Re: Hangtown motocross today...

 
Actually, the origin of motocross in California was when Stu Peters
and Kelvin Franks started the California Motocross Club in 1968~1969.

My bikes wore plate #729 and I still have it in the garage, though I
sold the bikes long ago.

Stu and Kel had seen MX in Europe and they thought that it was all
about riding in mud, so they doused their courses with all the water
they could.

That kind of crap was really destructive of motorcycles, but all the
promoters started doing it, ignoring the obvious fact that motocross
races are supposed to take place on the *natural terrain* of the
region, regardless of whether that terrain is desert or swampland.

The AMA District 37 desert races were definitely taking place on
natural terrain and one competitor pointed out to me that he could
unload his bike at home after a desert race and it was just *dusty*,
it wasn't all covered with a ton of dried mud.

I ran one MX race at Helvetia Park, near the Sacramento river, and the
course was so muddy I had 50 pounds of mud on each tire and only made
it around the course about once.

I was scored as 6th place though...

Motocross kept getting crazier and crazier with barrel turns that
required riders to stay in single file all the way around a corner and
drag race to the next barrel turn and ridiculous piled up jumps and
triple jumps where an insane rider had to fly through the air.

Stadium MX is the epitome of ridiculous, but there was so much
misguided enthusiasm for the evolution of the sport and so much hero
worship that otherwise sane riders were willing to pay $50 just to
ride their bikes around a stadium course one time so they could say
they'd done it.

And MX racing was so popular at courses all over California the
promoters would have to divide the 125 and 250cc classes into multiple
divisions and each rider would only get about half a dozen laps a day
because there were just so many junior riders trying to break into the
sport.

 

Bullshit.


--
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Honda CB400F  
Triumph Street Triple  Suzuki Freewind, TS250ERx2, GN250.
So many bikes, so little garage space....
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com

 

Ah. Plastered all over the wheels I could believe. Just on the tyre, I'd
still be sceptical.


--
BMW K1100LT  Ducati 750SS  Honda CB400F  
Triumph Street Triple  Suzuki Freewind, TS250ERx2, GN250.
So many bikes, so little garage space....
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com