Press Release

National Champ, Gary Jones Honored in LA!‏













Legends
& Heroes to Honor 4-Time American 250 National MX
Champion
Gary Jones at Dodgers Stadium! 

 



January
16, 2012 ~ Norco, CA:   
As
motocross spread across the globe and became a dominant
motorcycle racing discipline, Gary Jones was at the leading
edge of the coming American storm.  The four-time American
250 National Motocross Champion (1971 to 1974) was first
exposed to motorcycles shortly after birth.  “My dad,
the only thing he had was motorcycles, and when I came home
from the hospital, I was on it with my mom,” says Jones.


Gary’s
father, Don Jones, a BSA/Matchless dealer, was also one of the
first Yamaha dealers in Southern California in the 1960’s. 
Young Gary was riding a BSA in local TT, scrambles, flat track
and motocross events, winning his first expert class race at
the age of 15.

“There was this new lightweight bike
coming out and it was cool.  We were making a lot of
modifications to it, racing it every week” Gary recalls about
the debut of the Yamaha DT1.   The Jones family was
well placed to help lead, direct and develop the advancing wave
of Japanese motocross innovation.  The motorcycle that
Jones and his father developed was to become the basis for the
strap tank YZ Yamaha and successful YZ motocross race
bikes.

 “It only took three years after Gary and
Dwayne got "blown off the track" at
Corriganville on their BSA Victors for the Jones to figure out
they needed better equipment and skills to compete against the
Euro's.” Tom White from the Early Years of Motocross Museum
remembers.  “By 1971 Gary, with a lot of help from his
dad Don, rose to be the "Cream of the Crop" of
aspiring American motocross riders, claiming the first Trans-Am
Championship by an American.  Some controversy still
exists whether this was the first AMA 250cc National
Championship, so Gary settled that by winning again in '72,
'73, and '74.  Oh, did I mention he won the championships
on 3 different brands?” Tom White adds.

“Good to be
a part of this one because as I was there when Gary started and
was there for many of his wins. I also got to race with Gary
and his brother a little as I was finishing my pro racing. The
Jones boy’s where always fast and fun to race with. Gary was
and is a class act, a hard worker and a real sportsman. Glad to
be a part of this presentation to a real Champion on and of the
track” the Professor, Gary Bailey remarks.

“It was
40 years ago this year that Gary won for Yamaha their first 250
National AMA Championship on the legendary YZ yellow strapped
tanked machine.  It was an exciting time for all of us to
watch him and his family as they developed the prototypes and
went out every weekend to race, break and fix in those early
days of product development.  Gary Jones was one of the
reasons why the YZ line of Yamaha race equipment was so
successful in the early days of MX” Alex Moroz and Mike
Owens, managing partners of the Legends & Heroes Tour
concludes.

Gary Jones will be at the Legends &
Heroes display at Dodgers Stadium on Saturday, January
21st from 3-4pm for a meet and greet with the fans. 
You don’t want to miss this one!



























About
the Tour

The
Legends & Heroes Motocross Tour is a professional
historical display and time-line of Americas greatest
motorsport.  The tour includes the machines and the champs
of Motocross. The project was conceived by a dedicated group of
Motocross Enthusiasts who, over the years, have discovered the
value of the rich 40+ years of Motocross legacy and its impact
on the American motorsports history. “The dedication and
passion of the sport has brought the Legends & Heroes
Motocross Tour to the next level of sharing this legacy, the
history of the machines and men, as well as the women of
Motocross. The history of the Classic Iron and its' champions
is a dynamic model ever changing. We see this rich history as a
great learning lab for all ages” according to Alex Moroz the
tours managing partner. 

 









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