I've been binge watching 90's supercross and a couple things stood out to me.
1. The riders talked wayyy more shit and it was honestly awesome. Mcgrath would just flat out say "Those guys got lucky" or "They better watch out when i get pissed, im going to smoke them". Lusk, Huffman, Button in the 125s, those guys would say what they really felt after a race whether it was about their own race or their competition. We need more of this today. These guys "we are all friends" attitudes and political correctness is boring.
2. Jerry Bernardo is a friggin dork. Almost every post race interview is just awkward as fuck lol. "Good job kid" Mcgrath saying he needed to sit down after Las Vegas SX because he was light headed and ole Jerry "Hey that makes for good tv" ffs lol
3. Dave Despain is a savage. "Oh look, Stanton is down again. Story of his season" and he would say it with that sarcastic tone and i couldn't help but chuckle. Fast forward to now and RC is too scared to even make a prediction on a winner.
4. It seems the average age of the mechanic has come down a lot. When they interview the mechanics back then, most of them were older dudes ranging from mid 30s to 50's. Seems all the wrenchers now days are much younger and fit the moto bro image if you know what i mean.
Mid 30s qualifies as an "older dude"? I'm not old yet! 🤣
I do love watching 90s and early 00s SX races though.
On #1 - our fanbase is far too autistic nowadays to handle (comprehend) stuff like that. Imagine the front page around here…
On #3 - our fanbase is what has turned the commentary booth into what it is. The announcers don’t want to step over anybody or stir any drama due to the backlash that social media makes so easy to receive. If they compliment Jett once it’s “why does he deserve the extra attention” but if they don’t talk about him it’s “why do they ignore the golden boy”
and on #4 - they went from mechanics to parts changers nowadays. Back then the guys built their own motors, and basically framed up their bikes. These days you may swap a clutch, oddball part etc. but the majority of what you are doing is cleaning the bike and changing routine wear parts. Not always the case especially with more satellite teams/privateers, but mostly the case.
IMO we got some of the 80’s-90’s antics back in the Stew/CR era. But that was about the last of that. The mid 90’s to mid 00’s IMO were the golden years of this sport, as well as the closest we’ve come to mainstream.
I didn't feel old until I saw that I'm in the last age group on all of the polls..
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Ahhhh, the early 90's. The heyday of SX.
It definitely was. The racing for the most part was unpredictable outside of MC. Guys like Larocco could get a bad start literally every weekend and make is way up to a podium. The start was important obviously but between knarly tracks, 2 strokes and training not being a science, anything could happen. Today is so boring in comparison. Guy gets a start and thats about it. I complain about it but you bet yer ass ill be firing up peacock 2 min before race day live starts
Not exactly early 90s or SX but funny just the same
Oh man, I loved watching Jerry Bernardo lol. That guy was a hoot!
Gotta admit, some of those drag-bike girls are pretty hot 😎
Bailey vs Johnson '86
"To your point" about the mechanics
They just ‘look older’. Definitely not a lot older than most current factory mechanics
Factory mechanics frame their bikes every week per racer x bike deep dive videos.
@Talon...
"It definitely was. The racing for the most part was unpredictable outside of MC"
Much more exciting watching a battle for the lead than the leftovers! 🙂
AMA 250cc Supercross Champion – 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000
About the Dave Despain point. I’m pretty sure the commentary was done after the races so Despain probably never met the riders which allowed him to be more brutal, whereas nowadays the commentators are rubbing shoulders with the riders every weekend. If Ricky calls someone out for being a douche then said rider is more likely to call him out on it.
Dave frequently had riders on his TV show Wind Tunnel. He was known for telling it like it was. Fans, and riders, respected him for that. Crazy concept wasn't it 🙂
Pretty cool vid on the 90s gear
Oh ok fair point.
Pit Row
He covered lots of car racing stuff on his program but was very passionate about motorcycles. Here's Jeff Ward and Bubba on his show. Your response is refreshing 🙂
https://youtu.be/816yhpqZkGs?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/KiaxCoTvIA0?feature=shared
X2 to both posts
I don’t know if I could handle McGrath’s dominance if it happened today as an adult, but it sure was great to watch as a 10 year old kid!
" The riders talked wayyy more shit and it was honestly awesome. Mcgrath would just flat out say "Those guys got lucky" or "They better watch out when i get pissed, im going to smoke them". Lusk, Huffman, Button in the 125s, those guys would say what they really felt after a race whether it was about their own race or their competition. We need more of this today. These guys "we are all friends" attitudes and political correctness is boring. "
Big sign of the times, especially in America, it started with reality TV, the media, the phones you know the rest.
This part of the sport really irks me, everyone is muzzled, everyone muzzles themselves because of fear of backlash, it's fucking pathetic really, like you said we need more of this but our very own fans don't allow it anymore.
The undisputed King of Supercross. Watching MC was like watching a Tyson fight, you knew the outcome before it started. The only question was how far into the first round (lap) he would break the competition.
It’s pretty rough living out of a box van. Splitting cases , changing frames etc rider & mechanic living on the rd. There was a tight bond. After a sx or natl riders went out parting & dancing. I always brought a fun date , I would say reved up let’s hit the floor & get wild. Hugh’s was always out trying to wrestle people & hitting the dance floor getting wild. The sx tracks had slower speeds but much more technical. A slight bog or a bad shift you got passed.
bring back mechanic interviews
1992 LA Supercross . . .
1993 Rosebowl Supercross . . .
This may be true. While i was on the 92' season i called my wife into the room to see Bradshaw's interview. We had a laugh because He looked like he was 32 years old with that mustache and mullet and to hear the interviewer say "Here's 18 year old Damon Bradshaw"
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