or on the brakes. square your turns, ie. make them as short and tight as possible, then make the straights as long and straight as possible. I probably still do this today, not to say I should be doing it, but it's ingrained, I guess.

Then in 73 or 74, I saw Marty Tripes actually changing direction mid air to set up for a turn following a jump (at the Daytona Supercross) I had seen Bailey doing crossups, but it appeared to be just for looks. Tripes was actually using it to accomplish something.
Very impressive. (Gary Bailey was in that race, too. Finished 10 th, I think)

Then, maybe a year or two later, at a District 7 race at the old Balto City landfill aka motocross course, I saw a fast D7 expert , Bill Denton using Marty's cross up technique.
There was a jump that launched us in a direction that did not line us up properly for the following high speed straightaway. Bill just changed direction mid air, just like Marty did at Daytona.

If nothing else, watching my buddy Denton pull that move, just reinfored to me, the skill level that separated the guys that ran at the front of the A class, vs those of us that ran mid pack.

RB
motogrady
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12/29/2010 7:53am
RBrider wrote:
Gary Bailey, probably. His advice, as i remember it, was to be either on the gas or on the brakes. square your turns, ie. make them...
Gary Bailey, probably. His advice, as i remember it, was to be either on the gas or on the brakes. square your turns, ie. make them as short and tight as possible, then make the straights as long and straight as possible. I probably still do this today, not to say I should be doing it, but it's ingrained, I guess.

Then in 73 or 74, I saw Marty Tripes actually changing direction mid air to set up for a turn following a jump (at the Daytona Supercross) I had seen Bailey doing crossups, but it appeared to be just for looks. Tripes was actually using it to accomplish something.
Very impressive. (Gary Bailey was in that race, too. Finished 10 th, I think)

Then, maybe a year or two later, at a District 7 race at the old Balto City landfill aka motocross course, I saw a fast D7 expert , Bill Denton using Marty's cross up technique.
There was a jump that launched us in a direction that did not line us up properly for the following high speed straightaway. Bill just changed direction mid air, just like Marty did at Daytona.

If nothing else, watching my buddy Denton pull that move, just reinfored to me, the skill level that separated the guys that ran at the front of the A class, vs those of us that ran mid pack.

RB

.Geez, Bill was just about my neighbor.
We both lived across the street from the Dust Bowl, I watched that guy go from
a squid on a I think dt1 to a shop sponsored [Ken Dixon maybe?} Elsinore.
Really good guy.

If yer out there Bill, chime in guy!
RBrider
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12/29/2010 11:03am
motogrady wrote:
.Geez, Bill was just about my neighbor. We both lived across the street from the Dust Bowl, I watched that guy go from a squid on...

.Geez, Bill was just about my neighbor.
We both lived across the street from the Dust Bowl, I watched that guy go from
a squid on a I think dt1 to a shop sponsored [Ken Dixon maybe?} Elsinore.
Really good guy.

If yer out there Bill, chime in guy!
He and Billy Arnold were sponsored by the Honda shop in Fairfax Va. I don't recall the name of the shop. (at least in the '73-74' era, Hyser's helped him out later on)

He was a good guy.

.

RB
jtracing6
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12/29/2010 11:33am
My Influence apart from beer?
David Bailey naturally!
I´m Smooth, Stylish and Slow!
It´s not about how fast you go and winning, oh no. it´s all about how good you look! lol
12/29/2010 11:50am
I would say Marty Smith, why i got a Cr125 Elsinore,, then Bob Hannah, Tony D, Broc Glover, and Mark Barnett, but also Local Guys like Kippy Pierce and Monte Mccoy. who were almost as fast as the Stars when they came down for the Fla Winter series in the mid to later 70s.
Ken202
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12/29/2010 3:37pm
Bob Hannah, then Johnny O.
AZ35
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12/29/2010 9:09pm
For me, nothing was cooler than Jeff Ward with the all white Sinisalo gear riding the beautiful 84 works KX125 (and the SR250).
Coming home from school and seeing Wardy on the cover of Cycle News for winning the first night of the 84 Seattle double header (his first ever main), and then a few months later driving from Phoenix to Saddleback with my Dad to watch the 84 Saddleback national (the last ever) were just incredible...
I will never forget that era, like everyone else on this forum we all had a special time that will we always remember and for me it was the Ward vs Omara 83-84 seasons. Those guys will always be the heroes from my youth memories.
DAYKIN17
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12/30/2010 7:15am Edited Date/Time 1/8/2011 2:58am
rick hamer jackson, he was amazing, just ask him
12/31/2010 3:28am
DAYKIN we know you post to this trend just to put your picture in. We're tired of seeing it, just like you, your comments is nauseating. Just shut up and go away.
yamamura
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1/6/2011 9:04pm
For me, there are two different people who I credit as being my reader influences. One that I have always been aware of and one that only recently was brought to my attention by someone else.
.........................
plc training in chennai |
Cathcart
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2/22/2011 4:04am
Biggest influence...I wanted to be like my dad (who was fast) and Bob Hannah was my pro favorite. Then there was Glen Taylor who was a local D7 guy that was just plain fast. I would watch him ride and I couldnt see how anyone could ever go faster than him; I didn't think it was possible to go faster than that.
se7enmx
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2/26/2011 10:19am
Ake Jonsson. First saw him at Carnegie Cycle Park in Livermore on his #27 Maico. It was just great to see him just blast up the long uphill on the back wheel!
mosslander
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2/26/2011 12:45pm
Hakan Carlqvist and Jörgen Nilsson in MX, Rick Johnson in SX, Sven Erik Jönsson in Enduro.
gsxrcr28
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2/26/2011 12:54pm
Marty Smith
RRL 110
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2/26/2011 5:53pm
For me growing up in the Phoenix area it was Troy Blake. The Kid was amazing on a 80. RIP Troy
Moto4T5
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2/28/2011 12:01pm
Hannah till i met him one day LOL, after that Eric Kehoe, much nicer person.
supah-gnarr
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3/1/2011 4:31pm
Drake McElroy, no stress of racing, he just rides. natural terrain is moving.
rgmx-49
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3/1/2011 4:33pm
My DAD. pro rider: TPSmile

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